Choose and examine one of the following theories: the Trait Approach, the Leadership Grid, the Leader-Member Exchange, or Servant Leadership.
The trait theory was chosen as the leadership theory in this circumstance. The idea, as one of the first systematic attempts to examine leadership, provides insight into the early thinking of philosophers in the areas while focusing on the leader rather than the followers. Because ""the importance of a given character or collection of features varies with the organizational circumstances,"" the relationship between personal attributes and leadership is an intriguing subject (Daft, 2015). The trait theory has proved relevant over the years since to date there are distinguishing personal characteristics of an effective leader. An analysis of the trait approach will help understand some important leader characteristics in addition to understanding when a particular trait is desirable in an organization.
The development of the trait approach can be traced back to the 1940s and 1950s which coincided with the progress in the field of psychology. The use of aptitude tests and psychological tests enabled researchers in the approach to diversify their examination of personal attributes. The relationship between personality traits and leadership had been studied by a variety of philosophers before the 1940s. The harmonization of the ideas of the various studies by Ralph M. Stogdill uncovered a couple of traits that seemed consistent with effective leadership. The factors included had to be studied by three or more researchers since any other factors do not provide a satisfactory basis for evaluation (Stogdill, 1948). The relevant traits uncovered by Stogdill during his study included the following: "general intelligence, initiative, interpersonal skills, self- confidence, drive for responsibility, and personal integrity" (Daft, 2015).
Subsequent literature reviews by Stogdill between 1948 and 1970 identified additional personal traits that are associated with effective leadership. Stogdill emphasized throughout his studies that possessing certain personality traits is not a guarantee for effective leadership since situation change. His assertion in the second study was that the primary influence when it comes to leadership is situational factors then personality traits. The traits identified in the second study included the following: "Drive for responsibility and task completion, vigor and 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, readiness to absorb interpersonal stress, willingness to tolerate frustration and delay, ability to influence the behavior of others, and the capacity to structure social interaction systems to the purpose at hand" (Northouse, 2015).
There trait approach has been advanced over the years with different perspectives being evaluated. However, there are a couple of traits that are considered as key to effective leadership according to the trait approach. They are optimism, self- confidence, integrity, honesty, and drive. Optimism refers to an inclination to perceive things positively and expect the outcome to be positive at all times. This is important for a leader since instead since instead of seeing problems they can see opportunities and successfully instill the mentality in subordinates. Self- confidence, on the other hand, makes a leader sure of their abilities, judgment, and decision- making. Self- confidence is a show of certainty and as such plays an important role in motivating employees. Honesty and integrity are key personality traits since a strong ethical foundation augments other traits. These traits create trust between leaders and followers in an organization. Drive, on the other hand, is all about motivation and ambition that enable a leader to handle the high pace of leadership in an organization.
From an organizational perspective, the trait approach could serve as an important guide during recruitment. With the knowledge of leadership traits required in a specific position, the organization will only search for candidates that exhibit the targeted personality traits. A manager or leader, on the other hand, can take a personality test to see where their strengths lie. This can enable them to become better leaders since they can use their strengths to compensate for their weaknesses. Followers usually act as a gauge for the effectiveness of specific traits through their observation and response to actions. The effectiveness of a particular trait can be determining by measuring the reaction of followers.
Question 2
Select and analyze one of the following theories: Fielder's Model, Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership, Path- Goal Theory or Vroom- Jago Model.
The theory selected for this question is Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Theory. The rationale behind choosing this theory is the focus on the characteristics of followers as the most important element of a situation which is the opposite of the trait approach which was analyzed in the first question. The insistence that situations vary and that leaders should adapt their approach based on their followers makes the theory an interesting one to study. The theory that varying approach according to the situation will eventually benefit all stakeholders in an exciting proposition especially there is skepticism about the theory's overall application.
The theory is based on the premise that the most important component of the situation is characteristics of followers. The followers characteristics are also key to determining effective leader behavior according to the theory. The emphasis of the theory is that readiness level of the followers determines the leadership approach most suitable for the situation. As such, the leadership style when dealing with employees with low task readiness is different from the approach used with individuals with high task readiness (Daft, 2015).
Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Theory offers four potential leadership styles based on the maturity levels of team members. The four leadership styles are directing style, coaching style, supporting style, and entrusting style (Graeff, 1997). The directing style involves followers that are unable, unwilling, and not confident. In this case, the leader tells followers wha to do and how it should be done. As such, this style is involves very little relational behavior between the leader and the followers. The coaching style involves followers that are unable, willing, and confident. In this case, the leader still directs the followers but there is more room for collaboration between the two parties. The leader may be forced to convince some of the followers to do things in a certain way. The supporting style, on the other hand, involves followers who are able but are not willing and are lacking in confidence. There is a high level of interaction between the leader and followers with participation and consultation being key elements of the style. The entrusting style involves able followers who are both willing and confident. As such, most responsibilities are delegated to various team members with the leader providing little direction.
The Situational Theory basically promotes leaders who are flexible and are able to adapt their style to the experience and ability of their followers. Maturity and competence of followers are factors that are, in most cases, ignored when it comes to looking at leadership in an organization. As such, Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Theory re- evaluates these concepts to come up with a relatively simple theory. Most followers actually consider flexible leaders as the best since they are able to handle any kind of situation that confronts them.
The theory is an important one when it comes to the practice of leadership since it illustrates the essence of flexibility in the case of a leader. On multiple occasions, leaders have failed because they have failed to apply a suitable leadership style to a particular team. From a followers' standpoint, the theory helps followers act naturally instead of faking their personalities, which would greatly affect leadership outcomes. The organization ends up benefiting from the relationship between the leader and the followers in the long run since the leadership style used is adapted to bring out the most from both parties.
Question 3
Is leadership more important or valuable than management?
Management and leadership are two terms that are often confused and wrongly used interchangeably while they are considerably different. According to Daft (2015), "Leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes and outcomes that reflect their shared purposes." As such, the key elements in leadership are influence, intention, followers, shared purpose, change, and personal responsibility and integrity. Leadership is more of a people activity rather than an administrative activity that involves lots of planning activities. One of the important elements of the leadership process is followers, A leader has his or her followers and sometimes the leader is also a follower. In order to be an effective leader and set a good example for followers, a good leader must know how to follow. Qualities for effective leadership are similar to those required for an effective follower. "At its best, leadership is shared among leaders and followers, with everyone fully engaged and accepting higher levels of responsibility" (Daft, 2015).
Management, on the other hand, involves the organization and coordination of activities of an organization with an aim of achieving defined activities. Accordingly, the functions of management are organizing, planning, controlling, directing, and staffing resources of an organization. Despite similarities between leadership and management, there are significant differences between the two. While both are leadership and management provide leadership for an organization, they do it differently. Management is all about laying down detailed plans and schedules for achieving specific results then allocating requisite resources. Leadership, on the other hand, is all about creating a vision for the future and developing strategies for producing changes envisioned in the attainment of the vision. Management is more structured in most aspects including aligning of followers. Management will mainly focus on employee staffing, policy development, and systems to direct employees and aid in monitoring the employees. Leadership, on the other hand, is all about communicating the organization's vision and consequently developing an organizational culture that will lead to the desired state. Management is also considerably less invested in relationships when compared to leadership. Management is more concerned with what subordinates are achieving while leadership is more concerned with relationships due to the belief that they will spur the accomplishment of organizational goals. Management is all about creating circles of power within an organization while leadership is all about creating circles of influence within an organization (Nayar, 2013).
Leadership is important in an organization since it brings about organizational flexibility. The ability to influence followers and work together towards the future can spur the growth of a small organization into a market leader. The creativity and innovation associated with leadership is especially important in the modern workplace which is dynamic. The long- range perspective offered by leadership is key to an organization ensuring success in the future. This is always an important aspect in any organization.
References
Daft, R.L. (2015). The Leadership Experience. Cengage Learning.
Graeff, C. L. (1997). Evolution of situational leadership theory: A critical review. The Leadership Quarterly, 8(2), 153-170.
Nayar, V. (2013). Three Differences between Leaders and Managers? Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2013/08/tests-of-a-leadership-transiti
Northouse, P.G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Stogdill, R.M. (1948). Personal Factors Associated with Leadership: A Survey of the Literature. The Journal of Psychology, 25(1), 35- 71.
