Leadership in Organizations – Lectures
Lecture 1 – Introduction
Leadership in academic research:
- Bennis (1959): Probably more has been written and less is known about leadership than about
any other topic in behavioral sciences
- Burns (1978): Leadership is one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on earth
- Yuki (1989/2010): The field of leadership is presently in a stage of confusion. Most widely known
theories are beset of conceptual weakness and lack of strong empirical support. Hence, more
empirical research is needed
- Alvesson & Sveningsson (2003): We need to think about the possibility of the non-existence of
leadership as a distinct phenomenon with great relevance for understanding organizations and
relations in workplaces
What is leadership about?:
Definitions of leadership:
- Stogdill (1950): Leadership may be considered as the process (or act) of influencing the activities
of an organized group in its efforts towards goal setting and goal achievement
- Yuki (2010): Leadership is the process of influencing other to understand and agree about what
needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts
to accomplish shared objectives. Leadership is important for the effectiveness of organizations.
- Accordingly, in the years, more focus is put on a shared and more group effort, including many
different factors, and not the effort of only one leader.
Different approaches to leaderhip
Trait approach:
- Theories that consider personality, social, physical, or intellectual trains to differentiate leaders
form non-leaders
- A leader is born with certain attributes to lead, not made: natural propensity
- The traits are within your personality, and are stable. These traits are mostly:
o Extraversion
o Self-confidence
o High energy levels
o Internal locus of control
- The personal is more important than the kind of organization
- Mental image of a particular person
- Personality will predict ability to take up such a role
- Some criticism:
o What about circumstances of the situation as a factor?
o It is situational: in one situation one can be a good leader, in the other not
o Depends a lot on the organizational as well as national culture
o ‘’maleness’’ of this approach: Attributes associated to lists of traits often viewed as male
o One situation may require other kind of leader than another situation
o ‘’Disabling’’ traits for leadership: emotional instability, defensiveness, lack of integrity,
too little interpersonal skills
Behavioral/style approach:
Behavioral approach
- Theories that consider leadership behavior to differentiate leaders from non-leaders
Lecture 1 – Introduction
Leadership in academic research:
- Bennis (1959): Probably more has been written and less is known about leadership than about
any other topic in behavioral sciences
- Burns (1978): Leadership is one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on earth
- Yuki (1989/2010): The field of leadership is presently in a stage of confusion. Most widely known
theories are beset of conceptual weakness and lack of strong empirical support. Hence, more
empirical research is needed
- Alvesson & Sveningsson (2003): We need to think about the possibility of the non-existence of
leadership as a distinct phenomenon with great relevance for understanding organizations and
relations in workplaces
What is leadership about?:
Definitions of leadership:
- Stogdill (1950): Leadership may be considered as the process (or act) of influencing the activities
of an organized group in its efforts towards goal setting and goal achievement
- Yuki (2010): Leadership is the process of influencing other to understand and agree about what
needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts
to accomplish shared objectives. Leadership is important for the effectiveness of organizations.
- Accordingly, in the years, more focus is put on a shared and more group effort, including many
different factors, and not the effort of only one leader.
Different approaches to leaderhip
Trait approach:
- Theories that consider personality, social, physical, or intellectual trains to differentiate leaders
form non-leaders
- A leader is born with certain attributes to lead, not made: natural propensity
- The traits are within your personality, and are stable. These traits are mostly:
o Extraversion
o Self-confidence
o High energy levels
o Internal locus of control
- The personal is more important than the kind of organization
- Mental image of a particular person
- Personality will predict ability to take up such a role
- Some criticism:
o What about circumstances of the situation as a factor?
o It is situational: in one situation one can be a good leader, in the other not
o Depends a lot on the organizational as well as national culture
o ‘’maleness’’ of this approach: Attributes associated to lists of traits often viewed as male
o One situation may require other kind of leader than another situation
o ‘’Disabling’’ traits for leadership: emotional instability, defensiveness, lack of integrity,
too little interpersonal skills
Behavioral/style approach:
Behavioral approach
- Theories that consider leadership behavior to differentiate leaders from non-leaders
