Lesson 8: Leadership
leadership: the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of
goals
1. Trait theories
trait theories of leadership
focus on personal qualities and characteristics
o the big five model: extraversion is the most predictive trait of effective leadership
o conscientiousness and openness to experience may predict leadership
o the dark side personality traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) are
not all bad for leadership
o a core component of EI is empathy
o people high in EI are more likely to emerge as leaders
o trait theories help us predict leadership, but they don’t fully explain leadership
2. Behavioral theories
behavioral theories of leadership
imply we can train people to be leaders
initiating structure
the extent to which a leader defines and structures his or her role and those of the
subordinates to facilitate goal attainment
consideration
the extent to which a leader has job relationships that are characterized by mutual trust,
respect for employee’s ideas, and regard for their feelings (people-oriented)
3. Contingency theories
situational leadership theory
SLT focuses on the followers
readiness
the extent to which followers are willing and able to accomplish a specific task
unable and unwilling
clear and specific directions need to be given
unable but willing
a high task orientation needs to be displayed
Lesson 8 1/5
, able but unwilling
a supportive and participative style needs to be used
able and willing
not much to do
charismatic leadership
charismatic leadership theory
followers attribute heroic or extraordinary leadership abilities when they observe certain
behaviors and tend to give these leaders power
o emotionally stable and extraverted
o speaking in an animated voice, reinforcing your message with eye contact and facial
expressions, and gesturing for emphasis
o vision: a long-term strategy for attaining a goal or goals
o vision statement: a formal articulation of an organization's vision or mission
o one factor that enhances charismatic leadership is stress; sleep deprivation can
reduce it
o narcissists are higher in some behaviors associated with charismatic leadership
o success depends, to some extent, on the situation and on the leader’s vision, and the
organizational checks and balances in place to monitor the outcomes
transactional and transformational leadership
transactional leaders
who guide their followers towards established goals by clarifying role and task requirements
transformational leaders
who inspire followers to transcend their self-interest for the good of the organization
è the best leaders are transactional and transformational
è transformational leadership builds on transactional leadership and produces levels of
follower effort and performance beyond what transactional leadership alone can do
è transformational leadership is more important for group performance and
satisfaction with the leader, whereas transactional leadership is more important for
leader effectiveness and follower job satisfaction
transformational leadership
o inspires and motivates followers
o companies with transformational leaders often show greater agreement among top
managers about the organization’s goals, which yields superior organizational
performance
o individual-focused tr. leadership is behavior that empowers individual followers to
develop ideas, enhance their abilities and increase self-efficacy
o team focused tr. leadership emphasizes group goals, shared values, and beliefs
Lesson 8 2/5
leadership: the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of
goals
1. Trait theories
trait theories of leadership
focus on personal qualities and characteristics
o the big five model: extraversion is the most predictive trait of effective leadership
o conscientiousness and openness to experience may predict leadership
o the dark side personality traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) are
not all bad for leadership
o a core component of EI is empathy
o people high in EI are more likely to emerge as leaders
o trait theories help us predict leadership, but they don’t fully explain leadership
2. Behavioral theories
behavioral theories of leadership
imply we can train people to be leaders
initiating structure
the extent to which a leader defines and structures his or her role and those of the
subordinates to facilitate goal attainment
consideration
the extent to which a leader has job relationships that are characterized by mutual trust,
respect for employee’s ideas, and regard for their feelings (people-oriented)
3. Contingency theories
situational leadership theory
SLT focuses on the followers
readiness
the extent to which followers are willing and able to accomplish a specific task
unable and unwilling
clear and specific directions need to be given
unable but willing
a high task orientation needs to be displayed
Lesson 8 1/5
, able but unwilling
a supportive and participative style needs to be used
able and willing
not much to do
charismatic leadership
charismatic leadership theory
followers attribute heroic or extraordinary leadership abilities when they observe certain
behaviors and tend to give these leaders power
o emotionally stable and extraverted
o speaking in an animated voice, reinforcing your message with eye contact and facial
expressions, and gesturing for emphasis
o vision: a long-term strategy for attaining a goal or goals
o vision statement: a formal articulation of an organization's vision or mission
o one factor that enhances charismatic leadership is stress; sleep deprivation can
reduce it
o narcissists are higher in some behaviors associated with charismatic leadership
o success depends, to some extent, on the situation and on the leader’s vision, and the
organizational checks and balances in place to monitor the outcomes
transactional and transformational leadership
transactional leaders
who guide their followers towards established goals by clarifying role and task requirements
transformational leaders
who inspire followers to transcend their self-interest for the good of the organization
è the best leaders are transactional and transformational
è transformational leadership builds on transactional leadership and produces levels of
follower effort and performance beyond what transactional leadership alone can do
è transformational leadership is more important for group performance and
satisfaction with the leader, whereas transactional leadership is more important for
leader effectiveness and follower job satisfaction
transformational leadership
o inspires and motivates followers
o companies with transformational leaders often show greater agreement among top
managers about the organization’s goals, which yields superior organizational
performance
o individual-focused tr. leadership is behavior that empowers individual followers to
develop ideas, enhance their abilities and increase self-efficacy
o team focused tr. leadership emphasizes group goals, shared values, and beliefs
Lesson 8 2/5
