...Trait Approach to Studying Leadership Angela Pierce LDR/531 – Organizational Leadership Trait Approach to Studying Leadership The trait approach was one of the earliest approaches that people have used for studying leadership. “Underlying this approach was the assumption that some people are natural leaders, endowed with certain traits not possessed by other people”(Yuki, p. 13, 2010). During this early period leadership theories suggested that managerial successes could be attributed to the natural extraordinary abilities that people possessed such as tireless energy, penetrating intuition, uncanny foresight, and irresistible persuasive powers. This process is what was used in identifying what/who makes a great leader. It was also assumed during this study that some people just were born with leadership traits, while others were not and for those who did not possess these identifiable traits were designated simply as followers. Trait Approach Weaknesses The weakness of this trait approach is that out of hundreds of trait studies conducted and despite this the massive research failed to find any traits that would guarantee leadership success (Yuki, p. 13, 2010). “One reason for the failure was a lack of attention to intervening variables in the causal chain that could explain how traits could affect a delayed outcome such as group performance or leader advancement. The predominant research method was to look for a significant correlation between individual leader...
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...Trait Approach to Studying Leadership Sheila Pounder LDR/531 May 30, 2012 John Healy Trait Approach to Studying Leadership The trait approach to studying leadership uses the assumption that some people are natural leaders with certain attributes that pertains to their personality, motives, values, and skills (Yuki, p. 13, 2010). The studies sort to identify what are the specific traits of leadership. Examples of some of the leadership traits the study found are high intelligence and action-oriented judgment, task competence, achievement-oriented, the ability to motivate people, courage, and resolution driven. This approach was one of the earliest processes used to identify what makes a great leader great. The studies conducted assumed that some people are born with leadership traits, and some are not. Those not possessing identifiable traits are designated as followers. A weakness of the trait approach is that “the previous research efforts failed to find any traits that would guarantee leadership success” (Yuki, 2010, p. 13). A person identified with the attributes of a leader is not guaranteed to be a successful leader. A second weakness of the approach is that it focuses solely on the leader and ignores the followers (Travis, 1999-2012). For a person to lead there must be someone to follow. If an identifiable trait is “the ability to motivate people,” there must be followers to motivate for there to be a leader. A third weakness is that the research also...
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...to obtain my Bachelor’s degree. After earning my Bachelor’s degree and applying to nursing schools as an instructor, I will be able to pursue a career as a clinical instructor. Personal Goals My short-term personal goal is to focus on one class at a time. My long-term personal goal is to obtain my Bachelor’s degree. To obtain my personal goals I first need to focus on one class at a time. In focusing on one class at time, I will be able to give all my energy and attention to that one class. By doing this it will help me focus and pass the class, and get me one step closer to obtaing my long-term personal goal, which is obtaining my Bachelor’s degree from UOPX. Skills The skills that I will need to obtain my goals are first studying skills. Studying skills will help me focus on the task at hand. There are several ways to...
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...Leadership Approach One of the major approaches to studying leadership is the dyadic approach. The dyadic approach focuses on the relationship between a subordinate or a follower and a leader. The leader’s impact makes the subordinate energized and achieves positive result. Leadership behavior is the source of main focus. The subordinate or follower’s attitude, motivation, and behavior represent the process. The dyadic approach of leadership rejects the traditional view of studying leader behaviors in relation to the entire group in favor of studying how each group member negotiates his role with the leader. According to dyadic approach, two assumptions are implicit in the traditional group view of leadership: (1) Group members are highly similar along dimension of perception and reaction, such that all group members may be dealt with conceptually, as well as operationally, as a single entity; (2) Leaders relate to each group member in a similar manner. Both these assumptions are seen as unjustified (Vecchio, 1979). There are three major models to examining dyadic leadership approach. First one is the vertical dyad link (VDL). It examines differentiated dyads’ level of analysis, and uses negotiating skill as the key component (DeMerchant, 2010). The relationship between leaders and each subordinate or follower varied significantly. The established relationship between leader and a subordinate or follower was predictive of future performance (DeMerchant...
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...Leadership Approach Leadership Approach Leadership can be characterized by three variables that help to understand leadership effectiveness. These variables are, 1) characteristics of a leader, 2) characteristics of followers, and 3) characteristics of the situation. Classifying the different leadership theories are done according to the emphasis of the variable. There are several major approaches to studying leadership. Some examples are the trait approach, behavior approach, power-influence approach, situational approach, and integrative approach. With each approach comes several strengths and weaknesses. Examples can be given to help show how a leadership approach can be used in an organization. Behavior Approach The behavior approach to studying leadership, which began in the 1950s, was developed after researchers became uninterested with the trait approach. Instead, they began to focus their attention to what managers do while at their job. The research for behavior branches into two main subcategories (Yukl, 2010). First Subcategory The first subcategory of research observes how managers spend their time and the routines of their activities, functions for managerial jobs, and functions. Other research involves examining how managers cope with the demands, constraints, and role conflicts that can occur during their job. A vast majority of the managerial work research uses detailed methods of collecting data in such ways as direct observation, job description...
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...Research Approaches to Studying Leadership Research Approaches to Studying Leadership Leadership is defined in different ways by different people, Yukl (2010) stated, “Most definitions of leadership reflect the assumption that it involves a process whereby intentional influence is exerted over other people to guide, structure, and facilitate activities and relationships in a group or organization” (p. 3). Different approaches exists to study leadership; next we will discuss the situational approach to study leadership. Situational Approach The situational approach is how the leader effectively fits with a situation, for example the subordinate’s attitude, the type of work, and environment of the organization, among other situations. “Theorists believe that managers choose leadership styles based on leadership situations” (Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2011). The decision-making process is adjusted depending of the type of situation the manager faces and how the leader is being influenced by his subordinate, peers, or superiors. Strengths of the Situational Approach One strength of the situational approach is that the manager can be selective on what type of approach to use, depending on the situation. In management, leaders face with different situations and by using the situational approach they can challenge the problem from a different perspective and be more effective. This is mostly useful when dealing with subordinates because each behaves differently and have...
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...I was able to understand and develop clear understanding of the topic “Leadership”. After studying the topic throughout the semester I am capable of forming my own definition of the topic. I have learned that leadership is “The skill to guide an individual or a group of individual to achieve an objective or work towards the bunch of goals”. Guidance comes through providing support and direction and most importantly influencing the group of followers towards the goal attainment. The attributes of being able to affect others with own action is what makes an individual a leader. I have learned that leadership is not a position but indeed it’s an action. Leadership is way more than an authority over others. It’s an art of extracting work from the followers by telling them what to do and how to do. Numerous factors that influence how the leadership is exercised are “legitimacy”. It says that leadership is about getting the work done by imposing authority over the individuals working under you. Second factor is “Intentions”. It implies that results of a decision taken by the leader must be aligned with what the leader desired to achieve. Third factor is “Initiative”. It says that leadership is not something which is routine. Leaders tend to respond differently in different situations on the basis of their experience and judgments. Fourth factor is “Morality”. This factor explains that as a leader, individuals have to make choices. The choices that they make will define the moral dimension...
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...Leadership Approach Paper Overview A simple definition of leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving common goals. A leader should have the ability to lead a group of people with high quality skills and influence others to follow in his or her direction. Leadership is defined as process of influencing others positive behaviors to achieve organizational goals. In this paper I will discuss one fundamental approach to studying leadership as well as the pro’s and con’s of this leadership approach. In addition, I will provide an illustration in which the leadership approach was used in my organization. Leadership Approach Paper Overview of Major Research Approach According to Yukl (2010) the fascination of leadership has wrought enormous and incomprehensible literature endeavor’s; in which to coordinate the literature corresponding to main approaches or viewpoints that reveal merely preferential success. A useful means to categorize leadership theory and investigation is according to the kind of variable that is accentuated the most. The kinds of variables that are applicable for interpretation of leadership efficacy incorporate characteristics of leaders, characteristics of followers, and characteristics of the situations. Examples of all characteristic variables are in the table below derived from Yukl (2010 p. 15, 16). |Characteristics of the |Manners, |Support |Dexterity and, |Behavior. |Veracity...
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...Reilly, A.H. and Karounos, T.J. (2009), “Exploring the Link between Emotional Intelligence and Cross-Cultural Leadership Effectiveness”, Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies, Vol. 1, Feb. 2009, pp. 1 – 13. Introduction Along with the globalization of business, many corporations are facing the challenge of operating in a different culture. The writers made a connection between emotional intelligence and cross-cultural leadership effectiveness to deal with this situation, this article also presented some significant results and implications which were greatly helpful for our company. This report is aimed at review the article and pick out something useful to raise staff awareness of cross-cultural issues. In this paper, I will summarize the key point of the article and evaluate some correlative information which can be applied to our company, then there will be a conclusion at the end of the report and two related references will also be given as well. Summary Reilly and Karounos (2009) exhibited Goleman’s research to identify the connection between emotional intelligence and leadership ability. Goleman (1998) claimed that the importance of emotional intelligence on the overall leaderships in organization is twice greater than the other two personal capabilities, technical skills and cognitive skill. The article showed the five components of emotional intelligence and their respective characteristics listed by Goleman (1998), which are exhibited on a...
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...Leadership Approach Leadership may be defined as a deliberate influence to advise, organize and assist others in performing tasks within an organization. According to Yukl "Leadership has been defined in terms of traits, behaviors, influence, interaction patterns, role relationships, and occupation of an administrative position" (2010). Within this paper you will learn about the behavior approach to leadership. As with all of the other approaches, several strengths and weaknesses to this approach will be discussed along with an example of how this approach is illustrated within an organization. Behavior Approach During the early 1950s, the behavior approach was developed when researchers began losing interest with the trait approach. Researchers started analyzing how managers behavior while at work rather than their personal traits. The behavior approach can be best understood when divided into two general subcategories (Yukl, 2010). Subcategory One Within the first subcategory of the behavior approach, researchers monitored the way managers spent their time while on the job along with the usual pattern of activities, responsibilities and job functions of a manager. Additionally, researchers analyzed how managers handled job requirements, restrictions, and competition. Managerial work is most often based on research obtained through detailed methods of data collection. Data collection is acquired through direct observation, diaries, job-description questionnaires...
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...products. In business, innovation often results when ideas are applied by the company in order to further satisfy the needs and expectations of the customers (www.businessdictionary.com). Leaders must learn how to create an organizational climate where others apply innovative thinking to solve problems and develop new products and services. It is about growing a culture of innovation, not just hiring a few creative outliers. How can you help others to think differently and work in new ways to face challenges? What can be done to innovate when all resources are stressed and constrained? How can you stay alive and stay ahead of the competition? (Bunchner & Horth, 2014). Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal (Kruse, 2013). Leadership Models: According to Doyle and Smith (2001), a transformational leader raises our level of awareness, our level of consciousness about the significance and value of designated outcomes, and ways of reaching them. Allows us to transcend our own self-interest for the sake of the team, organization or larger polity. Also, alters our need level and...
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...two chapters of the book Soar With Your Strengths by Donald Clifton and Paula Nelson (1992), we learn that shifting focus to increasing strengths versus trying to fix weakness is more productive and efficient than the alternate. Important Concepts Concepts Applied to Organizational Management and Leadership: A Christian Perspective Strategies for Implementing the Concepts within an Organization In the first two chapters of the book Soar With Your Strengths by Donald Clifton and Paula Nelson, we learn that shifting focus to increasing strengths versus trying to fix weakness is more productive and efficient than the alternate. The strengths theory does not ignore weaknesses however, it explains that little can be profited by studying what went wrong or is being done incorrectly. 3 Important Concepts Strengths can over shadow the weakness. Essentially if an individual were to diligently hone the skills that they possess and essentially master the strength, it will make the weakness less vulnerable. Understanding your own key strengths is important. To manage yourself effectively, you want to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses (Sherman, 2013). Studying weakness is ineffective. Often times when analyzing the before and after of a business plan, project, campaign etc. the main objective is to understand what went wrong so that it is not repeated. Many firms use what is called a SWOT Analysis to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats...
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...Leadership is both an art and a science. Explain in detail. http://expertaccess.cincom.com/2012/05/is-leadership-an-art-or-a-science/ The argument for leadership as both an art and a science is a strong one. Although there are certain quantifiable skills that make for a good leader, skills that can be measured and calculated, there are also qualities that are simply harder to define. In fact, may be a combination of personality and skills that determine whether a leader rises to the forefront of an organization (Monaghan, 2012). Leadership is an art because many leadership skills and qualities cannot be learned from a book. It takes practice and hands-on experience, as well as intense personal exploration and development. However, leadership is also is a science because a growing body of knowledge and objective facts describes the leadership process and how to use leadership skills to attain organizational goals (Daft, 2011). Knowing about leadership research helps people analyze situations from variety of perspectives and learn how to be more effective as leaders. By exploring leadership in both business and society people gain an understanding of the importance of leadership to organization’s success. Studying leadership can also lead to discovery of abilities people did not know they even had, it gives them skills they can apply in the practice of leadership in their everyday life (Daft, 2011). The quantifiable part of leadership can be gauged by creating measurable goals...
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...Change is inevitable; that is a fact that we are all familiar with. Whether the change is good or bad, we cannot escape it. However, I wish to be a part of the changes that will have positive impacts on my community. To do so, I must learn how to be a better leader and I believe that I can through the Junior Leadership Academy. I believe that I am a good candidate for this program because I am motivated, involved, and often a leader to others. Throughout my life, I have always been motivated to do my best with everything I pursue. I push myself to go above and beyond, especially in school. I was the top of my class for the entirety of my time in junior high, and I continue to make the highest marks in my classes. Additionally, I am driven to work hard. Along with spending time studying for my classes, I also spend time studying for Quiz Bowl, which has lead my team and I to many victories in multiple games. My motivation is for a better future for not only myself, but for my friends and family, who have always supported me and who I can always rely on....
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...Leadership = The ability to influence, lead, or guide others so as to accomplish a mission in the manner desired by providing purpose, direction, and motivation. Three major approaches to studying leadership are as follows: Traits approach: Leaders are born Behavior approach: How you act determines what kind of leader you will be, and what your leadership style is. Contingency approach: There is no one best way to lead. The study of leadership has produced a multitude of perspectives and theories. It is a daunting but rewarding challenge for professors to synthesize the literature and present it to aspiring leaders in a meaningful way. Introduction The study of leadership has been a popular topic for debate since scholars first recognized the impact leadership has on the success of an organization. In higher education, investigative efforts into what epitomizes leadership have played an integral part in the development of educational leadership programs. What is leadership? What are the theoretical constructs taught to aspiring leaders? The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the literature on the major approaches to the study of leadership. Major Approaches to the Study of Leadership According to Wolverton, Gmelch, Montez, and Nies (2001), leadership is the essential element that holds an organization together while moving it forward. Definitions and assumptions about leadership are numerous and varied. As early as 5000 years ago, Egyptian hieroglyphics...
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