LEADERSHIP THEORIES AND STYLES

by
Shahla Arshad
Lecturer.INS.KMU
LEADER
A leader is one who inspires, motivates and leads people to
accomplish organizational goals
LEADERSHIP
Leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act
towards achieving a common goal.
 Leadership is all about influencing a group of people
 CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE LEADER

 Take the challenges to grow

 Take calculated risks
 Adopt the leadership style that match with personality
 Have courage at the time of controversy
 Accept their mistakes
 Communicate frequently
 Be approachable
 Understand the situation and the fact
 ESSENTIAL REQUISITES OF LEADERSHIP

 Trust
 Collaboration
 Confidence
 Competence
 Competitive Spirit
 LEADERSHIP THEORIES

1. “Great Man”
2. Trait
3. Behavioral
4. Contingency
5. Situational
6. Participative
7. Transactional
8. Transformational
 “GREAT MAN” THEORY

 The great man theory is a 19th-century idea given

by Thomas Carlyle and Herbert Spencer according to
which history can be largely explained by the impact
of great men, or heroes; highly influential individuals
who, due to either their personal charisma, intelligence,
wisdom, or political skill used their power in a way that
had a decisive historical impact.

 Great man theories assume that the capacity for

leadership is inherent – that great leaders are born, not
made.
 The great man theory of leadership became popular
during the 19th-century.

 Some of the world's most famous leaders such as

Quaid e Azam, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi,
and Alexander they helped contribute to the notion
that great leaders are born and not made.
 “TRAIT” THEORY
 Similar in some ways to "Great Man" theories, trait theories
assume that people inherit certain qualities and traits that
make them better suited to leadership.

 Trait theories often identify particular personality or

behavioral characteristics shared by leaders.

 The trait theory given by Raymond Cattell's , suggests that

individual personalities are composed broad disposition.

 Consider how you would describe the personality of a close

friend. Chances are that you would list a number of traits,
such as outgoing, kind and even-tempered.
 A trait can be thought of as a relatively stable
characteristic that causes individuals to behave in
certain ways.

 The trait approach to personality is focused on

differences between individuals.

Gordon Allport’s Trait Theory

He categorized these traits into three levels:
 Cardinal Traits
 Central Traits
 Secondary Traits
 CARDINAL TRAITS
 Traits that dominate an individual’s whole life, often to
the point that the person becomes known specifically
for these traits.

 People with such personalities often become so known

for these traits that their names are often synonymous
with these qualities.

 cardinal traits of Hitler and Mother Teresa

 Allport suggested that cardinal traits are rare and tend

to develop later in life.
 CENTRAL TRAITS

 These are the general characteristics that form the

basic foundations of personality.

 These central traits, while not as dominating as

cardinal traits, are the major characteristics you
might use to describe another person.

 Terms such as intelligent, honest, shy and anxious

are considered central traits.
 SECONDARY TRAITS
 These are the traits that are sometimes related to
attitudes or preferences and often appear only in certain
situations or under specific circumstances.

 Some examples would be getting anxious when speaking

to a group or impatient while waiting in line.
 “BEHAVIORAL” THEORY
 Behavioral theories of leadership are based upon the belief
that great leaders are made, not born.

 Rooted in behaviorism, this leadership theory focuses on the

actions of leaders not on mental qualities or internal states.

 According to this theory, people can learn to become leaders

through teaching and observation.

 Behavioral psychology is a theory of learning based upon the

idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning
 Conditioning occurs through interaction with the
environment.

 According to behaviorism, behavior can be studied in a

systematic and observable manner with no
consideration of internal mental states.

 There are two major types of conditioning:

 Classical Conditioning
 Operant Conditioning
 CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
 Classical conditioning is a technique used in behavioral
training in which a naturally occurring stimulus is paired
with a response.
 These techniques are also useful in the treatment of
phobias or anxiety problems.
OPERANT CONDITIONING
 Operant conditioning is a method of learning that occurs
through rewards and punishments for behavior.

 Through operant conditioning, an association is made

between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior.
 Examples of Operant Conditioning
 We can find examples of operant conditioning at work
all around us. Consider the case of children completing
homework to earn a reward from a parent or teacher,
or employees finishing projects to receive praise or
promotions.
 In these examples, the promise or possibility of
rewards causes an increase in behavior, but operant
conditioning can also be used to decrease a behavior.
The removal of an undesirable outcome or the use of
punishment can be used to decrease or prevent
undesirable behaviors. For example, a child may be told
they will lose recess privileges if they talk out of turn in
class. This potential for punishment may lead to a
decrease in disruptive behaviors.
 “CONTINGENCY” THEORY
 The contingency theory of leadership was proposed by the
Austrian psychologist Fred Edward Fiedler in his landmark
1964 article, "A Contingency Model of Leadership
Effectiveness." The contingency theory emphasizes the
importance of both the leader's personality and the
situation in which that leader operates.
 Contingency theories of leadership focus on particular
variables related to the environment that might determine
which particular style of leadership is best suited for the
situation.
 According to this theory, no leadership style is best in all
situations.
 There are a number of different sub theories of
contingency theory:

 Fiedler's Contingency Theory

 The Situational Leadership Theory

 The Path-Goal Theory

 Room-Yetton Expectancy model

 “SITUATIONAL” THEORY

Situational leadership developed and studied by

Blanchard ,Johnson and Paul Hersey.
Situational leadership Theory gives 4 distinct
leadership style.
 Telling Style
 Selling Style
 Participating Style
 Delegating Style
TELLING STYLE
Leaders uses this style with those who are unable and
unwilling to perform a task.
SELLING STYLE
Leaders uses this style with those who are unable but are
willing or confident in performing the task.
PARTICIPATING STYLE
Leaders uses this style with those who are able but unwilling
or lacking in confidence in performing the task
DELEGATING STYLE
Leaders uses this style with those who are both able and
willing and have confidence in performing the task
 “PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP” THEORY
 Participative leadership theories suggest that the
ideal leadership style is one that takes the input of
others into account.

 These leaders encourage participation and

contributions from group members and help group
members feel more relevant and committed to the
decision-making process.

 In participative theories, however, the leader retains

the right to allow the input of others.
 “TRANSACTIONAL” THEORY
 This theory of leadership was first described by
sociologist Max Weber, and further explored by Bernard
M. Bass in the early 1980s.
 Transactional theories, also known as management
theories, focus on the role of supervision, organization
and group performance.
 These theories base leadership on a system of rewards
and punishments.
 Managerial theories are often used in business; when
employees are successful, they are rewarded; when they
fail, they are reprimanded or punished.
 “TRANSFORMATIONAL” THEORY
 Relationship theories, also known as
transformational theories, focus upon the
connections formed between leaders and followers.
 Transformational leaders motivate and inspire
people by helping group members.
 These leaders are focused on the performance of
group members, but also want each person to fulfill
his or her potential.
 Leaders with this style often have high ethical and
moral standards.
 LEADERSHIP STYLES

1. The Autocratic or Authoritarian Leader

2. The Democratic or Participative Leader

3. The Laissez-faire or Delegative Leader

2 OTHER STYLE
1. The Charismatic Leader
2. The Servant Leader
AUTOCRATIC LEADERSHIP STYLE
Autocratic leadership, also known as authoritarian
leadership, is a leadership style characterized by
individual control over all decisions and little input from
group members. Autocratic leaders typically make
choices based on their ideas and judgments and rarely
accept advice from followers.
DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP STYLE
Democratic leadership, also known as participative
leadership or shared leadership, is a type of leadership
style in which members of the group take a more
participative role in the decision-making process. This
type of leadership can apply to any organization, from
private businesses to schools to government.
LAISSEZ-FAIRE STYLE (French word “Let do”)
Laissez-faire leadership, also known as delegative
leadership, is a type of leadership style in which
leaders are hands-off and allow group members to
make the decisions. Researchers have found that
this is generally the leadership style that leads to
the lowest productivity among group members.
CHARISMATIC LEADER
Charismatic leadership is basically the method of
encouraging particular behaviors in others by way
of expressive communication, persuasion and force
of personality. Charismatic leaders motivate
followers to get things done or improve the way
certain things are done.
 THE SERVANT LEADER

 The highest priority of this leader is to encourage,

support and enable people to fulfill their full
potential and abilities.
 Helps people achieve their goals.
 Works for the people.
 DIFFERENT TYPES OF POWER USED BY A
LEADER
 Legitimate power.

 Information power.

 Expert power.

 Reward power.

 Coercive power.

 Referent power.

 Charismatic power.
1-LEGITIMATE POWER.
Legitimate Power is a formal type of power derived from
the position you hold in an organization.
2-INFORMATION POWER.
Power based on an individual access to valued data.
3-EXPERT POWER.
Power based on the manager possession of unique
skills ,knowledge and competence.
4-REWARD POWER.
Reward power is simply the power of a manager to give
some type of reward to an employee as a means to
influence the employee to act.
5-COERCIVE POWER.
Coercive power is the ability of a manager to force an
employee to follow an order by threatening the employee
with punishment if the employee does not comply with the
order. The most important concept to understand about
coercive power is that it uses the application of force.
6-REFERENT POWER.
Power based on admiration and respect for an individual.
7-CHARISMATIC POWER.
“Personal magnetism or charm ”. Leader have ability
to inspire and motivate followers to perform at high
levels.
 Manager: A manager is a person employed to
facilitate and direct the activities of their staff
to deliver to the goals of the institution.

 Leader: A leader is one who influences the

behavior and work of others in group efforts
towards achievement of specified goals in a
given situation
 DIFFERENCE B/W MANAGER & LEADER
MANAGER
 Have assigned position
within formal organization
 Have legitimate source of
power due to the delegated
authority that accompanies
their position.
 They are expected to carry
out specific functions, duties
and responsibilities
 Emphasize control, decision-
making, decision analysis
and results.
LEADER
 They are frequently not
part of the formal
organization
 They often do not have
delegated authority but
obtain their power through
other means, such as:
influence.
 They have wider variety of
roles than managers.
 They emphasize
interpersonal relationships.
 MANAGER
 Manipulate individuals, the
environment, money, time
and other sources to
achieve organizational
goals.
 Have greater formal
responsibility and
accountability for rationality
and control than leaders.
 Direct willing and unwilling
subordinates.
LEADER
 They focus on group
process, information
gathering, feedback and
empowering others.
 They have goals that may or
may not reflect those in the
organization.
 They direct willing
followers.
 WAYS TO BECOME A MORE EFFECTIVE LEADER

 Start By Understanding Your Leadership Style.

 Encourage Creativity.
 Serve as a Role Model.
 Be Passionate.
 Listen and Communicate Effectively.
 Have a Positive Attitude.
 Encourage People to Make Contributions
 Motivate Your Followers
 Offer Rewards and Recognition
 Keep Trying New Things