...Abstract This paper will compare and contrast trait and situational approach leadership theories, the development of the theories and how effective each are in organizations. This paper will compare each approach, some of their research history and the challenges they faced in the past and the challenges they may or may not face in the future. The trait approach is the oldest theory that have been researched by numerous researchers. The situational approach consist of two elements that focus on leadership style and the development of subordinates. The strengths and weakness of each approach will also be compared and constrast. Contrast and Comparison: An examination of Trait and Situational Leadership Approaches There are over 200 definitions for leadership that have used since the 1900’s. The ability to impress the will of the leader, acts by persons which influence other persons in a shared direction, and do as the leader wishes are a few definitions that were used during the 1900’s (Northouse, 2013). Today, leadership is defined as a process that involves individuals or groups to reach a common goal (Northouse, 2013,). It’s motivating and persuading people to obtain a desired result through communication and influence. Leadership is also defined as a process that happens between a leader and a follower (Northouse, 2013). During the 20th century, researchers belived that there were natural born leaders who were born with the “trait” to lead. They believed...
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...AND CONTRAST OF TRAIT-BASED, SITUATIONAL, AND TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP THEORIES 1 Comparison and Contrast of Trait-Based, Situational, and Transformational Leadership Theories Ciprian Patrulescu Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2132126 COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF TRAIT-BASED, SITUATIONAL, AND TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP THEORIES 2 Abstract This research paper compares and contrasts several leadership theories, the evolution of the theories, and future research implications. The leadership theories discussed in the paper include the trait-based, situational, and transformational leadership theories. Trait-based theories represented the earliest attempts to quantitatively study leaders and leadership effectiveness by focusing on the innate skills and traits of the person. Situational theories expanded to explore the influence of different situations on leadership. Lastly, transformational leadership theories further expanded on the role of the leader in motivating followers through inspiration. Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2132126 COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF TRAIT-BASED, SITUATIONAL, AND TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP THEORIES 3 Comparison and Contrast of Trait-based, Situational, and Transformational Leadership Theories There are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are persons who have tried to define leadership (Stogdill, 1974). The definition of leadership by Weathersby (1999, p.5) captures...
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...The Impact of leadership Styles on Quality Management in Health care Effective and strong leadership is one of, if not the most important and critical component for any organization’s success, particularly in health care facilities. Leadership also plays a major role in enhancing an organization’s competitiveness as confirmed by various academics (Rowe, 2001; Riaz & Haider, 2010). Many argue and suggest that there is a connection between an organization’s leadership style and its ability to implement and manage quality initiatives. That being said, researchers still encounter difficulties when assessing the effect of leadership styles on healthcare quality management, as most of the available theories were developed outside of healthcare setting. This paper aims to present an evaluation and a review of published scholarly articles discussing three styles of leadership and their association with quality management initiatives. The three leadership styles chosen for this evaluation are: Transformational leadership, servant leadership, and situational leadership. The paper will also describe my current leadership style, then compare it to the transformational model, and finally outline the changes I need to implement in order to incorporate its key characteristics into my own style. Research Summaries In the first article titled “Knowledge Management as a Mediator for the Efficacy of Transformational Leadership and Quality Management Initiatives in U.S. Health Care”...
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...The Role of Leadership in Shaping Organizational Culture Douglas E. Kronk Walden University Abstract Leadership’s role in shaping a healthy organizational climate has many facets. Both leadership and organizational culture are difficult concepts to define, as many researchers have chosen to define each in various ways. For the purposes of this paper, I examine leadership as a process that guides both leaders and followers to a common goal, that being a shared culture that binds the members together in a healthy and productive climate. I present several leadership factors that play an important role in shaping a healthy organizational culture. The Role of Leadership in Shaping Organizational Culture One of the most critical roles of a leader is to create and maintain a healthy culture in his or her organization. This needs to happen at all levels of an organization, so the responsibility rests with all levels of leadership, from the most senior executives down to the first line supervisor. Culture represents the organization’s personality and has a critical influence on both employee satisfaction and organizational success. While every organization has a culture, it is often misunderstood by the members of the organization due to various interpretations between departments or divisions, both laterally and hierarchically. While some variation may be necessary to meet business demands in larger organizations, it is important for all organizations, both large...
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...Leadership and business performance Assignment of “a good leader influence a group of individuals to achieve a common goal and perform well, without having to watch over them” Word count: 2,927 Introduction Leadership is always considering as an important managerial topic because a good leader does not only able to guide behaviors from followers, but also leads individuals within an organization to achieve their common objectives (Morrill, 2010). The commonly accepted definition of leadership is contributed by David and Vince (2008, p2), who defined leadership as a person has “abilities of leading a group of people, and also has abilities of supporting group of people to achieve common objectives”. More specifically, Bass (1990) defines leadership as the ability to adapt the setting so everyone feels empowered to contribute creatively to solving the problems. The primary aim of this assignment is to critically discuss the topic of “a good leader influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal and perform well, without having to watch over them.” In order to answer this question well, the author selects Steve Jobs as the leader, and then with reference to Apple Inc to discuss why a good leader as Jobs influences group of individuals without watching them. As an essay based assignment, the author organizes this paper in three main parts, including introduction, main body and conclusion. In introduction section, the definition and importance of leadership...
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...Business Ethics This paper will attempt to decipher the leadership style and techniques used by Robert Nardelli during his tenure as the CEO of Home Depot. To help decipher his leadership style, the paper will incorporate three leadership theories discussed within our text. The first leadership theory is the “Trait Theory”. Assumptions from the great man theory lead us to believe that people are born with inherited behaviors; certain traits, characteristics, and behaviors indicate that an individual is a born leader. A great leader is also born with a natural mixture of leadership traits. The second leadership theory is “Behavioral Therapy”. Assumptions with the behavioral theory indicated that leaders are groomed and prepared; they do not come prewired with innate leadership characteristics. The behavioral characteristics of a successful leader is a learned and honed skill attained through intense mentoring and practical experience. The last leadership theories this paper will discuss are the “Situational and Contingency Theories. Assumptions with the situational theory are, as the name suggest and based upon a leader taking the best course of action while taking into account the situation at hand. Based or dependent upon various situational factors, assumptions of contingency theory include proficiency and behavior of followers and the style of leadership the leader chooses. Next, using my personal opinion, text material, and research: this paper becomes the judge...
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...Situational Leadership Theory and Its Contributions to Effective Organizational Change In like manner to humans, organizations change and grow. For instance, the Management Team consulting business identified seven stages of change: New Venture, Expansion, Professionalization, Consolidation, Diversification, Institutionalization, and Decline (“Stages of,” n.d.). Successful transition happens only with appropriate infrastructure; this includes leadership. How does an organization ensure that it can move forward proactively and positively in the face of these organizational changes? In other words, what type of leadership will help an organization most effectively navigate these changes in whichever stage they find themselves? Two theories of leadership provide possibilities: Trait and Situational. However, situational leadership theory (SLT) is the better one for addressing changes and challenges in an organization, due to its focus on the relationship between leaders and employees. Ironically, trait leadership studies can provide valuable insight into the leader component in SLT. This paper begins with an exploration of the basic tenets of the two theories. From this foundation, it explores the importance of the leadership-employee relationship, advantages of SLT, limits/challenges of SLT, and recommendations on how best to utilize SLT for organizational change. Basic Tenets of the Two Theories Trait and Situational theories of leadership provide two different views into...
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...Situational Leadership Research on leadership is a subject that has been approached in many different ways. Theories on leadership can be classified according to the type of variable that is emphasized the most. Three types of variables relevant to these theories include (1) characteristics of leaders, (2) characteristics of followers, and (3) characteristics of the situation (Yuri, G., 2010). In the textbook Leadership in Organizations, Yuri, G. classifies these theories into the following five approaches: (1) the trait approach, (2) the behavior approach, (3) the power-influence approach, (4) the situational approach, and (5) the integrative approach. This paper briefly discusses the situational approach of studying leadership. Method Description Situational Leadership Theory (SLT) evolved from the Life Cycle of Leadership Theory developed by Hersey and Blanchard (1969). Hersey and Blanchard’s theory has four major situational variables: (1) task behavior, (2) relationship behavior, (3) follower (or subordinate) maturity, and (4) effectiveness (Johansen, B. P., 1990). Task behavior refers to the extent leaders are likely to organize and explain what activities each of the subordinates is to perform and when, where, and how tasks are to be accomplished (Johansen, B. P., 1990). Relationship behavior is defined as the extent to which leaders are likely to maintain personal relationships between themselves and members of their team and provide socio-emotional support...
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...The four situational leadership models Abstract In this paper the team was asked to discuss the similarities and differences of the four situational leadership models. In the following paper I will discuss the SLT models which are Fielder’s Contingency Model, Vroom, Yetton and Jago Model, House’s Path-Goal Model, and Hersey-Blanchard theory. I will define the theories as well as compare and contrast the SLT models. Introduction to Situational Leadership Styles The situational theory model addresses the fact that “one size does not fit all” in the realm of leadership styles. There is no single best approach to manage a workforce; rather it is about choosing the appropriate leadership style for the right people to maximize communication and performance. Employee’s motivation is driven by a manager’s capability to adapt to their workforce and culture. These four SLT models combine a range of managerial styles that are tailored to adapt to the different personalities within an organization. Some are more flexible than others. Overall, they seek to expand the knowledge base on leadership theories and provides a more modern approach to understanding effective leadership models compared to the traditional model that states the same leadership tactics will be effective across the entire organization (Irgens, O. M. 1995). The following sections will provide insight into each of the models. Based on Fiedler’s theory, a leader’s behavior is dependent...
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...LEADERSHIP APPROACHES AND MODELS Introduction This paper introduces two models that support innovation in today’s business world. The Transformational Leadership Model and the Situational Model. Both models are described in depth and show how they can be used in today`s diverse workforce. The Discovery and Delivery Skills describes how the research in the Innovators DNA provides an inside look into how you can become more innovative. In today`s fast pace get it done era, innovation is key in the success of any business. Leadership is vitally important and to combine styles and models to achieve success is needed in today`s market. Discovery and Delivery is an area where every leader or potential leader must take a look at their own strengths and weakness and reevaluate what they need to do to improve. Leadership Models that Support Innovation in Organizations Transformational Leadership Model: Transformational leadership theory, started with the works of Burns and was later researched and supported by Bass. Bass took the concepts of Burns into a more operational working model that is commonly referred to as the Transformational Leadership Model. Five categories were established originally in the works of Bass and Avolio; they were idealized influence as: attributed charisma, behavioral charisma, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration (Antonakis and House, 2014). With the five parts idealized influence/attributed...
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...Leadership Approach Paper The leader has the ability to attract and influence any group of people to follow their path to achieve organizational goals have power of authority, make people want to do it but it's really what we as leaders want them to do. In this paper we will discuss the situational leadership theory as an approach to the study of leadership and seeing the strengths and weaknesses of this approach, and an example how it works in the organization. According to Yuki, "common practice is to limit the focus to a leading feature type, ie traits, behavior or power" (Yuki, 2010). In the trait theory, will provide a definition and analyze an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of this approach. Trait Approach Trait approach is defined as "personal attributes (or features) of the leaders, as the characteristics, skills and physical values and personality" (Fleenor, 2006). The idea behind early research was that some people were born traits that allowed them to be leaders, researchers have created lists describe the character traits of leaders. Individuals and lists of character traits are compared to determine the success or failure of such person in a leadership role. Strengths Trait approach to leadership research has some clear advantages. This approach maintains the idea that the leaders of this world are in the open and head. Leaders, consistently been transmitted are different from the villages, and have characteristics that differentiate them from others...
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...RUNNING HEAD: LEADERSHIP APPROACH PAPER Leadership Approach Paper University of Phoenix LDR 531/ Organizational Leadership March 31, 2013 Leadership Approach Research on leadership has been occurring for centuries and has continued to evolve over the course of time. So much research is available that it is necessary to categorize it to emphasize potential relationships that tie them together. According to Yuki, "common practice is to limit the focus to one type of leader characteristic, namely traits, behavior, or power" (Yuki, 2010, p. 13). Focusing on the trait approach, a definition will be provided and an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of this approach will be discussed. Trait Approach Trait approach is defined as "personal attributes (or traits) of leaders, such as physical and personality characteristics, competencies, and values"(Fleenor, 2006, p. 830). The idea behind early research was that certain people had traits from birth that enabled them to be leaders. Researchers have created lists to describe the character traits...
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...Developing Research Proposals Handout Prepared by Ted Zorn, University of Waikato This is a handout I often give to students when I expect them to provide a research proposal for a course project. That is, it’s intended for fairly brief proposals, not a prospectus for a masters or doctoral thesis. It gives students an example of the sort of thing I want, plus some commentary (in italics) about what I’m expecting in each section. I sometimes change the particular example given, in order to encourage them to think about particular kinds of projects. For instance, the example provided here was used in a Leadership Communication course. I’ve used the same format, but a different research project example, for a course on Organisational Communication Technology. Feel free to adapt it to your purposes. Research Proposal (Example) (Note: This is single spaced to save paper; yours should be double-spaced) To: Ted Zorn From: Chris Student Date: 1 April 2003 Subject: Research proposal Proposed Research Topic: A situational analysis of shared leadership in a self-managing team [provide a brief description or a descriptive title or a research question] Purposes: Alvesson (1996) claims that a situational approach enables leadership to be viewed and studied as “a practical accomplishment” (p. 476) rather than starting with a conceptualisation of leadership as whatever the appointed leader does. This approach seems particularly well suited to self-managing teams...
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...A CRITICAL REVIEW OF SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP THEORY Situational Leadership Theory is arguably the most widely known and practiced theory of leadership and managerial effectiveness. In this essay, the origins and fundamentals of the theory are considered, as well as the available evidence that supports or contradicts the its validity. Background Situational Leadership Theory as presented by Hersey and Blanchard developed from the work of J. W. Reddin’s 3-Dimensional Management Style Theory. That theory hypothesizes the importance of a manager’s relationship orientation and task orientation in conjunction with effectiveness (Reddin 1967, 8). From the interplay of these dimensions, Reddin proposes a variety of management styles and theorizes that effectiveness as a manager can be explained as a function of matching a leader’s style to a specific situation. However, his theory does not specify whether certain situational characteristics could be unequivocally incorporated into a predictive model (Vecchio 1987, 444). From Reddin’s suggestion that a leader’s effectiveness varies according to style, Hersey and Blanchard proposed a life-cycle theory of leadership. According to this theory, degrees of task orientation and relationship orientation are to be examined in conjunction with the maturity of a follower or group of followers in order to account for leader effectiveness (Hersey and Blanchard 1969, 29). The main principle of the life-cycle theory is...
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...Impact on Leadership in Organizations Abstract This paper put into perspective the impact of gender on organization leadership. The paper will mainly be looking at the factors that bring about the gender disparities when it comes to leadership in organizations. It also seeks to understand the development of leadership in late 19th century and in the early 20th century. It looks at theories like The great man theory which believes leaders are born and not made and the situational theory which states that leaders are molded in conformity with their environment. All these theories are aimed at understanding how the organization leadership was shaped, and the role played by gender in their formation. The paper also looks at the mitigating factors that inform gender in leadership. The paper also looks at the issue of leadership techniques employed by both genders. It analyzes the effectiveness of both the techniques and how they affect the overall performance of the organization. Some of the difficulties confronted by women in organization leadership include confidence, excessive scrutiny, lack of sponsors and mentors for women. Other include career paths that lack empathy for women needs while in leadership, gender biases, leadership identity and lack of networking ability. The paper is not exhaustive in its mandate to tackle all the issues concerning organizational leadership. Issues like gender-based management can still be explored in future research papers. This paper ensures...
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