Week 6: Leadership
"There are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are people who try to define it." -
Stogdill
"Leadership is a process in which an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common
goal." - Northouse, 2012
(In)effective leaders
Bass, 1985 distinguished these types of leadership based on effectiveness (left to right). On the left is
an absence of leadership. Transactional is about monitoring employees and you compensate them
for their effort. You monitor mistakes they might make to correct them. Transformational leadership
is when a person takes initiative to make contact with employees. This leader tries to get everyone
on board with the vision of the company for the greater good.
Transactional leadership has 3 dimensions:
Passive: leaders who intervene when their are really serious problems. You won't see
them when their are no problems.
Active: leaders actively monitor performance and take corresponding actions if
necessary.
Contingent reward: most active form, where a leader exchanges resources. So leader
will provide support in exchange for their efforts and performance.
, Transformational leadership consists out of these 4 dimensions
Idealized: leader should have high moral and ethical standards and charisma. This wil
engender loyalty in followers.
Intellectual: helping followers to become innovative and creative.
Individualized: looking at each of the employees and their needs and support they
have. Actively coaching employees to they have the opportunity to grow and get more
skills and abilities.
Inspirational: transformational is about having an inspiration or vision for the future
based on values and ideas the leader has.
How leadership can be studied
Trait approach
Behavioral approach
Situational approach
Great men perspective (trait approach)
"People vary hugely in their 'natural ability', which is inherited biologically. Those at the very top of
the range become leaders and great achievers of their generation." - Francis Galton, 1869
Trait approach
Big 5 and transformational leadership (composite of dimensions)
o Extraversion (.24)
o Conscientiousness (.13)
o Neuroticism (-.17)
o Openness (.15)
o Agreeableness (.10)
Correlations were relatively weak. Main takeaway from this study is that their are correlations
between traits people have and leadership, but they are not very strong. Besides trait approach, we
should look at other determinants (behavioral, situational)
Trait approach critique
Leader centered approach
Wide variety of traits
Leaderhip development --> there is little room for leadership courses because you can't
change traits that people inherited genetically. So you have it, or you don't
"The findings suggest that leadership is not a matter of passive status or the mere possession of
some combination of traits." - Stogdill, 1948
Behavioral approach
Leadership behavior
Initiating structure v.s. consideration behavior
Leadership behavior description questionnaire (LBDQ)
Initiating: leader is clear about goals and performance expectation
Consideration: more about social part, so giving social support to employees and encourage them to
grow.
"There are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are people who try to define it." -
Stogdill
"Leadership is a process in which an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common
goal." - Northouse, 2012
(In)effective leaders
Bass, 1985 distinguished these types of leadership based on effectiveness (left to right). On the left is
an absence of leadership. Transactional is about monitoring employees and you compensate them
for their effort. You monitor mistakes they might make to correct them. Transformational leadership
is when a person takes initiative to make contact with employees. This leader tries to get everyone
on board with the vision of the company for the greater good.
Transactional leadership has 3 dimensions:
Passive: leaders who intervene when their are really serious problems. You won't see
them when their are no problems.
Active: leaders actively monitor performance and take corresponding actions if
necessary.
Contingent reward: most active form, where a leader exchanges resources. So leader
will provide support in exchange for their efforts and performance.
, Transformational leadership consists out of these 4 dimensions
Idealized: leader should have high moral and ethical standards and charisma. This wil
engender loyalty in followers.
Intellectual: helping followers to become innovative and creative.
Individualized: looking at each of the employees and their needs and support they
have. Actively coaching employees to they have the opportunity to grow and get more
skills and abilities.
Inspirational: transformational is about having an inspiration or vision for the future
based on values and ideas the leader has.
How leadership can be studied
Trait approach
Behavioral approach
Situational approach
Great men perspective (trait approach)
"People vary hugely in their 'natural ability', which is inherited biologically. Those at the very top of
the range become leaders and great achievers of their generation." - Francis Galton, 1869
Trait approach
Big 5 and transformational leadership (composite of dimensions)
o Extraversion (.24)
o Conscientiousness (.13)
o Neuroticism (-.17)
o Openness (.15)
o Agreeableness (.10)
Correlations were relatively weak. Main takeaway from this study is that their are correlations
between traits people have and leadership, but they are not very strong. Besides trait approach, we
should look at other determinants (behavioral, situational)
Trait approach critique
Leader centered approach
Wide variety of traits
Leaderhip development --> there is little room for leadership courses because you can't
change traits that people inherited genetically. So you have it, or you don't
"The findings suggest that leadership is not a matter of passive status or the mere possession of
some combination of traits." - Stogdill, 1948
Behavioral approach
Leadership behavior
Initiating structure v.s. consideration behavior
Leadership behavior description questionnaire (LBDQ)
Initiating: leader is clear about goals and performance expectation
Consideration: more about social part, so giving social support to employees and encourage them to
grow.
