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ASSIGNMENT TITLE: THE 8 LEADERSHIP THEORIES

ASSIGNMENT SUBTITLE: CRITICALLY ASSESS EACH THEORY, PROVIDE

EXAMPLES AND CRITICALLY ASSESS ITS RELEVANCE TO TODAYS
WORKPLACE

COURSE CODE: 35859

TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGES
1. INTRODUCTION 4

2. GREAT MAN THEORY 5-6

3. TRAIT THEORY 7-8

4. BEHAVIORAL THEORY 8-9

5. CONTINGENCY/SITUATIONAL 10 - 11

6. INFLUENCE THEORY 12

7. RECIPROCAL THEORY 13 - 14

8. LEADERSHIP IN TURBULENT TIMES 15 - 16

9. RELATIONAL THEORY 17

10. CONCLUSION 18
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11. REFERENCES 19

INTRODUCTION
Leadershipcanbedescribedasaprocessofsocialinfluenceinwhichonepersoncanenlisttheaid
andsupportofothersintheaccomplishmentofacommontask.Theenhancementofleadershiphas
developedgreatlyovertheyears andthisisasaresultofindividualsbecomingawareofhow
importantrelationshipsareinleadership.Therearethreebasicprinciplesinvolved,theseare:

1.Knowing:youmustknowyourself
2.Being:youmustbeethical,principled,open,caringandinclusive
3.Doing:youmustparticipatewithinyourcommunityandactuponyourowncommitmentsand
passions.

Leadersmustbeabletoinfluencechangeandastheyearspassedbytherulesofleadershipchanged
becausetheworldisconstantlychanging.Thefollowinglistedbelowaretheeight(8)theories
whichweusedinonewayortheotherandtheybeingapplieddependingonthesituationsarisen.
Theseare:
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Great Man Theory

Trait Theory
Behavioural Theory
Contingency/Situational Theory
Influence Theory
Reciprocal theory
Leadership in Turbulent Times
Relational Leadership Theory

Within my essay I would critically analyze each theory, provide examples of specific leaders and
participants whose leadership can be described based upon each approach and critically assess each
theory for its relevance in today's work place.

Great Man Theory

Great man theories preceded trait approaches. Darwinistic thinking dominated the first theories in
the nineteenth century, under the assumption that leadership is based on hereditary properties (Bass,
1981). The great man folklore is based on brothers of reigning kings who were ascribed to have
abilities of power and influence. It was believed that the intermarriage of the fittest would produce
an aristocratic class superior to the lower class (Bass). Great women such as Joan of Arc and
Catherine the Great were ignored as examples of leaders who were born with innate or natural
gifts.

(A). this theory is based on myths and that men had all the superiority in the decision making
process. That great leader can only be born from those who are the fittest would produce an
aristocrat class superior to the lower class. This theory would not be fit for todays world because
individuals have changed their way of thinking the political, environment, social, technological
legal and economic aspects of things have changed. It also shows that once you are born from the
upper class then you would become a great leader, that you possess these traits and you would be
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the fittest person to make decisions. I do not agree with this theory because, it is more of an
authoritative approach and the decisions that are to be made would not be explored to get the
desired results that would be efficient and effective. It also shows that when critical decisions are to
be made. It may not be in the best interest for the followers because there was no inclusiveness in
the process of making the decision. Thistheorydidnotplaceitsattentionontheeffectivenessof
leadershipbutfocusedontheleadersomittingtheimportanceofthefollowers.Itwasaclichthata
woman'splaceisinthehometoseeaboutthechildren,cookandclean.Astimeschangedwomen
evolved,instead ofbeing inthehome,they educated themselves tothis pointwhere menand
womenareseenasequals.

(B).anexampleofthiswouldbeNapoleon III he was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I. Elected

President by popular vote in 1848, he initiated a coup dtat in 1851 and held the unusual distinction
of being both the first titular president and the last monarch of France. Napoleon III spearheaded
allied action against Russia in the Crimean war and restored French presence in the Levant,
claiming for France the role of protector of the Maronite Christians.

( C ). Withrelevanceofthistheorytotoday'sworkplacethetheoryisappliedtotheexemptionsof
individualswhoseparentspassedawayandwherecustombrokersandarenextinlinetoinheritthis
business.Thisdoesnotmeanthattheyknowtheaspectsthejobentailsbutjustsignstherelevant
documentstogiveemployeesauthorizationtocleardocumentsatcustomshouseonbehalfofthe
company.Thistheoryhasitsshortcomingsbecauseitfocusesmoreonthefactthattheindividual's
familyhistorycanprovidesothereforethatindividualcanprovideratherthaniftheyactuallycan
deliver.

Trait Theory

In the early 1900s, great man theories gave way to trait theories of leadership. Trait approaches
marked the emergence of the second generation of leadership theories. If leadership depended not
on who the leader was, then perhaps leadership could be understood by characteristics of those seen
as leaders. It was assumed that leaders had particular traits or characteristics, such as intelligence,
height, and self-confidence that differentiated them from nonleaders and thus made them successful
(Bass, 1981; Bass, 1990; Yukl, 1994).

(A). This theory is similar to the Great Man Theory, where individuals inherit certain qualities and
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traits that make them better suited to be leaders. If the trait theory was right then only the ones born
from wealthy families would be the leaders resulting in more followers than leaders. Over time as
world look at things differently, we realise that we can groom persons who possess the same traits
but did not inherit it. These have shown to be better leaders because they have once been in a
humble environment and can relate to their followers better. A good leader should be able to
manoeuvre themselves around situations that arise. The individual whose leadership trait is inherent
may not be able to do that therefore restricting them from being effective.

(B). For example: FranklinD.RooseveltwhowasbornintowealthandattendedHarvardwas

describedasayoungmanasbeingcharismatic, handsome and socially active. He was transformed
fromapoliticiantoaleaderbytheimpactofTheGreatDepression.Hisunfailing optimism and
activism contributed to a renewal of the national spirit.

(C ). Intoday'smodernworksocietycompaniescanusepersonalitytraitsasaselectiontoolfor
identifyingemergingleadersbuttheyshouldalsobeawareoftheindividual'straitthatpredict
successinleadereffectivenessaswellasthetraitsthatcanbedetrimental.Individualswhoarehigh
inconscientiousness,extraversionandagreeablenessarepredictedtobesuccessfulwhenplacedin
leadershippositionswhereasperson'swhoarehighinnarcissismaremorelikelytobeliabilities.
Byusingthistheorytohireindividualsforleadershippositionsbasicallysuggestthatselecting
leadersbasedupontheirpersonalityismoreimportantthanselectingthembasedonintelligence.

Behavioural Theory

Behaviouraltheoriesofleadershiparebaseduponthebeliefthatgreatleadersaremade,notborn.
Rootedinbehaviourismthisleadershiptheoryfocusesontheactionsofleadersandnotonmental
qualitiesorinternalstates.Accordingtothistheory,peoplecanlearntobecomeleadersthrough
teachingandobservationandisrelativelyeasytorelateto.Asaleader,youcanstudythesuccess
andtheactionsofleadersandifstudiedindepthyouwouldbeabletoidentifybehaviourswhich
contributetofailureandsuccesswherepastbehaviourpredictsfutureperformances.
(A.)
This theory focuses on whether the leader is job centered (task oriented behaviour) or
employee centered (people oriented behaviour). With the leader who is task oriented, this leadership
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can be quite overwhelming because they are just focusing on getting the job done. The job gets
done yes but it does not allow the leader to get to know their workers or to see if they can utilise
their workers other abilities to help with their work load. They allow their worker to feel
overwhelmed as well with all these deadlines to meet as well as their workers feel as though they
contributions to the company is not recognised because they are constantly told what to do. This
type of leadership show no trust in the workers ability to deliver because the leader dictates what
they do, when to do it and when to deliver it. There is no sort of independence of the workers and
lack of communication. This type of leader deems to portray the leader as authoritative.
With the leader who is employee centered, they focus on team building and is mindful of the
employees. Their job would be overwhelming because the work load is shared. Even though this
leader gives his employees liberation to do their work some sort of structure must be placed in
order for the work to get completed. Sometimes with this type of leadership style employees take
advantage of the freedom they get and the work does not get completed. By placing this structure,
i.e. a deadline to get the job at hand would get done. This type of leadership also welcomes team
building exercises where employees can work in groups to produce effective results. Trust is gain in
both the employees and leader because the leader trust that the employee would get the job done
and the employees trusts that the leader accepts their contribution. Communication is better because
both parties fell comfortable with each other's presence. This type of leader deems to portray this
leader as a democratic.

(B)
For e.g.:
In COSTAATT comparing lecturers in their style of teaching. One scenario I had a math lecturer she
was only concern about getting the syllabus completed, not asking if the student understand her
main concern was that she completed the syllabus. This left a lot of students confused and most of
them failed. The reason for this was there was no communication, no one on one interaction with
the students. The end result was she got the syllabus completed but the students don't trust her as a
lecturer to redo the course with her as well as they advised other student not to take her class
because their eyes she failed as a lecturer. In another scenario, I am currently in a leadership and
ethics class, this lecturer does not care about giving out A's what her main concern was that when
you leave her class you understand, that you leave with more knowledge than when you first came.
With her class there is a lot of discussions, the communication is better, she accepts your
contribution within her class because even though she is the lecturer they are things she learns from
us as well. There is a level of trust because the lecturer trust that we would all do well and do her
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work and also be interested in our learning as well as we trust her to teach us in the best way she
knows.

(c ).
With relevance to today's workplace whether the leader is task oriented or employee oriented is
dependent on the situation in which the leader is placed. Depending on the approach used would
determine whether this leader is successful. I agree that you can still use this approach either of the
two or both if it is necessary to get the job completed within the required time.

Contingency/Situational Theory

(A).
Depending on what the situation is contingent upon would determine what type of leadership is
required. This theory just justifies each type of leadership that is required for the just situation. The
perception the group infer to be an easy path to attain personal goals, to result in high productivity
then the leader would be deemed to be a high producer if not and they look for an easy way out then
low productivity would result. If the leader does not get the desired results from the followers then
they have to readjust their leadership style. Sometimes depending on the situation delegating
approach is necessary.Thistheoryalsorequirestheleadertobecloselyfamiliarwiththeintellectual
anddevelopmentlevelofthosebeinglead.Howeveritdoesnotaddressimportantdetailssuchas
complexfactorsaffectingmotivationanditdoesnotincludetoolsfortheleadertodiagnosea
group's task abilities or command willingness. It is unattainable for a leader to know all the
membersofalargergroupandconsequentlydiagnoseandprescribereferralsforallthefollowers
behaviourwithhavinglittleornoinformation.Thatiswhysituationalleadershipisbettersuitedfor
smaller groups, or small groups within larger organizations with a cohesive goal. Really
understandingtheabilitiesandmotivationsoftheteamarevitalandcanalsobeamajorlimitation.

(B)
For example: 1. Directing style: In nestle the Forman tells the worker what to do in order to operate
the machinery well. The worker may not know much about machine but knows that he is told to do
his job in a particular way to avoid injury or contamination of products.

Selling style: A nursing student who is enthusiastic about their job is being trained on the wards to
take care of patients. The individual must follow certain standards and structure in order to
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complete their task at hand. This student is constantly monitored to make sure that they are doing
the right thing i.e. administration of medication to patient.

Participative style: The Board of Directors at Algico would use this approach to develop a new
policy for which there is no previous case history or best practices.

Delegative style: This sort of style is used in COSTAATT to supervise lecturers who have the
experience within the field and understands the job requirements but is given the freedom to teach
in a style they believe would be most effective.

(c) Theapplicationofthistheorywouldallowmanagers/leaderstoidentifyandsolveproblems
under different situations. They would be able to recognize that successful application of a
techniqueinonesituationdoesnotguaranteesuccessinanother.Asaleaderyouroverallabilityto
correctproblemsandbecomemoreaffectivewouldbeincreased.

Influence Theory

Max Weber used the term charisma in a managerial context to describe a form of influence based
not on traditional power or formal authority but rather on follower perceptions that the leader is
endowed with exceptional qualities Charisma is often attributed to leaders by their followers and is
based on the perceptions of followers and the attributions of the leader, the context of the situation,
and the needs of individuals and the group.
(A).
This theory is based on the leader charisma and the way they use it to their advantage to get what
they want from followers. Their visionary ideas are all that they are concerned about and because of
this ethical decisions may not be made. Due to their ability to manipulate their followers into
believing that their way is the right way this approach is very effective and because some
individuals are gullible, they fall for it easily. These leaders are not merely concern of their
followers interest but achieving their goal.

(B).
For example: Leading up to the general elections the People's Partnership Government broke its
campaign promise with regard to the increase in what is popularly known as old age pension. While
at the start of the general election campaign, all that they promised was an increase of the then old
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age grant to $3,000 and got all the older citizens to vote for their party, by the time their manifesto
came out, this had changed to a promise of universal pensions for all at age 60, without conditions.

( C ).

With relevance to today's world, this sort of leadership style is used but mainly in retail and
commercial businesses. Because the way people think is constantly changing it is hard for this
theory to be very effective. Individuals are educating themselves as to what is out there, technology
is changing, politicians cannot come and as we whisper sweet nothings in citizens ears anymore
because individuals are aware of their rights. Charisma can be a good quality once used with the
right intention.

Reciprocal Leadership Theory

These theories emphasize the mutual goals and motivations of both followers and
leaders, and elevate the importance and role of followers in the leadership process. In
other words, these theories posit, leadership is not just something that a leader does
to followers; rather, leadership is a process that meaningfully engages leaders and
participants, values the contributions of participants, shares power and authority
between leaders and participants, and establishes leadership as an inclusive activity
among interdependent people.

(A).
Transactional theories, focus on the role of supervision, organization and group performance. It
looks at the need of the followers where the leader provides the environment for the individuals to
complete their assigned tasks efficiently and effectively. In order to be an effective leader you must
first be a servant wanting to serve by focusing on the primary needs of the organization. The mere
fact the individual is hired in the first place is because they met the prerequisites to fulfil the
position they were hire for. They do their job well but sometimes individuals because they know
that they are going to be compensated for meeting the required objective do not make ethical
decisions to achieves them. Giving the follower the right environment does not mean they actually
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want to do their job. Depending on the understanding between manager and employees results in
high or low productivity rate.

(B). For example: Followership theory

The sales representative at Courts Furniture Store knew that every time she made over her quota for
the week she would receive a handsome commission. Although that was the case she made her
customers aware of the better investments within the store despite the variety of choices. By doing
so she got a salient customer as well as that customer would bring other sales and customers to her
in the future. The sales representative manager observed her ethical behaviour as well as reviewing
her sales records, the manager noticed she always brought in more than what she made previous
months and praised her for a job well done via commission at the end of the month as well as
promoted her from sales representative to being sales supervisor.

Servant theory:

HeadNursesofaward,beforeshetakesonashiftsheaskshersubordinatesiftheyhaveanyissues
todiscussandiftheyhaveanyproblems.Shealsoaskthemiftheyhaveanysuggestionswhich
theycancontributetohaveasmoothrunningofthewardinthecaseoftakingcareofthepatient.
Thereisacodeofethicstowhichwemustfollowaswellaswegiveourservicestoservetopatient
makingsurethattheirneedsaremettobringthembacktooptimalhealth.Theheadnursecanbean
enablerwheresheenableshersubordinatestogetthejobdoneorshecanbeafacilitatorwhereshe
placethingsinplacefortheworkerstogetthejobdone.

(C ).
In todays workplace this theory can be relevant because it shows the employee how much you
appreciate their effort and hard work. It also motivates other employees to work harder to achieve
the great rewards. However this theory downside is that these followers may love their job but just
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doing it because the compensation package is appealing as a result the communication aspect of
their attitude would be appalling.

Leadership in Turbulent Times

Leadinginturbulencemeansbeingseentolead,keepingupanactiveexternalpresence,staying
connected. Inadditiontomaintainingperspectiveandexercisinggoodoveralljudgment,leaders
cantleadthroughdifficulttimesfrominsideabunker. Findingvalueandcreatingopportunities
requiresenergyandactivecommitmenttooptimismandafocusonthefuture.Passiveleadership,
like defensive leadership, wont generate growth and may imperil survival. Leaders need to
demonstrate internally and externally that uncertainty creates opportunities and that a wellled
organisationpursuesvaluecreationingoodtimesandbad.

(A).
Manytimesinthesesituationsleaderstendtoseeksafetybyfocusingonwhatcanbecontrolledby
acting defensively to avoid damage and minimize risk. Caution and prudence, like most other
leadershipbehaviours,areusefulonlyifconnectedwiththeexerciseofgoodjudgment.Atthis
pointintimeleadersneedtorememberthatnotallrisksarebad,notallopportunitiesforgrowth
disappear,andabroad,externallyfocusedperspectiveismoreimportantthanever.Asaleaderyou
shouldconsidertheperspectivessuchastheinternal,theexternalandtheindividualcapabilitiesyou
should develop to be an effective leader in turbulent times. You should Maintain focus and
discipline, Motivate others, have the ability to remain committed to a course of action while
simultaneouslymaintainingtheopennesstochangingdirectionorchangingonesmindandmake
decisionsintimeswhenyouareindoubt.

(B).Forexample:MahatmaGhandi

A supremely practical leader for change management. Gandhi believed voluntary cooperation by
employees can be secured only by providing adequate opportunities for their self-development and
self-management. He stated for management to be effective and enduring, it has to be an open book,
subjecting itself to public scrutiny. Gandhi also emphasised ethics and honesty as critical elements
of a successful business policy and that Leadership comes down to the decision of a single solitary
human being and every other attitude, belief, or policy relating to leadership is either subordinate to
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This truth or is an instance of self delusion.

(c).

In an organisation that thrives in difficult times, decisions are made at the right level but not
necessarily the highest level. Investment continues in building the capacity of leaders and managers
who make the strategic and performance goals clear, compelling and relevant. A leader must have
the discipline and focus to remain steady and have the emotional maturity to calm followers and
keep the organization functioning effectively in the midst of the turbulence.

Relational Leadership Theory

Relational theories, also known as transformational theories, focus upon the connections formed
between leaders and followers. Transformational leaders motivate and inspire people by helping
group members see the importance and higher good of the task. These leaders are focused on the
performance of group members, but also want each person to fulfil his or her potential. Leaders
with this style often have high ethical and moral standards.

(A).
With this theory the leaders get to understand their followers better and would have attained
communications without barriers. The followers would have a comfortable working environment
where they know that their ideas and opinions would matter. With this the follower and leader
would be able to identify both their strengths and weaknesses, by achieving that the leader would
now place the individual in a position where he can maximize his strengths as well as the company
getting the most out of the individual instead of leaving them in a position where constant work has
to be done in order for the company to reach its goal.

(B)

For example: The Tobago Department of Youth Affairs looked at various individuals strengths and
either moved them to or created positions for them that they would be most productive and effective
to the departments growth. For e.g. Recently this department reshuffled the IT department, moving
an individual from centre coordinator to IT tech because of his strong IT background and replaced
him with someone who is more familiar with the community and its residents and has more
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experience working with youth groups and various stake holders.

(C ).

Yes this theory is still being used in todays workplace even in the Divisions department. By the
application of this theory the Divisions department needs are met, no one looses their jobs, the
individual is happy and motivated as well as the individual feels more empowered now that they are
given jobs that they are good at.

CONCLUSION
Within the essay above I critically analyzed each theory, provided examples of specific leaders and
participants whose leadership would have been described based upon each approach and critically
assessed each theory for its relevance in today's work place. Each theory listed before after being
studied was not wrong nor was it 100% right, it was just appropriate for a particular situation. Each
theory changed because the environment and individuals thinking evolved (PESTLE) and because
these theories developed both the individuals (followers) and the mangers (leaders) needs are met
resulting in a progressing business.

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