LEADERSHIP

CONCEPT OF LEADERSHIP
 Leadership is the process of influencing and
supporting others to work enthusiastically
toward achieving objectives.
 According to Tennenbaum:- “Leadership is
interpersonal influence exercised in a
situation and directed through
communication process, towards the
attainment of the specified goal or goals.
 According to Terry:- “Leadeship is essentially
a continous process of influencing
behaviour. A leader breaths life into the
group and motivates it towards goals. The
lukewarm deires for achievement are
transformed into burning passion for
FEATURES OF LEADERSHIP
 Leadeship is a continous process of
behaviour.
 It may be seen in terms of relationship
between a leader and his followers.
 Leadership gives an experience of help to
followers to attain common goals.
 Leadership is exercised in a particular
situation, at a given point of time and
under specific set of circumstances.
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
LEADESRHIP AND MANAGEMENT
FACTORS LEADERSHIP MANAGEMENT

Source of Power Personal abilities Authority delegated

Focus Vision and purpose Operating results

Approach Transformational Transactional

Process Inspiration Control

Type Formal and informal Formal

IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP AS
INFLUENCE PROCESS
Motivating employees
Creating confidence
Building morale
LEADERSHIP THEORIES

ØCHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP
THEORY
Assumptions:-
a)Leaders have some exceptional inborn
leadership qualities.
b)These inborn qualities are sufficient for a
leader to be successful.
c)These cannot be enhanced through
education or training
d)These cannot be shared by others.
e)Situational factors do not have any
influence.
Ø
 • Implications:-
a)Transformational leaders
b)Transactional leaders
• LIMITATIONS OF THIS THEORY
If we assume that there are certain inborn
qualities of a leader, it implies that
nothing can be done to develop leaders in
an organisation.
A charismatic leader may fail in changed
situation.
•

•
ØTRAIT THEORY
INNATE QUALITIES:- those which are possessed by
various individuals since their birth. These
includes:
a)Physical features
b)Intelligence
ACQUIRABLE QUALITIES:-those which can be
acquired and increased through various
processes.
a)Emotional stability
b)Human relations
c)Empathy
d)Objectivity
e)Motivating skills
f) Technical skills
g)Communicative and social skills
h)
Implications:-
a)The theory emphasises that a leader
requires some traits and qualities to be
effective.
b)Many of these qualities may be developed
through training and development
programmes.
•LIMITATIONS OF THIS THEORY

Generalisation of traits
a)There cannot be generalisation of traits for
successful leader.
b)No evidence about degree of various traits.
c)There is a problem of measuring the traits.
Applicabilty of traits
a)
ØBEHAVIOURAL THEORY
• Emphasises that strong leadership is a
result of effective role behaviour.
• Leadership is shown by a person’s act more
than by his traits.
• There are two major functions to be
performed:-
a)Task related functions
b)Group maintainance functions
• Leadership behaviour may be reviewed in
two ways:-
a)Functional behaviour
b)Dysfunctional behaviour
•
Implications:-
a)Managers can shape their behaviour which
appears to be functional and discard the
one which appeas dysfunctional.
b)Based on this, researchers have prescribed
various leadership styles.
•LIMITATIONS OF THIS THEORY

• Particular behaviour may be functional at

some time while dysfunctional at other.
• Effectiveness of leadership behaviour
depends on various factors which are not
in a leader.
ØSITUATIONAL THEORY
• The prime attention is given to the situation
in which leadership is exercised.
• The various factors affecting leadership can
be classified under two categories:-
a)Leader’s behaviour:- it includes
ii.Leader’s characteristics (personality,
intelligence,attitudes, interest,
motivation, age, sex etc)
iii.Leader’s heirarchical position
e)Situational factors:- it includes
v.Subordinate’s characteristics
f)
 ii.Leader’s situation:- two factors will
determine this
§ Leader’s position power (high position or low
position)
§ Leader-subordinate relation
iii.Group factors
iv.Organisational factors
 Implications:-
a)Expalins why a manager successful in one
situation fails in other.
•LIMITAIONS OF THIS THEORY

• Complex in practice
• It looses insight of leadership and the leader
is overwhelmed by contingent factors.

iii.
Leadership Styles
Leadership styles are either based on
behavioural approach or situational
approach.
Ø Based on behavioural approach
a)Power orientation:- based on degree of
authority
ii.Autocratic leadership (authoritarian or
directive style)
§ Strict autocrat
§ Benevolent autocrat
§ Incompetent autocrat
•Advantges of autocratic style

• many subordinates prfer to work under

 It provides strong motivation and reward to a
manager.
Permits very quick decisions
Less competent subordinates also have scope to
work in the organisation.
Disadvantages of autocratic style
•

People in the organisation dislike it.

Employees lack motivation. Frustration, low
morale and conflict develop in the
organisation.
There is more dependence and less individuality.
ii.Participative leadership
(democratic,consulttive style)
•Advantages of participative style

• highly motivating technique.

• Employees’ productivity is high.
• share responsibility with superior and safeguard
 Provides organisational stability by raisibg
morale and attitudes.
Disadvantages of participative style
•

• Complex nature of organisation requires

thorough understanding of it’s problems.
• Some people require minimum interaction in the
organisation, so this technique is discouraging
for them.
• Participation can be used covertly to manipulate
employees.
iii.Free rein (giving freedom to employees)
§ Manager determines the policy, programme and
limitations for action and entire process is
left to the subordinates.
§ Suitable to situations where managers can leave
a choice to his group.
§ Helps subordinates to develop independent
personality.
 b)Leadership as a continuum:- there are variety of
styles between two extremes(autocratic and
free rein). Each action represents the degree of
authority used by the leader and degree of
freedom a subofordinate
Continuum leadership enjoys.
behaviour
Autocratic Free- rein
(boss centered ) (subordinate
centred)
Use of authority by
manager

Art of freedom for subordinates

Manager Manager Manager permits

Manager makes presents ideas presents
decision and subordinates to
and invites problems, gets function within
announces suggestions suggestions limits defined by
and make superior
Manager sells decisions
Manager presents Manager defines limits,
decision
tentative ask group
decisions subject to make decisions
to change
 c)Likert’s management system:- there are four
systems.
§ Exploitative autocratic (system1)
§ Benevolent autocratic (system2)
§ Participative (system3)
§ Democratic (system4)
Leadership System 1 System 2 System 3 System 4
§
variable
Trust and No trust and Condenscending Substantial but not Complete
confidence in confidence confidence and complete confidence and
subordinates trust trust

Subordinates’ Do not feel free to Do not feel very Feel rather free to Feel completely
feeling of freedom discuss things with free to discuss discuss things with free to discuss
superiors things with superiors things with
superiors superiors
Superior seeking Seldom gets ideas Sometimes gets Usually gets ideas Always gets ideas
involvement with and opinions in ideas and opinions and opinions and solutions
subordinate job problems
solving
d)Employee-production orientation

r
High consideration and low
structure
High structure and high
consideration
Low structure and low High structure and lo
consideration consideration

e ) M a n a g e ria l g rid :- d e ve lo p e d b y B la ke a n d
M o u to n . D e scrib e d five style s. T h e y a re
Hig
h 1,9 9,9
(country club) (team club)
Concern for people

9
8
7
6 5,5
5 (middle road)
4
3
2 1,1 9,1
1 (impoverished ) (task)
Low

Low 1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 high
Concern for production
 f) Tridimensional grid:- proposed by Reddin.
• Task and relationship orientation
• High
Relationship-
•
Related Integrated
Orientation
•

Seperated Dedicated
• low

Tridimensional grid
More effective
styles
develope executiv
le s r e
s t y Benevolen
e bureaucra
t iv t t
e c autocrat
s e ff
Les
related integrated
RO
yl es
seperated dedicate st
d
t ive
Less effective TO ff ec
styles e e RO:- relation
missionary compromiser Mor oriented
TO:- task oriented
deserter autocrat
Ø Based on situational approach
a)Fiedler’s contingency model:- the basic
contention here is that the appropriateness
of leadership styles depends on their
matching with situational requirement.
ii. Leadership styles:- identified on two dimensions.
§ Task oriented (achievement of task
performance)
§ Human relation oriented (achieving good
interpersonal relations)
ii. Situational variables:- there are three critical
dimensions.
§ Leader’s position power
§ Task structure
§ Leader member relations
§
  Relation between style and situation
Style of
leadership

Task 0
directed

Human
relations
Very + -Very
favourabl favourable 0 unfavourable unfavourable
e

Implications of fiedler ’ s model :-

•no leadership style is appropriate for all situations
•There is need for matching leaders and job situations to
achieve organisational effectiveness.
Criticism of the model :-
•Considered only limited situational variables
•Seems to be reverting to a single continuum of leadership style
 b)Hersey-Blanchard’s situational model:- takes a
different perspective of situational variables as
compared to Fiedler. Also called life cycle theory
of leadership.
ii. Leadership styles:- classified into four categories
based on relationhip behaviour and task
Leadership behaviour ( styles )
behaviour.
•
High
• High High
relationship and relationship and
low task high task
Relationshi
p behaviour

Low relationship Low

and low task relationship
Low and high task

Low High
Task behaviour
ii. Subordinates’ maturity:-
§ Low ability and low willingness – low maturity
§ Low ability and high willingness – low to moderate
maturity
§ High ability and low willingness – moderate to high
maturity
Combining leadership styles and maturity
§ High
High ability and high willingness – high maturity
g Se
in
Relationship behaviour

t ll
a i ng
c ip
rti
Pa
in g
gat

Tel
e
Del

l
ing
Low
Low Task behaviour High
High Maturity of followers Low
 Implications
• It accents employees’ capabilities on a specific
task
Maturity level of subordinates and the group is
important
Provides training ground for developing people
Criticism
•

Not much research evidence to support or reject

the model
One aspect, maturity level of employees is taken
into consideration to judge leadership
effectiveness
c)Path- goal model of leadership:- given by
Robert House
ii. Leadership styles:-
§ Directive
§ Supportive
ii. Situational variables:- it consists of two groups
§ Characteristics of subornates (locus of control,
willingness to accept influenceand self
perceived task ability)
§ Work environment (nature of task, formal
authority system and work group)
• Successful leadership vs effective
Successful leadership Effective leadership
leadership

Successful in getting the Subordinates sees his own

compatible behaviour needs being accompalished
because of his position by satisfying organisation’s
Emphasise on position It is attitudinal in
goals
power and uses close nature.depens on personal
supervision power
Position power can be Cannot be delegated
delegated downward in an
organisation