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Week 1 Lecture
Week 1 Lecture
Overview
Leadership by its very nature requires interaction between human beings. That interaction
is shaped and defined by the complexity of the human psyche. So it’s not surprising that
just like there are a multitude of psychological theories; there are numerous philosophies
for defining leadership and various models for predicting its success and failure.
One element that remains constant throughout all theories is that leadership requires 2
elements – 1) the leader 2) the followers. The theories diverge on explaining why the
dynamic of leader vs. followers exists and how to assess the effectiveness of that
dynamic. We will take a look at two theories - 1) Behavioral Approach 2)
Transformational Approach, but I encourage you to research more on your own. It may
be interesting to analyze whether the approach is completely distinct or a derivative of the
two discussed here.
Behavioral Approach
In the behavioral approach leadership is defined by the actions of the leader. Maybe more
accurately how the actions are perceived by the group they are leading. This lends itself
to categorizing these actions into leadership styles. Leadership styles are identified by 2
factors – 1) where do you get the informational input to make a decision 2) where do you
place the decision making authority.
1) Autocratic – This leadership style solicits minimal information from others and
solely retains the decision making authority.
2) Consultative Autocratic – This leadership style differentiates itself from autocratic
leadership in that information is solicited and used to make decisions but similar
to autocratic style the leader is the decision making authority.
3) Consensus Manager – This leadership style involves the group in both facets –
eliciting information and making the decision.
4) Shareholder Manager – This is the least desirable leadership style and usually
considered poor management. While the group holds the ultimate authority in
decision making, they do not exchange information that would assist in making
the decision.
Course: Leadership and the Human Element in Project Management
Instructor: Dauwn Parker
Shareholder Autocratic
Low
Solely Solely
Group Decision Authority Leader
Transformational Approach
The transformational approach investigates the character of the leadership and the types
of relationship that they establish with followers. These relationships are progressive in
nature and the starting point of the any relationship is established by the authority granted
to the leader by title or position. A leader’s development is measured by their ability to
establish a reach and make an impact beyond their position.
One version of this transformational approach is defined by John Maxwell as the Five
Levels of Leadership:
Level 5:
Personhood
Level 4: People
Development
Level 3:
Production
Level 2:
Permission
Level 1:
Position
References:
Slevin, Dennis P. and Pinto, Jeffrey K. 1991. Project Leadership: Understanding and
Consciously Choosing Your Style. Leadership Skills for Project Managers pp 29 – 43.
Maxwell, John C. Developing the Leader Within You. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.