...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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...There are several different approaches to studying leadership and with determining what makes a good leader. Throughout this paper, I will discuss the trait approach, the skills approach, and the style approach. I will also discuss how each approach relates to me personally based on the results of the questionnaires provided in “Leadership: Theory and Practice” by Peter Northouse. I will begin with the trait approach. According to Northouse, “the trait approach is concerned with which traits leaders exhibit and who has these traits” (p. 40). The trait approach also helps people to learn about themselves. It helps to clearly outline strengths and weaknesses which will enable the manager to learn how he/she can be a better leader (Northouse, p.40). I completed the Leadership Trait Questionnaire and I was surprised with the results. I have always prided myself on my communication abilities and my work ethic. I have also always felt that I am an outgoing person and easy to get along with. After having colleagues rate me based on the questionnaire and comparing my responses with them, there were some surprises to me. My colleagues did rate me highly in articulation, determination, trustworthy, friendly and dependable. I also rated myself highly in these categories as well. The surprises to me were with the traits of self-assured, outgoing, and self-confident. I rated myself higher than the average of my colleague’s ratings. I can use this information going forward to help enhance...
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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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...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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...Leadership Approach: Trait Theory There are many approaches to leadership within an organization. “Early leadership theories focused on what qualities distinguished leaders and followers, while subsequent theories looked at other variables such as situational factors and skill levels“(Cherry, 2013). This paper chooses to evaluate the trait approach to studying leadership. Through the course of this paper, the implications, strengths, and weaknesses of the theory will be explored. Implications of the Trait Theory As previously noted, the trait theory assumes “that people inherit certain qualities and traits that make them better suited to leadership” (Cherry, 2013). The trait theory can be applied in multiple leadership positions within multiple types of organizations. Taking the information retained from this theory and its research, managers not only assess the current personnel within leadership positions but also can assess what traits can are currently successful in alternate leadership positions. The trait theory is not dependent on any particular type or organization or sect of leadership. “Scholars taking the trait approach attempted to identify physiological (appearance, height, and weight), demographic (age, education and socioeconomic background), personality (self confidence and aggressiveness), intellective (intelligence, decisiveness, judgment, and knowledge), task related (achievement drive, initiative...
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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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...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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...Leadership Approach David Ruiz Pineyro LDR/531 Organizational Leadership February 7, 2013 Prof. Jose Rodrigo-Pons Leadership Approach On this paper I am going to explain briefly one of the major research approaches for studying leadership. Also included on this paper will be a summarized explanation of the strengths and weaknesses of the leadership approach selected along with an example in which this approach has been used in an organization. I would like to commence by mentioning that there is no particular stated definition for the word leadership. According to Yukl (2010) Leadership is such a broad subject than can range or vary from personality traits, behavior, influence, interaction, patterns, roles and relationships, and even the occupation of an administrative position (pg.2). Since leadership is so complex even though it has been studied for years researchers have not been able to come up with a particular definition for it. As Burns (1978) stated “Leadership is one of the most studied and less understood phenomena on Earth” (Bahreinian & Soltani, 2012, pg. 7). Therefore, different theories and approaches on this area of study have aroused over the years. But not all leadership approaches focus on the same assumptions. For example when we talk about the Trait Approach we emphasize on the particular attributes of leaders such as personality, motives, values, and skills. We have heard from time to time that anybody can be a manager but not everybody can...
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...Professional and Staff Development FSPSD200 Leadership Theory Simplified Allisen Penn Assistant Professor Leadership Development “Pop leadership” philosophy abounds in our culture today. Book stores have shelves full of books on leader ship. Leaders and leadership are discussed daily on tele vision, radio, newspapers, magazines and on the web. As a result, many mixed messages about leadership are expressed. So – how do you decide what is accurate? Read the inside cover of a leadership book and you may find that the book is more about manage ment and business than leadership. A magazine or newspaper may just express the opinion of a famous person about leadership. While the perspective of a well-known leader or the insight offered in a book may be valuable, you may want to ask – is this information supported by research? An understanding of the existing leadership research may help you shape your own opinion about what is good leadership. Once you determine what is good leader ship, you can begin to develop your own leadership approach. Write your definition of leadership: A commonly accepted definition of leadership is a process used by an individual to influence a group of members toward a common goal (Bass, 1990; Howell and Costley, 2001). Maxwell (1993) simply states that leadership is influence. The following overview of leadership theories is intended to provide a synopsis of some of the research conducted on leadership in the last 50 years. There is a list of...
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...Leadership Approach LDR/531 February 25, 2012 Daryl Korinek Leadership Approach Leadership is an important function of management, which helps to maximize and to achieve organizational goals. A leader is expected to initiate actions, motivate employees, provide guidance, create high morale, infuse confidence, and build a positive work environment. Currently there are five major approaches to studying leadership: trait approach, behavior approach, powerful influence approach, situational approach, and the integrative approach. The following review will discuss the behavior approach. The behavior approach is the idea of looking further into what the manager performs daily. “The behavior approach began in the early 1950s after many researchers became discouraged with the trait approach and began to pay close attention to what mangers actually do on the job” (Yukl, 2010). Within the behavior approach there are two categories of information that is analyzed. Researchers are identifying how managers utilize his or her time, daily activities, responsibilities, and expected functions of the manager. Researches are also investigating how managers deal with on-the-job demands and time constraints. To conduct the research, researchers relied on data collected by direct observation, questionnaires, and interviews. The other category of information being studied is identifying how the manager is an effective leader. Researchers relied on a survey field study that included a questionnaire...
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...830———Trait Approach to Leadership determining how an organization should allocate training resources. The organization–task–person model is less useful when it comes to reacting to a specific human performance problem, such as high turnover or poor sales. A thorough needs assessment relevant to this problem may prove inefficient; moreover, it would assume that some form of training is required to solve the problem. An alternative model has been offered to deal with these situations. It is a problem-solving process that begins with problem definition and then moves to root-cause identification Fleenor, John W. "TraitThis model isto and intervention design. Approach known as the Leadership." Encyclopedia of Industrial human performance intervention (HPI) process or and Organizational Psychology.(HPT). Although human performance technology 2006. relatively neglected in I/O psychology SAGE Publications. 16 Feb. 2011. research, this approach resonates with the consulting approach increasingly used by professionals in the human resource management and organizational development fields. —Kenneth G. Brown See also Job Analysis; Job Analysis Methods; Training; Trainability and Adaptability; Training Evaluation FURTHER READING leadership research. This approach focuses on the personal attributes (or traits) of leaders, such as physical and personality characteristics, competencies, and values. It views leadership solely from the perspective of the individual leader. Implicit in...
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...Leadership Models The dynamics of leadership-follower relationships has grown in the last two decades because of a growing discussion in leadership literature (Popper & Mayseless, 2002) as cited in Avolio. Many companies, which were small 20 years ago have emerged as leaders in the market, overtaking their once larger competitors. These firms internally have revamped the way they do business. They have focused on making changes to their managerial process, thereby creating a competitive advantage (Tichy & Devanna, 1990). The authors go on to say that although traditional managerial skills are important they are not sufficient to bring about organizational transformation. Transformational change will come by incorporating new strategies about people and the structure of the firm. These strategies may include leadership models or theories. A number of leadership models or theories exist, which address change in the way a firm addresses the management of its employees. The contingency view of leadership states there is not a particular model of leadership that is better than another, but rather various situational contingencies determine the success of different types and styles of leadership (Nahavandi, 2006). Of the many number of leadership models four are notable for change. These four consist of trait theory, behavioral theory, charismatic approach to leadership, and the cognitive resource model. A discussion of how each model addresses...
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...Graves (2013, pg.1) states “From day one a human being must learn to be persistent to walk, ride a bike, read, do algebra and run a successful business and people usually don’t succeed the first time at any of these.” In this case Carol continued to be persistent and ensured that she did not allow her hardship to impact her business or her employees. Analysis In the life of a small business there are always some ups and downs, but when it comes to a situation when the person managing a family business suddenly passes away, most businesses close their doors as their thought process are mostly negative about business and its well-being. In Carol Baines case she decided to manage the business herself and took the immediate leadership decisions in investing for advertisement to keep up with the competition as well as worked with individuals who were working for the company. Fleenor (2012) refers to a study presented by John W. Gardner in 1989,...
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...Week One Leadership Approaches LDR 531 February 17, 2013 Dr. Pat Abstract Leadership can have several definitions. Researchers can take many different approaches to studying leadership and leadership styles. Indicators can be examined to determine the effectiveness of leaders and potential leaders. It can be argued that leaders are not “born”; they are trained and taught skill sets that develop their leadership style. Leadership approaches are classified into the following five approaches: the trait approach, the behavior approach, the power-influence approach, the situational approach, and the integrative approach. I believe the behavior approach may be a better suited approach for companies like the one I worked at for eight years. Table of Contents Introduction 4 Research 4 Behavioral Approach 4 Workplace 5 Pros and Cons.................................................................................................................................6 Conclusion......................................................................................................................................6 Reference........................................................................................................................................8 Week One Leadership can be defined many ways. One way to define it is; Leadership is “the behavior of an individual . . . directing the activities of a group toward a shared goal.” (Hemphill &...
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...Report on leadership theores 1.0 Introduction A distinction of leadership from management suggested by Gold, Thorpe and Mumford, (2010:26) indicates that Managers plan, set targets, allocate resources and steps to achieving goals while at the same time organising human resources with the aim to delegate responsibilities. The role is control motivated and focuses on completion of tasks. Whereas, Leaders are accountable for envisioning based on direction, communication, support, empowerment to instil strength and unity in the workforce. Leaders encompass motivation and inspiration in subordinates though involvement in the process, recognising and rewarding success while nurturing informal relationships and networks. Early leadership theories focused on the leaders and which qualities distinguished leaders and followers, the notion of Great man theory which Bass suggests (in Northouse: 15) is the notion of heroic leaders that are born not made, like Mohandas Gandhi. Leadership theories evolved from great man though trait theories, behaviourist theories, situational leadership, contingency theory and on to transactional and transformational leadership. The progression of theories highlights a shift in generic characteristics and behaviors of leaders to recognition of the importance of responding to different situations and contexts and the leaders’ role in relation to followers. (Gosling, Marturano, and Dennison. 2003:6) Great man theory developed in the mid-19th century was...
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