The Nature of Leadership and Leadership Behaviour
-some definitions are more
Learning objective:
useful than others, but there
- understand the different ways leadership has been
is not single correct
defined and being able to formulate a working
definition
definition for leadership
- feasible leadership research
- understand the evolutionary background of
should be designed to
leadership
provide information relevant
- understand the complexities of assessing leadership
to the entire race of
effectiveness
definitions, so that over time
- know that there are many different leadership
it will be possible to compare
behaviour paradigms in leadership research
utility of definitions and
arrive to a consensus
What is leadership?
- the behaviour of an individual, directing the activities of a group toward a common
goal
- leadership is about articulating, visions, embodying values and creating the
environment within which things can be accomplished
- leadership is a formal or informal, contextually rooted and goal-influencing process,
that occurs between a leader and a follower, groups of followers or institutions
Controversies over leadership definitions:
- specialised role or shared influence process
✤ formal role or natural division between members?
- type of influence process
✤ outcomes —> compliance vs enthusiasm
✤ means —> punishment
- purpose of influence attempts
✤ only positive intentions or also self-serving goals?
- influence based on reasons or emotions
✤ reason only or also emotional processes?
- direct vs indirect leadership
Direct influence - face to face such as interviewing and real-life verbal communication
(manager)
,Indirect influence - no direct interactions such as shaping formal programs and
organisational culture (CEO)
- leadership or management
✤ no equivalence
✤ how much overlap?
Leadership - a process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to
be done and how to do it, facilitating individual and collective effort to accomplish
shared objectives
Why do we have leaders?
- fitness benefits of individuals or groups with leaders should be higher than for
leaderless groups
- group living during evolutions
✤ humans live in small groups
✤ needed each other for survival —> predators, finding food and settling conflicts
Collective action problems - aligned interest such as group movement and competing
interest such as peace keeping
Problems with these
Indicators of effective leadership: indicators?
- high group performance - trade-offs between
✤ goal attainment —> sales, productivity, cost reduction criteria
- follower satisfaction ✤production speed vs
✤ likeness, respect and follower development quality
✤ turnover, absenteeism, counterproductive work ✤working over time —>
behaviour performance (+), costs (+)
- quality of group processes and satisfaction (-)
✤ contribution of a leader to the team -immediate vs delayed
✤ group cohesiveness conflict resolution, role effects
specialisation ✤effects visible only after
- career success of leader a certain time (hiring extra
✤ number and speed of promotions support vs coaching)
✤ tenure duration ✤effects may be
counteracting/additive at
different time points
,✤ long-term effects are more ambiguous —> third variables/changing contexts
- two to go forward?
✤ select appropriate criteria
✤ be cognisant of limitations
✤ different stakeholders may value different indicators
Leadership behaviours:
- classifying leader behaviours Methods in leadership research?
✤ many possible behaviours - qualitative assessments
✤ no correct or objectively true ✤ biographies, diaries, interviews, case studies
classification - surveys
✤ some use hierarchical clustering ✤ self-reports, follower reports and 360
- different origins assessments
✤ theoretical models - archival data
✤ based on empirical data —> ✤ elections, historical data
judgement of authors or scientific
research
Task-oriented leadership behaviour - concerned with accomplishing the task in an
efficient and reliable way
✤ involves planning, performance monitoring and clarifying roles
Relations-oriented leadership behaviour - concerned with increasing mutual trust,
cooperation, job satisfaction and identification with the team
✤ providing support, developing subordinates
Change-oriented leadership behaviour - guiding innovation, stimulating creativity and
communicating vision
External leadership behaviour - networking, external monitoring and representing
Transformational leadership - combination of change and support, leading by example
and making self-sacrifices
Empowering and participative leadership - involving followers in decision making
________________________________________________________________________________
Leadership Behaviour, Situation and Adaptive Leadership
Specific task-oriented behaviour:
- planning work activities
✤ making decisions about objectives, priorities, strategies, organisation of the work,
assignment of responsibilities, scheduling activities and allocation of resources among
different activities according to their importance
, -clarifying roles or objectives
Learning objectives: ✤communication of plans,
- understand how aspects of the situation can influence policies and role expectations
leader behaviour ✤ defining job responsibilities
- understand how the situation can enhance or and requirements, setting
diminish leader behaviour goals and assigning tasks
- understand the Multiple Linkages Model -monitoring operations and
- understand how to adapt leader behaviour to the performance
situation ✤ gathering information from
various sources and
stakeholders to inform
planning and problem solving
- solving operational problems
✤ dealing with disruptions of normal operations and other incidents
Specific relations-oriented behaviour: Evaluation:
- supportive leadership - when working with a leader is one of the
✤ showing consideration, acceptance and two domains more prevalent?
concern for the needs and feelings of others - is one more effective than the other?
✤ building positive interpersonal relations - is there a preference?
with followers - when is one more relevant the the other?
- developing subordinates
✤ increasing a subordinate’s skills and career
advancement
✤ mentoring, coaching and developing assignments
- praise and recognition
✤ showing appreciation of effective performance
✤ not only towards subordinates, also towards peers and superiors
✤ awards, ceremonies and recognition
Universal leadership theories:
Task and relations-oriented behaviour theories- assume behaviours are effective in all
situations
- however
✤ different leaders work in different contexts
-some definitions are more
Learning objective:
useful than others, but there
- understand the different ways leadership has been
is not single correct
defined and being able to formulate a working
definition
definition for leadership
- feasible leadership research
- understand the evolutionary background of
should be designed to
leadership
provide information relevant
- understand the complexities of assessing leadership
to the entire race of
effectiveness
definitions, so that over time
- know that there are many different leadership
it will be possible to compare
behaviour paradigms in leadership research
utility of definitions and
arrive to a consensus
What is leadership?
- the behaviour of an individual, directing the activities of a group toward a common
goal
- leadership is about articulating, visions, embodying values and creating the
environment within which things can be accomplished
- leadership is a formal or informal, contextually rooted and goal-influencing process,
that occurs between a leader and a follower, groups of followers or institutions
Controversies over leadership definitions:
- specialised role or shared influence process
✤ formal role or natural division between members?
- type of influence process
✤ outcomes —> compliance vs enthusiasm
✤ means —> punishment
- purpose of influence attempts
✤ only positive intentions or also self-serving goals?
- influence based on reasons or emotions
✤ reason only or also emotional processes?
- direct vs indirect leadership
Direct influence - face to face such as interviewing and real-life verbal communication
(manager)
,Indirect influence - no direct interactions such as shaping formal programs and
organisational culture (CEO)
- leadership or management
✤ no equivalence
✤ how much overlap?
Leadership - a process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to
be done and how to do it, facilitating individual and collective effort to accomplish
shared objectives
Why do we have leaders?
- fitness benefits of individuals or groups with leaders should be higher than for
leaderless groups
- group living during evolutions
✤ humans live in small groups
✤ needed each other for survival —> predators, finding food and settling conflicts
Collective action problems - aligned interest such as group movement and competing
interest such as peace keeping
Problems with these
Indicators of effective leadership: indicators?
- high group performance - trade-offs between
✤ goal attainment —> sales, productivity, cost reduction criteria
- follower satisfaction ✤production speed vs
✤ likeness, respect and follower development quality
✤ turnover, absenteeism, counterproductive work ✤working over time —>
behaviour performance (+), costs (+)
- quality of group processes and satisfaction (-)
✤ contribution of a leader to the team -immediate vs delayed
✤ group cohesiveness conflict resolution, role effects
specialisation ✤effects visible only after
- career success of leader a certain time (hiring extra
✤ number and speed of promotions support vs coaching)
✤ tenure duration ✤effects may be
counteracting/additive at
different time points
,✤ long-term effects are more ambiguous —> third variables/changing contexts
- two to go forward?
✤ select appropriate criteria
✤ be cognisant of limitations
✤ different stakeholders may value different indicators
Leadership behaviours:
- classifying leader behaviours Methods in leadership research?
✤ many possible behaviours - qualitative assessments
✤ no correct or objectively true ✤ biographies, diaries, interviews, case studies
classification - surveys
✤ some use hierarchical clustering ✤ self-reports, follower reports and 360
- different origins assessments
✤ theoretical models - archival data
✤ based on empirical data —> ✤ elections, historical data
judgement of authors or scientific
research
Task-oriented leadership behaviour - concerned with accomplishing the task in an
efficient and reliable way
✤ involves planning, performance monitoring and clarifying roles
Relations-oriented leadership behaviour - concerned with increasing mutual trust,
cooperation, job satisfaction and identification with the team
✤ providing support, developing subordinates
Change-oriented leadership behaviour - guiding innovation, stimulating creativity and
communicating vision
External leadership behaviour - networking, external monitoring and representing
Transformational leadership - combination of change and support, leading by example
and making self-sacrifices
Empowering and participative leadership - involving followers in decision making
________________________________________________________________________________
Leadership Behaviour, Situation and Adaptive Leadership
Specific task-oriented behaviour:
- planning work activities
✤ making decisions about objectives, priorities, strategies, organisation of the work,
assignment of responsibilities, scheduling activities and allocation of resources among
different activities according to their importance
, -clarifying roles or objectives
Learning objectives: ✤communication of plans,
- understand how aspects of the situation can influence policies and role expectations
leader behaviour ✤ defining job responsibilities
- understand how the situation can enhance or and requirements, setting
diminish leader behaviour goals and assigning tasks
- understand the Multiple Linkages Model -monitoring operations and
- understand how to adapt leader behaviour to the performance
situation ✤ gathering information from
various sources and
stakeholders to inform
planning and problem solving
- solving operational problems
✤ dealing with disruptions of normal operations and other incidents
Specific relations-oriented behaviour: Evaluation:
- supportive leadership - when working with a leader is one of the
✤ showing consideration, acceptance and two domains more prevalent?
concern for the needs and feelings of others - is one more effective than the other?
✤ building positive interpersonal relations - is there a preference?
with followers - when is one more relevant the the other?
- developing subordinates
✤ increasing a subordinate’s skills and career
advancement
✤ mentoring, coaching and developing assignments
- praise and recognition
✤ showing appreciation of effective performance
✤ not only towards subordinates, also towards peers and superiors
✤ awards, ceremonies and recognition
Universal leadership theories:
Task and relations-oriented behaviour theories- assume behaviours are effective in all
situations
- however
✤ different leaders work in different contexts
