Transcript The Great Man Theory

”Managers are people who do
things right. Leaders are people
who do the right things”
LEAD
LISTENING
ENTHUSIASME
ARGUMENTING
DIRECTING
Why do we need leaders?
• Incomplete organisational
structure
• External change
• Internal change
• Motivate, inspire and influence
Leadership roles
• Policy issues, strategic decision making &
structural change [Origination = top managers
on system level]
• Interpret strategic decisions and design
method of implementation [Interpolation =
intermediate-level managers on subsystem
level]
• Implement policies and procedures efficiently
[Administration = lower-level managers with
know-how]
Approaches to leadership [100 years]
• traits approach
• Behavioural approach
• Situational approach
Early theories of leadership:
Traits theories or Great-Man
theories
Trait theories are about "Who is a leader?” The
theories identify certain personality types and
concern well-known personalities who possess
distinguished innate characteristic, or just were
at the right place at the right time. Examples:
Ghandi, Churchill etc.
The Great Man Theory
• Traits: Physical traits,
intelligence, personality
traits
• Stogdill (1948): revised
124 studies of leadership &
found only 3 attributes for
most leaders:
– Height
– Intelligence
– Initiative
Who is your leader?
• Lord et al (1984)
found that group
ascribed to leaders 3
attributes:
– Intelligence
– Dominance
– Masculinity
Changes between 1948 and 1984
• McCare, Robert R.
(2000): “Trait
Pychology and the
Revival of Personality
and Culture Studies”
• What are these
“changes” based on?
PEAK
Leaders behaviours
•
Stogdill & Coons (1957)
identified 9 dimensions of
behaviour:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Initiation
Membership
Representation
Integration
Organization
Domination
Communication
Recognition
Production
P
K
E
A
Factor analysis of the 9
dimensions gave 2 large factors
• Consideration
– Helping subordinates
– Doing favours
– Explaining
• Initiating Structure
– Getting subordinates to
follow rules
– Setting performance
standards
– Making roles explicit
P
K
E
A
Behavioural theories [styles]:
What the leader does
rather than who the leader is
The way someone performs the task:
• Charismatic Theory
• Authoritarian
• Democratic
• Laissez-Faire
• Task vs Relationship (Blake & Mouton)
Autoritarian styles
•
•
•
•
•
Strong control
Dominance
Orders to be followed
Directions are commands
Criticism is common
Democratic style
•
•
•
•
Participative and less controlling
Control is shared by the group
Stimulation and quidance instead of commands
Group responsiblity for the outcomes is based on:
– Active participation
– Responsibility for oneself and for the welfare of the group
– Concern and consideration for each group member
Laissez-Faire
•
•
•
•
inactive, passive, nondirectional
Lack of limits
Control is left to the group
Independent non-co-ordinated activities
– Highly self-directed, motivated and selvorganised groups could here become highly
creative and productive
Task vs. relationship
[Blake & Mouton]
Task oriented leader:
– Get the work done and encourage group productivity.
Relationship oriented Leader
– Secure interpersonal relationships through activities that
meet the needs of group members
The task and relationship orientations are bipolar.
The leader can be high in one scale and low on
another. It is also possible to balance between task
and relation.
Tannenbaum & Schmidt