Leadership Definition The ability to influence a group

Leadership

Definition • The ability to influence a group towards the achievement of a vision or set of goals. Robbins and Judge (2013) • The process of influencing and supporting others to work enthusiastically toward achieving objectives- John Newstorm and Keith Davis (2002)

Theories of leadership • Trait theories of leadership • Behavioral theories of leadership • Contingency theories of leadership

Trait theories of leadership • According to this theory, leaders differ from non leaders in their personal qualities and characteristics • Leaders possess certain characteristics that distinguish them from others • Studies have identified different traits. • There are only a few traits that are common

The big five model • It talks about the traits possessed by leaders • It assumes that there are five basic dimensions of personality that underlie specific traits. They are 1) Extraversion- introversion 2) Conscientiousness 3) Agreeableness 4) Emotional stability 5) Openness to experience

1) Extraversion- Introversion • It is the degree to which a person is social, ambitious, energetic, outgoing, assertive, talkative and expressive

2) Conscientiousness • It is the degree to which a person is dependable, disciplined, committed, organized, thorough, perseverant and honest

3) Agreeableness • It is the degree to which a person is polite, trusting, good natured, accepting, co-operative and forgiving

4) Emotional stability • It is the degree to which a person is emotionally stable, secure, content and free from depression • It taps a person’s ability to withstand stress

5) Openness to experience • It is the degree to which a person is curious, imaginative, flexible, artistic, playful and creative

Traits associated with leadership • Extraversion is a good predictor of who will emerge as a leader • But it is not a reliable determinant of leadership effectiveness • Conscientiousness and openness to experience are two other traits related to leadership • Agreeableness and emotional stability are not strongly correlated to leadership

Emotional intelligence • It is another indicator of effective leadership • Without emotional intelligence a person may not become a great leader. • Empathy component of EI is crucial in effective leadership • Empathetic leaders care for the followers and are good in managing emotions

• In short, traits can predict who will become a leader, but can’t predict leadership effectiveness.

Behavioural theories of leadership • The failure of trait approach to describe leadership effectiveness forced the researchers to concentrate on leader behaviours

Difference between trait theories and behavioural theories Trait theories Behavioural theories • Assume that leaders are born • Assume that people can be trained to be leaders

Two main studies were conducted to understand leader behaviour 1) The Ohio state studies 2) The university of Michigan studies

The Ohio state studies • It was conducted in 1950 at Ohio state university • It attempted to identify relevant leader behaviours through the leader behaviour description questionnaire (LBDQ) • The findings of the study revealed two independent categories of leader behaviours: 1) Initiating structure 2) consideration

1. Initiating structure • It is the extent to which leaders 1) organize and plan the work 2) specify the tasks to be performed by each member 3) direct the subordinates to follow rules and set the goals to be achieved • Such leaders assign duties and responsibilities to the followers, expect standards of performance and deadlines to be met.

2. consideration • It is the behaviour directed towards the satisfaction of the social and emotional needs of group members • Such leaders are approachable, trust their subordinates and are concerned with the welfare of group members

Research has found • Both initiating structure and consideration are important for effective leadership • Initiating structure led to higher group and organisational productivity as well as performance • Consideration led to greater motivation and job satisfaction in the followers

The university of Michigan studies • This study has identified two primary leader behaviours 1) Employee oriented behaviour 2) Production oriented behaviour

Employee oriented behaviour • It is directed towards the satisfaction of the social and emotional needs of group members • Leaders are concerned with interpersonal relationships • They accept individual differences

Production oriented behaviour • This behaviour is concerned with task accomplishment • Such leaders set goals, devise work strategies and closely supervise the performance of the subordinates • Such leaders are more concerned with the technical and task aspects of the job

Research has found that • Employee oriented leadership resulted in higher group productivity and greater job satisfaction among the employees • Production oriented leadership resulted in low group productivity and lower job satisfaction among the employees

Contingency theories of leadership • It states that leadership effectiveness is determined by the interaction between the leader’s personal characteristics and the aspects of the situation

Fred Fiedler’s contingency model • According to him, the style of leadership that should be used is contingent on the situation • With situation, leadership requirements vary

Development of theory • He developed the least preferred co worker scale (LPC) • The scale consists of 16 opposite or contrasting adjectives such as pleasantunpleasant, efficient-inefficient etc • The respondents were asked to rate their coworkers in a scale of 1 -8 on all the items • Based on the responses, he identified two basic styles of leadership.

Fielder’s two basic styles of leadership • The task oriented style • The relationship oriented style

Task oriented • the leader is primarily motivated to attain successful task performance

Relationship oriented • The leader is concerned mainly with establishing good relations with his subordinates

Some important features of Fiedler’s theory • He believed that an individual’s leadership style is fixed • He said that the use of the task oriented style /relationship oriented style is dependent on whether the situation is favourable or unfavourable

Dimensions deciding the favourability or unfavourability of the situation Leader member relationship Degree of task structure Leader’s position power a situation is very favourable if all the three dimensions are good • It is highly unfavourable when all the dimensions are poor • •

Leader member relationship • It is the extent to which 1) the leader enjoys the support and loyalty of the followers 2) the subordinates trust and like their leader 3) followers have confidence in their leader

Degree of task structure • It is the extent to which the group’s tasks, goals and subordinates’ roles are clearly defined • It is the degree to which procedures have been established to accomplish the job. • A task can be structured/unstructured

Leader’s position power • It is the formal authority or power given to the leader • It is the extent to which the leader has control over actions such as hiring or dismissal of employees, salary increases, promotions etc.

Which leadership style is more effective? • Task oriented style is more effective for highly favourable and unfavourable situations • Relationship oriented style when the situation is moderately favourable or unfavourable

Why task oriented style is more effective in highly favourable/unfavourable situations? • In highly favourable situation- group is ready to be directed and expects to be told what should be done • In highly unfavourable situation- a relationship oriented leader would be ignored by the group

Modifications made to theory • He simplified and reduced the 8 situations to 3 - high, moderate and low control • Task oriented is most effective for high and low control situations • Relationship oriented is most suited for situations of moderate control • He suggested that effective leadership style depends upon the situation

How to improve leader effectiveness? • As leadership style is fixed, leader effectiveness can be improved in two ways 1) Change the leader to match the situation 2) Change the situation to match the leadercould be done by restructuring of tasks or by increasing or decreasing the power

Evaluation of Fiedler’s theory • It has considerable evidence • Validity and reliability of the scales used are questioned • It is difficult to assess the situational dimensions such as what kind of a relationship exists between the leader and the member • Another criticism is that how a task oriented leader can be successful in an unfavourable situation especially when there is no power.

Charismatic leadership and transformational leadership • These are modern theories of leadership • The key feature is that they view leaders as individuals who inspire their followers through their words, ideas and behaviours

Charismatic leadership • The word charisma is derived from a Greek word ‘gift’. • Charisma is a certain quality of an individual personality, by virtue of which he or she is set apart from ordinary people and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities. • These are not accessible to the ordinary person and are regarded as of divine origin as exemplary, and on the basis of them the individual concerned is treated as a leader

Charismatic theory from an Organisational perspective • Robert House was the first researcher to study charismatic leadership from OB perspective • House’s charismatic leadership theory states that followers attribute heroic or extraordinary leadership abilities when they observe certain behaviours (Robbins and Judge, 2013)

Characteristics of charismatic leader • Conger and Kanungo (1998) had identified four key characteristics 1) Vision and articulation 2) Personal risk 3) Sensitivity to follower needs 4) Unconventional behaviour

Vision and articulation • Charismatic leaders have an appealing vision • Vision is an idealized goal • They communicate their vision in a language understood by the followers

Personal risk • They are willing to make personal sacrifices, take high risk and pay a high cost in order to achieve the vision

Sensitivity to follower needs • They understand respond to the needs and feelings of their followers

Unconventional behaviour • They engage in innovative behaviours which go against established norms

What research has found? • Charismatic leaders are born at the same time we can train people to become charismatic leaders • Certain qualities make leaders charismatic such as extraversion, self confidence and achievement orientation • Studies on identical twins have provided evidence for the fact that charismatic leaders are born

How to train people to become charismatic leaders? • There is a three step process 1) Develop an aura of charisma 2) Create a bond 3) Tap in to the emotions of the followers

How to train people to become charismatic leaders? • There is a three step process 1) Develop an aura of charisma 2) Create a bond 3) Tap in to the emotions of the followers

1. Develop an aura of charisma • In the first step, people are taught to develop an aura of charisma by being optimistic and passionate • They are trained to project themselves as powerful, confident and dynamic • They are taught to communicate well and to set lofty goals • They are trained in non verbal communication

Create a bond • In the second step, people are taught to create a bond with the followers • They are trained to have confidence in the followers. • Thus followers are inspired to follow them

Tap in to the emotion of the followers • People are taught to tap in to the emotions of the followers and thus to bring out their potential • They show empathy to the followers

Research has found that • Leaders who followed these three steps were successful in obtaining higher task performance

Steps followed by charismatic leaders to influence the followers • There is a four step process. 1) Appealing vision 2) Vision statement 3) New set of values 4) Unconventional behaviours

Appealing vision • They have a very attractive vision along with a long term strategy to achieve it • The vision makes employees feel that the organisation is unique and special • The vision has to be challenging and achievable to the people working in the organisation

Vision statement • They communicate the vision through a vision statement • It clearly states the mission or vision of the organisation • It is repeated at every occasion to get the followers commitment to the goal and purpose of the organisation • They believe in the ability of the employees

New set of values • Through their words and actions, charismatic leaders convey to their followers a new set of values for them to follow • The followers are thus willing to comply and do whatever their leader wishes

Unconventional behaviours • They engage in unconventional behaviours that are high on emotions to portray that how courageous they are • Such emotions spread fast among the followers

Benefits to the organisation • The followers of charismatic leaders perform better and are more satisfied • The followers are willing to put in extra efforts due to their respect and liking for their leaders • Organisations with charismatic leaders are more profitable

Impact of charismatic leaders is greater when • The leaders and followers have some similarity in their ideology • There are conditions of stress, uncertainty and threat to life • Followers are low on self esteem But the impact of charismatic leadership is limited by the level in the organisation as it is difficult to align their vision with the goals of the organisation

Problems with charismatic leadership • There is a dark side too such as 1) They let their personal goals and ambitions overshadow organisational goals 2) They may use organisational resources for personal benefit 3) They may break the law and engage in unethical practices 4) They start huge, unrealistic projects to glorify themselves 5) They spend a lot of time in promoting their vision but little time in implementing it 6) A leadership crisis occurs when the leader dies or resigns as they fail to develop successors.

Transformational and transactional leadership • These two styles complement each other

Transactional leadership • Leaders who guide or motivate their followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements- Robbins and Judge

Characteristics of transactional leaders • • Contingent rewards Management by exception (active) Management by exception (passive) Laissez-faire

1. Contingent rewards • Transactional leaders get work done by promising and giving rewards for good performance

2. Management by exception (active) • They actively intervene in their followers work only when they deviate from established rules and standards

3. Management by exception (passive) • Sometimes transactional leaders step in only when standards are not met

4. Laissez-faire • They avoid making decisions and are unwilling to assume responsibility

Full range leadership model

Drawbacks of transactional leadership • Contingent reward style is effective only to a certain point • The laissez faire style is very passive and not effective as a leader behaviour • The tendency to step in only when there is a problem can be very costly to the organisation

Transformational leadership • Leaders who inspire followers to transcend their own self interests and who are capable of having a profound and extraordinary effect on the followers- Robbins & Judge

Characteristics of tranformational leaders • • Idealized influence Inspirational motivation Intellectual stimulation Individual consideration

1. Idealized influence • Transformational leaders instill pride in their followers by providing them with a vision that creates a sense of mission. • They win the trust and respect of followers

2. Inspirational motivation • They communicate the important purposes of the organisation in a simple and easy way • They have high expectations about the followers

3. Intellectual stimulation • They encourage their followers to think intelligently, rationally and adopt a careful approach to problem solving

4. Individual consideration • They serve as a coach or mentor to their subordinates • They pay careful attention to each individual follower’s need for growth and advancement

Research has found that • The followers of transformational leaders are more productive, more satisfied, have higher morale, are less absent from work and show greater organisational adaptability

Other characteristics of transformational leaders • More creative • Decentralization of responsibility • Preparation of compensation plans that are focused on long term results • Build greater consensus among group members

Impact of transformational leadership on followers More creative Willing to take more risks Higher self efficacy Pursue ambitious goals Show greater commitment and have more trust in the leader • Quality of products are better thereby increasing the profits • • •

Research has found that • Transformational leadership is not effective in all the situations. It is more effective 1) In businesses that are small and privately held 2) Team is higher on power distance and collectivisim 3) When followers perceive procedural justice in the organisation

Forms of transformational leadership • Individual focused • Team focused

Individual focused transformational leadership • The focus is on empowering the followers, increasing their self efficacy and developing their abilities • It results in high individual performance

Team focused transformational leadership • The focus is on group values, beliefs, goals and collective efforts • It results in higher group performance

Mentoring • Mentor is a senior employee who sponsors and supports a less experienced employee called a protégéRobbins and Judge

Functions of a mentor • Successful mentor is a good teacher • There are two functions- career functions and psychosocial functions

Career functions • Mentor has the following functions 1) Lobbying 2) Coaching 3) Protecting 4) Nominating 5) Serving as a sounding board

1. Lobbying • A mentor lobbies within the organisation to ensure that the protégé will get challenging assignment and ensures that he gets to be seen by important people in the organisation

2. Coaching • Coaches the protégé to develop his skills and achieve the objectives of his work

3. Protecting • Protects- the protégé from dangers and risks that could harm the reputation

4. Nominating • Nominates- the protégé for positions that will lead to his growth in the organisation

5. Serves as a sounding board • Serves as a sounding board/outlet- protégé can share those ideas with the mentor that he finds it difficult to share with his immediate supervisor

Psychosocial functions • • Advising and encouraging Sharing his own work Serves as a role model Provides friendship and acceptance

Psychosocial functions • Advising and encouraging • Sharing his own work • Serves as a role model • Provides friendship and acceptance

Why does a leader want to mentor? • Some leaders want to share their experience and knowledge with the younger generation. They can leave behind their legacy • They get an opportunity to know about the attitudes of employees at lower levels in the organisation • Leaders get advance warning of the potential problem areas in the organisation

Factors influencing mentoring • Mentoring is more likely to take place when the mentor and the protégé are from similar ethnic, religious, educational and genetic background • Mentoring takes place between two men rather than between a man and a woman

Why formal mentoring programs are not effective? • To overcome the drawbacks organisations have started mentoring programs formally. Many a times it fails because 1) Poor planning and design of the mentoring program 2) A mentor should find it as a mutually beneficial relationship 3) A protégé may not invest too much in a relationship which he feels is forced up on him. 4) Mentoring becomes successful only when the work style needs and skills of the mentor and protégé match each other

Benefits of mentoring • Benefit of mentoring is more psychological than in terms of job performance or pay • Mentoring provides the protégé the access to resources in the organisation and helps to develop a good network of relationships with important people there by leading to career advancement.

In a nutshell • • Leadership Trait theories Behavioural theories Contingency theories Charismatic leadership Transactional leadership Transformational leadership Mentoring

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN