According to the findings of the Ohio study, leaders exhibit two types of behaviors, people-oriented (consideration) and task-oriented (initiating structure), to facilitate goal accomplishment.
Consideration is the extent to which leaders are concerned with the well-being of their followers and the extent to which leaders are personable and understanding.
Initiating structure is the extent to which a leader defines leader and group member roles, initiates actions, organizes group activities, and defines how tasks are to be accomplished by the group.
The Ohio State researchers generated a list of 150 statements designed to measure nine different dimensions of leadership behavior.
The study's findings suggest that effective leaders possess a strong ability to work with others and build a cohesive team balanced with the capability to create structure within which activities can be accomplished.
TERMS[ edit ]

Initiating Structure
The extent to which a leader defines leader and group member roles, initiates actions, organizes group activities, and defines how tasks are to be accomplished by the group.

Consideration
The extent to which a leader exhibits concern for the welfare of the members of the group.

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FULL TEXT[ edit ]

Prior to 1945, most studies of leadership sought to identify the individual traits of effective leaders. Trait theories of leadership were the first to approach leadership study systematically. Trait studies, however, yielded inconsistent results and opened the door to broader perspectives on understanding the behavior of leaders.

In 1945, a group of researchers at Ohio State University sought to identify the observable behaviors of leaders instead of focusing of their individual traits. To document their findings, they generated a list of 150 statements