So What Is It, this Leadership Thing? And How Can I Get Me Some?

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So What Is It, this Leadership Thing? And How
Can I Get Me Some?

• The Paradox Leaders are necessary for teamwork
  but their very existence often threatens teamwork
  (and vice versa)

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First Research

• Great Person TheoryLeaders are born with
  something special they either have it or
  dont.If they have, there must be some
  universal traits. So what are they?

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Is it that leaders are endowed with these
certain traits or attributes and those who cant
lead, are not?, e.g., perseverance, dynamism,
aggressiveness?

• This is one of the earliest approaches in the
  study of leadership (and the least productive).
• After lots of attempts to specify the traits,
  gt1500 studies found little connection between
  traits and leadership.
• Despite this, we often talk about our leaders
  using trait language, especially political
  leaders and often in selection and recruitment
  discussions about candidates.

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Few Consistent Findings from Trait Studies Here
are some about which there is limited agreement
These come from exhaustive review of literature
gt1,500 Studies (Stodgdill, 1975)

• Strong drive for responsibility and task
  completion
• Persistence in pursuit of goals
• Venturesomeness and originality in problem
  solving
• Drive to exercise initiative in social situations
  
• Self-confidence and sense of personal identity.
• Willingness to accept consequences of decision
  and action

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Traits (continued)

• Readiness to absorb interpersonal stress
• Willingness to tolerate frustration and delay
• (Stodgdill, 1974 Handbook of Leadership)

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Status of Trait Approach

• Massive research failed to find traits that
  guarantee leadership success
• A major reason lack of attention to intervening
  variables in the causal chain
• Traits
• Intervening Variables
• Outcomes

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Summary of Trait Studies

• Hindered by methodological problems
• Problem connecting abstract trait and how it
  shows up in behavior
• Cant examined traits one-at a-time
• If traits matter, it is probably a constellation
  of interacting traits which cant be reduced to
  single traits, thus very difficult to study.

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Late 1940s and into 1950s

• Research shifted to the question What is
  effective leadership? What do good leaders
  actually do?
• e.g., listen skillfully, are interpersonal
  competence, clarify tasks, have group
  facilitation skills, promote goals

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Summary of Leadership Styles Research The Two
Clusters of Behavior Task and People
People
Task

• Autocratic
• Initiating Structure
• Job Center
• Task Centered
• Concern for People
• Task Oriented
• Directive Behavior
• Manager Makes Decision

• Participative
• Consideration
• Employee Centered
• People Centered
• Concern for Productivity
• Relationship Centered
• Supportive Behavior
• Group Makes the Decision

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Blake Moutons Managerial Grid
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9, 1 Country Club Manager
9, 9 Team Manager
5, 5 Bureaucratic Manager
People-Centered Leadership
1, 9 Authoritarian
Manager
1, 1 Impoverished Manager
1
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Task-Centered Leadership
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NO CONTINGENCIES or SITUATIONAL FACTORS IDENTIFIED
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Why Trait and Behavior Approaches Fall Short
Trait approaches consider personal
characteristics of the leader that may be
important in achieving success in a leadership
role.
Fail to take into account the interaction
between 1. leaders behavior, and 2. tasks, and
The situation, thecontingencies
Behavioral approaches attempt to specify which
kinds of leader behaviors are necessary for
effective leadership.
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Leadership as a ContingencyIt Depends on the
Situation
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The First Major Contingency Model of Leadership
Leader Match Theory Fred Fiedler
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LPC
Pleasant
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Unpleasant
Friendly
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Unfriendly
Rejecting
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Accepting
Helpful
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Frustrating
Unenthusiastic
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Enthusiastic
Tense
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Relaxed
Distant
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Close
Cold
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Warm
Cooperative
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Uncooperative
Supportive
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Hostile
Boring
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Interesting
Quarrelsome
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Harmonious
Self-Assured
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Hesitant
Efficient
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Inefficient
Total
Gloomy
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Cheerful
Open
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Guarded
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Situations According to Fiedlers Contingency
Model.
Leader-Member Relations
Good
Bad
Task Structure
High
High
Low
Low
Position Power
Weak
Strong
Weak
Weak
Weak
Strong
Strong
Strong
Cell Number
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Very Favorable
Very Unfavorable
Situational Favorableness
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RESULTS FROM CONTINGENCY MODEL RESEARCH
1.00
Positive correlations Relationship-centered
leader (High LPC) does best
Correlation between LPC and Performance
00
Negative correlations Task-oriented leader (Low
LPC) does best
-1.00
1 Good High High
2 Good High Low
3 Good Low High
4 Good Low Low
5 Poor High High
6 Poor High Low
7 Poor Low High
8 Poor Low Low
Ldr-Mem. Relations Task Structure Position
Power
Situational Favorability
Source Adapted from Fred Fiedler, 1967.
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MANAGER ACTIONS THAT CAN CHANGE SITUATIONS AS
DEFINED BY FIEDLER
MODIFYING LEADER-MEMBER RELATIONS
1. Spend more or less informal time with
your subordinates (e.g., lunch, leisure
activities, etc.).
2. Organize some off-work group activities which
include your subordinates (e.g., picnics,
bowling, softball teams, excursions, etc.
3. Request particular people for work in your
group.
4. Volunteer to direct difficult or troublesome
subordinates.
5. Suggest or effect transfers of particular
subordinates into or out of your unit.
6. Raise morale by obtaining positive outcomes
for subordinates 9e.g., special bonuses, time
off, attractive jobs).
7. Increase or decrease your availability to
subordinates (e.g., open door policy, special
gripe sessions, time available for personal
consultationgt
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MODIFYING POSITION POWER
To raise your position power, you can

1. Show your subordinates whos boss by exercising
   fully the powers which the organization provides.

2. Become, as quickly as possible, an expert
on the job (e.g., through training).
3. Make sure that information to your group
gets channeled through you.
To lower your position power, you can

1. Try to be one of the gang by socializing, by
   playing down any trappings of power and rank the
   organization may have given you.

2. Call on members of your group to participate
in planning and decision-making functions..

1. Inform group members quickly of higher level
   decisions and permit them to have easy access to
   your boss.

4. Let your assistants exercise relatively
more power.
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MODIFYING TASK STRUCTURE
If you wish to work with a less structured task,
you can
1. Ask your boss, whenever possible, to give
you the new or unusual problems and let
you figure out how to get them done.
2. Bring the problems and tasks to your group
member and invite them to work with you on the
planning and decision-making phases of the task.
3. Where possible, leave the task in relatively
vague form.
If you wish to work with a more highly structured
task, you can
1. Ask your superior to give you, whenever
possible, the tasks which are more structured or
to give you more detailed instructions.
2. Learn all you can about the task, so that
you can prepare a detailed plan for performing
the job, and get additional instruction and
expert guidance if needed.
3. Break the job down into smaller subtasks
which can be more highly structured.
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A Very Popular Contingency Theory in its
day- Hersey-Blanchards Situational Leadership
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Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard
http//www.situational.com/

• Leadership style you choose is dependent on
  a number of situational factors.
• Directing the leader provides clear instructions
  and closely supervises the work of the
  follower(s)
• Selling the leader explains decisions and
  provides opportunities for clarity and buy-in
  through negotiating, influencing and consulting
  with follower(s)
• Participating the leader provides support and
  facilitates problem solving and decision making
  through a joint approach, to support and develop
  the followers' confidence in their abilities
• Delegating the leader turns over responsibility
  for task implementation to the follower.
• The style the leader chooses, depends on the
  level of readiness of the follower. This
  readiness is composed of two dimensions
• Willingness to perform the task (psychological
  readiness or motivation)
• Ability to perform the task (knowledge, skills
  and availability of resources).

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Situational Leadership II and SLII are the
registered trademarks of The Ken Blanchard
Companies.
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Participation inDecision Making Vroom et.
al.http//mba.yale.edu/framesets/faculty.asp?/fac
ulty/professors/vroom.htm
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FIVE DECISION STYLES A MANAGER CAN CHOOSE
DECISION STYLE
DEFINITION
AI
Manager makes the decision alone.
Manager asks for information from subordinates
but makes the decision alone. Subordinates may
or may not be informed about what the problem is.
AII
Manager shares the problems with subordinates and
asks for information and evaluations. Meetings
take place as dyads, not as a group, and the
manager then goes off alone and makes the
decision.
CI
Manager and subordinates meet as a group to
discuss the problem, but the manager makes the
decision.
CII
Manager and subordinates meet as a group to
discuss the problem, and the group makes the
decision.
GII
NOTE A Autocratic C Consultation G
Group
Source Victor H. Vroom and Phillip W. Yetton,
Leadership and Decision Making (Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh Press, 1973).
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HOW MUCH SUBORDINATE PARTICIPATION? QUESTIONS
THAT DEFINE THE SITUATIONAL CONSTRAINTS-THE
CONTINGENCIES
A. Does the problem possess a quality
requirement?
B. Do I have sufficient information to make a
high-quality decision?
C. Is the problem structured?
D. Is acceptance of the decision by
subordinates important for effective
implementation
E. If I were to make the decision by myself, am
I reasonably certain that it would be accepted by
my subordinates?
F. Do subordinates share the organizational
goals to be attained in solving this problem?
G. Is conflict among subordinates likely in
preferred solutions?
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A B C D
E F G
No
1 AI, AII, CI, CII, GII
GII
Yes
Yes
No
2 GII
No
3 AI, AII, CI, CII, GII
State the Problem
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
4 AI, AII, CI, CII
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
5 GII
6a CII
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
6b CII
Yes
No
No
7 AII, CI, CII
No
Yes
Yes
8 AII, CI, CII, GII
No
No
9 CII
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
10 CII, GII
No
Yes
11 GII
No
12 CII
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Summary Examples of Contingencies Studied

• Quality of leader-member relations.
• Willingness of follower to perform the task
  (psychological readiness or motivation).
• Ability of follower to perform the task
  (knowledge, skills and availability of
  resources).
• Quality Requirement One best way to make
  decision/do the job?
• Does leader have enough information about the
  problem?
• Is acceptance of the decision by subordinates
  important?
• Task Structure little/lot
• Position power of leader Strong/ weak
• Do subordinates share goals?
• Is conflict among subordinate probable?

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1980s-90s Transactional vs.
Transformational Models of Leadership
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Transformational Leadership
Idealized Influence or Charisma
Intellectual Stimulation
Individualized Consideration
Transactional Leadership
Contingent Reward
Laissez-faire Leadership
Management by Exception