Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Leadership
Leadership
Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent.
Good Leaders
Do you have some examples of good leaders? What qualities made them good leaders?
Leadership
Becoming an effective leader is not easy Part skill development Part experience Remember, Leadership is Action, not Position Power does not make you a leader...it simply makes you the boss How do YOU become an effective leader? No cookbook formula Situational, as well as individual
Leadership Principles
A Principle is a Tested form of Action, proven useful in the skill of leadership
In isolation, principles are ineffective - must be applied based on the situation
Help identify root cause of conflict guidelines to find mutually beneficial solutions
Seek to understand the sources of conflict within a team, and find win-win solutions
Leadership Principles
1 - Show Interest 2 - Positive Approach 3 - Complaints 4 - Promises 5 - Get the Facts 6 - Discussion Basis 7 - Design an Approach
8 - Explain Why 9 - Admit Mistakes 10 - Reasonable Expectations 11 - Be Prompt 12 - Compliment 13 - Prepare for Change
Show Interest
Develop a Relationship
Frequent personal contact - LISTEN to others Keep an open and honest attitude
Positive Approach
Consider other persons feelings & objectives in planning what you do/say
Plan before you speak Give benefit of the doubt
Complaints/Suggestions
View complaints not as personal criticism, but as valuable feedback and suggestions
Not easy to do, but working relationships improved when regularly practiced
Address complaints quickly, Listen to whole story
Remain composed, calm - avoid interruptions Show problem is understood by restating it, Ask questions to clarify misunderstandings Show appreciation, and indicate what will be done FOLLOW UP with action
Promises
Make few promises, and keep them!
Credibility lost when leadership fails to keep promises Ensure commitment is realistic and attainable
Design An Approach
Approach appeals to others motivations and emotions
Be pleasant, remain calm Use questions, and listen to responses Observe body language, clues to others feelings
Explain Why
Reasons why/why not
Be truthful Show willingness to answer questions
Admit Mistakes
Recognize no one is perfect
Natural tendency is to avoid sharing or rationalizing a mistake No mistakes => is employee or leader really doing anything? At least not taking risks Determine who is affected by mistake, and if any corrective action needed
Recognize mistake was made, regardless of how discovered. Show mistakes are learning opportunities
Document lessons learned for each project
Reasonable Expectations
Present fair/realistic expectations
Listen completely to any objections
Restate objections, outlining competing positions and underlying reasoning
Be Prompt
Be responsive to situations / issues
Does not mean need to always act immediately Be consistent, use a structured problem solving technique
Compliment
Always give recognition where deserved
Ensure sincere and consistent Understand each person is an individual, tailor recognition to be meaningful to the person Recognition can be simple, a note of thanks Decide whether best kept personal or public
RECOGNIZE
DELEGATE
FOLLOW UP
Leader Know yourself as a leader, people will decide on their own whether to follow you
Situation -all are different, use judgment to determine best course of action
In order to fully understand leadership, it is necessary to understand power. Power is the ability to affect the behavior of others. One can have power without actually using it. For example, a football coach has the power to bench a player who is not performing up to par. The coach seldom has to use this power, because players recognize that the power exists and work hard to keep their starting positions.
In organizational settings, there are usually five kinds of power: legitimate, reward, coercive, referent, expert power.
Legitimate Power
Legitimate power is power granted through the organizational hierarchy; it is the power defined by the organization that is to be accorded people occupying a particular position. A boss can tell a subordinate to do something, and a subordinate who refuses can be reprimanded or even fired. Such outcomes stem from the boss's legitimate power as defined and vested in him by the organization. Legitimate power, then, is the same as authority. All managers have legitimate power over their subordinates. The mere possession of legitimate power, however, does not by itself make someone a leader. In many cases, subordinates follow only orders that are strictly within the letter of organizational rules and policies. If asked to do something outside their defined domain, they refuse or do a slipshod job. In such cases, their manager is exercising authority but not leadership.
Reward Power
Reward power is the power to give or withhold rewards. Rewards that may be under the control of an individual manager include salary increases, bonuses, promotion recommendations, praise, recognition, and interesting job assignments. In general, the greater the number of rewards controlled by a manager and the more important the rewards are to subordinates, the greater is the manager's reward power. If the subordinate sees as valuable only the formal organizational rewards provided by the manager, then there is no leadership. However, if the subordinate also wants and appreciates informal rewards like praise, gratitude, and recognition from the manager, then the manager is also exercising leadership.
Coercive Power
Coercive power is the power to force compliance by means of psychological, emotional, or physical threat. In some isolated settings, coercion can take the form of physical punishment. Examples include the military and prisons, where first-line supervisors occasionally strike or beat subordinates until they comply or as punishment for breaking rules and regulations. The available means of coercion are limited to verbal reprimands, written reprimands, disciplinary layoffs, fines, demotion, and termination. Some managers occasionally go so far as to use verbal abuse, humiliation, and psychological coercion in an attempt to manipulate subordinates. The more punitive the elements under a manager's control and the more important they arc to subordinates, the more coercive power the manager possesses. On the other hand, the more a manager uses coercive power, the more likely he or she is to provoke resentment and hostilityand the less likely he or she is to be seen as a leader.
Referent Power
Compared with legitimate, reward, and coercive power, which are relatively concrete and grounded in objective facets of organizational life, referent power is more abstract. It is based on identification, imitation, or charisma. Followers may react favorably because they identify in some way with a leader, who may be like them in personality, background, or attitudes. In other situations, followers might choose to imitate a leader with referent power by wearing the same kinds of clothes, working the same hours, or espousing the same management philosophy. Referent power may also take the form of charisma, an intangible attribute in the leader's personality that inspires loyalty and enthusiasm. Thus, while a manager might have referent power, it is more likely to be associated with leadership.
Expert Power
Expert power is derived from information or expertise. A manager who knows how to deal with an eccentric but important customer, a scientist who is capable of achieving an important technical breakthrough that no other company has dreamed of, and a secretary who knows how to unravel bureaucratic red tape - all have expert power over anyone who needs that information. The more important the information and the fewer the people who have access to it, the greater is the degree of expert power possessed by any one individual. In general, people who are both leaders and managers tend to have a lot of expert power.
Leadership Theories
Trait Approach
Traits (examples)
Extraversion Conscientiousness Openness
Trait Theories
Limitations:
No universal traits found that predict leadership in all situations.
Unclear evidence of the cause and effect of relationship of leadership and traits.
Better predictor of the appearance of leadership than distinguishing effective and ineffective leaders.
Behavioral Theories
Behavioral Theories of Leadership
Behavioral Approach
Ohio State Studies/U. of Michigan Initiating Structure/Production Orientation Consideration/Employee Orientation Assumption: Leaders can be trained Goal: Develop leaders Problem: Effective behaviors do not generalize across situations
A leader can exhibit varying levels of initiating structure and at the same time varying levels of consideration. At first, the Ohio State researchers thought that leaders who exhibit high levels of both behaviors would tend to be more effective than other leaders.
Production-Oriented Leader
One who emphasizes technical or task aspects of the job.
CONTINGENCY THEORIES
All Consider the Situation
Fiedlers Contingency Model Cognitive Resource Theory Hersey and Blanchards Situational Leadership Model Path Goal Theory
Assumptions underlying the different models: Fiedler: Leaders style is fixed Others: Leaders style can and should be
Fiedler Model
Leader: Style is Fixed (Task oriented vs. Relationship oriented) Considers Situational Favorableness for Leader
Leader-member relations Task structure Position power
Key Assumption Leader must fit situation; options to accomplish this: Select leader to fit situation Change situation to fit leader
Least Preferred Co-Worker (LPC) Questionnaire The way in which a leader will evaluate a co-worker that is not liked will indicate whether the leader is task- or relationshiporiented.
Task Structure
The degree to which the job assignments are procedurized. Position Power Influence derived from ones formal structural position in the organization; includes power to hire, fire, discipline, promote, and give salary increases.
Performance
Relationship -Oriented
Poor Favorable Category Leader-Member Relations Task Structure Position Power I II Moderate Unfavorable V Poor High Strong VI Poor High Weak VII Poor Low Strong VIII Poor Low Weak III Good Low Strong IV Good Low Weak
Good
High Strong
Good
High Weak
LOW
HIGH
LOW
Leadership Styles and Follower Readiness (Hersey and Blanchard) Willing Unwilling Follower
Readiness
Able
Supportive Participative Monitoring
Leadership Styles
Unable
Directive
RESULT: In subordinates will have higher performance ratings, less turnover, and greater job satisfaction
E X H I B I T 123
Path-Goal Theory
Premise
Leader must help followers attaining goals and reduce roadblocks to success Leaders must change behaviors to fit the situation (environmental contingencies & subordinate contingencies)
E X H I B I T 124
Transformational Leadership
The ability to get people to want to change and to lead change.
Intellectual Stimulation
Challenge the group to identify and solve challenges (out of the box)
Individual Consideration
Develop appropriate personal relationships with members Treat members differently but equitably
Summary
1) Inspiration and Charisma: builds and sustains an emotional bond that overcomes the psychological and emotional resistance to change 2) Intellectual Stimulation: provides the new solutions and innovations that empowers members 3) Individual Consideration: encourages members because they actually know the leaders