Contents
• The first approach to leadership was the Traits Approach. The main assumption of this approach was that - leaders are born, not made and that leadership consists of certain inherited personality traits or qualities.
• The second important approach toward leadership was the behavioral approach. According to this approach leadership can be learned and developed. Behavioral approach focuses on the behavior of people in leadership positions, the importance of leadership style and how it influences group performance.
• This is the oldest from the situational models. Kurt Lewin identified three Behavioral styles among leaders.
- Authoritarian - Autocratic style. Leaders spell out the goals, deadlines and methods while making decisions on their own with little consultations with others.
- Participative - Democratic style. Leader expresses his or her priorities and values in setting goals and making decisions, but also takes part in the group’s work and accepts advice and suggestions from colleagues. However, the leader makes the final decision.
- Delegative - Laissez-Faire style. Leader hands over responsibility for results to the group. He or she lets them set goals, decide on work methods, define individuals’ roles and set their own pace of work.
• Leaders can change their behavior to meet differing circumstances, when in practice many find it hard to do so even after training because of unconscious fixed beliefs, fears or ingrained habits. For this reason, leaders need to work on their underlying psychology if they are to attain the flexibility to apply these theories.
• According to the situational approach, the most important determinants of effective leadership style are:
- the leader (his or her character, values, professional and personal experience, attitudes etc.)
- their followers in the team (their her character, values, professional and personal experience, attitudes, etc.)
- the situation which might be understood as the task (its complexity) and the organizational variables such as the organizational culture, management patterns, etc.
• Transformational approach to leadership is understood as the one that cause changes to social and individual systems as it creates valuable and positive changes in the followers with the end goal of developing followers into leaders. Transformational leaders specialize in working to change the system and solving challenges by finding experiences that show that old patterns do not fit or work.
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Title:
Leadership styles
Keywords
Effective Leader, leadership styles, situational approach, transformational leaders
Author:
AGH
Languages:
English
Description:
• The first approach to leadership was the Traits Approach. The main assumption of this approach was that - leaders are born, not made and that leadership consists of certain inherited personality traits or qualities.
• The second important approach toward leadership was the behavioral approach. According to this approach leadership can be learned and developed. Behavioral approach focuses on the behavior of people in leadership positions, the importance of leadership style and how it influences group performance.
• This is the oldest from the situational models. Kurt Lewin identified three Behavioral styles among leaders.
- Authoritarian - Autocratic style. Leaders spell out the goals, deadlines and methods while making decisions on their own with little consultations with others.
- Participative - Democratic style. Leader expresses his or her priorities and values in setting goals and making decisions, but also takes part in the group’s work and accepts advice and suggestions from colleagues. However, the leader makes the final decision.
- Delegative - Laissez-Faire style. Leader hands over responsibility for results to the group. He or she lets them set goals, decide on work methods, define individuals’ roles and set their own pace of work.
• Leaders can change their behavior to meet differing circumstances, when in practice many find it hard to do so even after training because of unconscious fixed beliefs, fears or ingrained habits. For this reason, leaders need to work on their underlying psychology if they are to attain the flexibility to apply these theories.
• According to the situational approach, the most important determinants of effective leadership style are:
- the leader (his or her character, values, professional and personal experience, attitudes etc.)
- their followers in the team (their her character, values, professional and personal experience, attitudes, etc.)
- the situation which might be understood as the task (its complexity) and the organizational variables such as the organizational culture, management patterns, etc.
• Transformational approach to leadership is understood as the one that cause changes to social and individual systems as it creates valuable and positive changes in the followers with the end goal of developing followers into leaders. Transformational leaders specialize in working to change the system and solving challenges by finding experiences that show that old patterns do not fit or work.