Leadership Development

Khan Sarfaraz Ali∗

∗
Leadership is one of the important components responsible for human resource development. A leader influences
the behavior of his followers towards achievement of organizational goals. Leadership is a function of the leader,
the follower and the situation, i.e. L = f (l, f, s). Leadership is an important aspect of managing. The ability to lead
effectively is one of the keys to being an effective manager. Leadership and motivation are closely interconnected.
By understanding motivation, we can appreciate better what people want and why they act as they do.

Leadership Behavior and Styles

Prior to 1949, studies of leadership were based largely on an attempt to identify the traits that leader possess.
Starting with the “great man” theory that leaders are born and not made, a belief dating back to the ancient Greeks
and Romans, researches have tried to identify the physical mental and personality traits of various leaders. However,
the “great man” theory lost much of its acceptability with the rise of the behaviorist school of psychology, which
emphasizes that people are not born with traits other than inherited physical characteristics and perhaps tendencies
toward good health. Today it is well accepted that leaders are not born, they are rather made. There are several
theories on leadership and style. Special focuses are outlined below:
Style based on use of authority: Leadership styles classified on the basis of use of authority are of three
types: i) autocratic ii) democratic and iii) free rein leader. The autocratic leader is defined as one who commands
and expects compliance, who is dogmatic and positive and who leads by the ability to withhold or give rewards and
punishments. The democratic or participative leader consults with subordinates on proposed actions/decisions and
encourages participation from them. The third type of leader uses his or her power very little, if at all giving
subordinates a high degree of independence, or free rein in their operations.
Leadership as a continuum: Leadership involves a variety of styles, ranging from one that is highly boss –
centered to one that is highly subordinate – centered. These vary with the degree of freedom a leader or manager
grants to subordinates. Thus, instead of suggesting a choice between the two styles of leadership – authoritarian or
democratic – this approach offers a range of style, with no suggestive that one is always right and another is always
wrong.
Life-cycle or Situational approach: Another popular approach is the life-cycle (later termed as situational)
approach to leadership. This type of leadership is classified into following styles:

Telling style : Effective when followers are at a very low level of maturity

Selling style : Effective when followers are on the low side of maturity

Participating Style: Effective when followers are on the high side of maturity

Delegating Style : Effective when followers are at a very high level of maturity

Managerial Grid: The success of the study leads to the development of a matrix method for depicting
managerial leadership styles. The Managerial Grid enables us to identify a wide range of styles that represent
various combinations of concern for people and concern for production.
As shown, a manager is rated on two 9 point scales to indicate the extent to indicate the extent to which the
manager demonstrates concern for each of the two central leadership dimensions. When these two scores are plotted
on coordinate axes their points of intersection falls on a grid of 81 (9× 9) possible points. This point is then used
as basis for comparing the manager’s behaviors with those of other managers whose orientations have been
measured in the manager’s behaviors with those of other managers whose orientations have been measured in the
same manner – and whose behaviors have already been studied. Blake and Mouton prefer to describe five “extreme”
positions on the grid.
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Associate management Counselor, Bangladesh Institute of management (BIM)
01817528067 / sarfarazbim@gmail.com
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Leadership is a process of influencing others so that they act together to achieve the desired goal.
 H 1.9
i Country
9 9.9
g Club
Team Management
h Managemen
8 t
LE OP PE R FO N ER NC O C

6
5.5
Organization
5
Man
Management

2
1.1
Improvised 9.1
L Managemen Authority Obedience
o t
1
w

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
CONCERN FOR TASK

1. (9.1) “Authority-obedience” or “task” leadership. This position characterizes managers who place a
high priority on a concern for productivity and little emphasis on a concern for people. Thus, they stress the quality
of the decision over the desires of the subordinates. At their best, 9.1 managers tend to be extremely conscientious,
hard-working, loyal responsible, and personally capable. However, their concern for excellence on their own terms
often alienates them from subordinates, resulting in a “satisfying” level of group performance.
2. (1.9) “Country club” or good neighbor” leadership. This position characterizes managers who place a
high priority on a concern for people and little emphasis on a concern for productivity. Such managers often believe
that the most important leadership activity is to secure the voluntary cooperation of group members, without which,
they feel, no productivity would occur. At best such managers are well liked by their subordinates who are willing to
support their boss in times of need of the subordinates of 1.9 managers report generally high levels of job
satisfaction and display low levels of absenteeism and turnover. Unfortunately, as an unintended consequence of
trying to create a participative environment, such managers are sometimes seen as abdicating responsibility for
decision making. They are also likely to be targets of abusive subordinates who see them as “soft touches”.
3. (5.5) “Organization man” or middle-of-road” leadership. This position characterizes manager who
place moderate priority both on a concern for people and on concern for productivity. Such managers believe that
compromise is at the heart of good leadership and that decisions must be sound, but also management reflects the
leaders’ in order to be implemented. This style of management reflects the leaders’ willingness to trade off a degree
of control over the decision making process in exchange for greater involvement and greater commitment from
subordinates. At best, 5.5 managers are steady, dependable, and unlikely to deviate from previous patterns or
traditional performance levels. Unfortunately, they are also unlikely to provide any dynamic new leadership or the
initiative that responding to internal constraints or external competitions often demands.
4. (1.1) “Impoverished,” “default,” or “retired-on-the-job” leadership. This position characterizes
managers who place low priority on both concern for people and concern for productivity. They believe that it is
best for managers to rely on precedent or on experts outside the group in order to avoid the disagreements and
emotional reactions that they believe are inevitably associated with group dynamics. This sort of manager is clearly
never a leader in a positive sense and at best serves as a “place keeper” until the group’s problems can be attended to
seriously.
5. (9.9) “Team” or “eye-to-eye” leadership. This position characterizes managers who place high priority
on both concern for people and concern for productivity. Unlike the 5.5 managers who believe that optimal
outcomes result from compromise, 9.9 managers believe that concerns for people and production are compatible.
They think that the best way to have an excellent production plan is to involve subordinates in the decision-making
process, which, in turn, leads to heightened levels of employee commitment.
 Even Blake and Mouton hesitate to claim that any one leadership style is superior in all cases, but in
“typical” business situations, the 9.9 style is preferable to all others. The managerial Grid is by far the most popular
approach taken by executive trainers to help to teach managers about leadership. Not only does this approach
combine important contributions from other research, but it also provides informative and convenient “shorthand”
for managers to use in communicating about their potential leadership styles, and those of others.
Functional Approach to leadership: There is no such thing as right style of leadership but the leadership is
most effective when the requirement of leader, the subordinate and the task fit together. The functional approach to
leadership demands the leader should satisfy the needs relating to the task, the team and the individuals in the team
in order to successfully achieve the goal.

TASK

INDIVIDUA
TEAM L

Functions relating Functions relating Functions relating

to task to Team to individual

Defining the task Motivating Recognizing and using

Planning the task Organizing Individual abilities
Allocating work and Ensuring communication Taking account of individual
Resources within the group needs

Briefing Maintaining Encouraging individuals

Controlling, Adjusting plans Spending time -
(with the team)
Evaluating Building -

The leader must take account of all three factors. To concentrate on one at the expense of the others will
have negative consequences on the task and on the performance of the group. If the leader concentrates solely on the
task needs and ignores the team, the individuals will not function so well. The task may be finished this time, but in
future the team may not perform so well and the task may not be done so well. If the leader concentrates solely on
the team needs, the task will not be done. If the leader concentrates on the individuals’ needs, the task will not be
done and the team will not function effectively.