LEADERS & LEADERSHIP

CHAPTER - 8

LEADERSHIP: The exercise of influence by one member of a group or organization over other members to help the group or organization achieve its goals. LEADER: An individual who is able to influence group or organizational members to help the group or organization achieve its goals. Leaders influence & shape many aspects of organizational behavior motivation, learning, behavior, stress, work & group effectiveness etc.

INTRODUCTION

Fiedlers Contingency Theory of Leadership Friedlers developed contingency theory of leadership & highlighted 2 important issues: (1) why in a particular situation, some leaders will be more effective than other leaders even though they have equally good credentials & (2) why a particular leader may be effective in one situation but not in another. Contingency Theory of Leadership: The theory that leader effectiveness is determined by both the personal characteristics of leaders & by the situations in which leaders find themselves. LEADER STYLE: Fiedler was particularly interested in styles of leadership how person approaches being a leader. He identified 2 leader styles task oriented & relationship oriented.

Leader Style Contd

Relationship oriented: want to be liked by & get along well with their subordinates. Although they want their subordinates to perform at a high level, relationship-oriented leaders 1st priority is developing good relationships with their followers. Their 2nd priority is making sure that the job gets done. Task Oriented: want their subordinates to perform at a high level & accomplish all of their assigned tasks. Their 1st priority is task accomplishment & push subordinates to make sure that the job gets done. Having good relationship with their subordinates is their 2nd priority. Which style of leadership is most effective depends on the kind of situation the leader is dealing with. An organization must either assign leaders to situations in which they will be effective or change the situation according to the leader.

Situational Characteristics
According to Fiedler, 3 characteristics determine how favorable situations are for leading: leader-member relationship, task structure & position power. Leader Member relations: The relationship between a leader and his/her followers. When the leader-member relations are poor, followers dislike or distrust their leader and the situation is unfavorable for leading. Task Structure: The extent to which the work to be performed by a group is clearly defined. Position power: The amount of formal authority a leader has.

Contingency Model

Contingency theory holds that leaders must be assigned to situations in which they will be effective. If that wont work, the situation must be changed according to the leader.

Behavior that leaders engage in motivating subordinates Directive Behavior: lets subordinates know that task needs to be performed and how they should be performed. Supportive Behavior: lets subordinates know that their leader cares about their well-being & is looking out for them. Participative behavior enables subordinates to be involved in making decision that affect them. Achievement oriented behavior pushes subordinates to do their best. Such behavior includes setting difficult goals for followers, expecting high performance & expressing confidence in their capabilities.

Transformational & Charismatic Leadership

Transformational Leadership: Leadership that inspires followers to trust the leader, perform behaviors that contribute to the achievement of organizational goals & perform at a high level. Charismatic Leadership: A self confident, enthusiastic leader able to win followers respect & support for his/her vision of how good things could be. Charismatic leaders tend to have high levels of self confidence & self esteem which further encourage their followers to respect & admire them.