APPROACHES TO LEADERSHIP

Style Approach /
Behavioral Approach
Reporter: Loyalen B. Daquipil
 Table of contents

1 Introduction 2 Studies

Strengths and
3 4 Conclusion
Critics
 Style Approach
A different perspective to trait theory for leadership is to
consider what leaders do instead of their underlying
characteristics. By the late 1940s researchers became less
concerned with identifying individual traits of leadership
and more interested in leadership behaviors.
 Style Approach
Several models and theories have been developed to
explore this. One approach focusing on the behavior of
the leader is the style approach. This approach focuses on
what leaders do and how they act (Northouse, 2007, p.69)
This approach indicates that leadership is composed of two general
kinds of behaviors:

Task-oriented behavior
Task-oriented behaviors facilitate goal accomplishment and help group
members achieve their objectives.

Relationship-oriented behaviors
(McCaffery, 2004, p.64).
Relationships-oriented behaviors help subordinates feel comfortable with
themselves, with each other, and with the situation in which they find
themselves.
The central purpose of the style approach is to explain
how leaders combine these two kinds of behaviors to
influence subordinates in their efforts to reach a goal
(Northouse, 2007, p.69).
 Studies

Many studies have been conducted to investigate the style

approach: for example, The Ohio State University Study,
The University of Michigan Study, and Blake and
Mouton's Leadership Grid. Adair (1983), Likert
(1967), and Mintzberg (1973) have advocated this
approach.
 1. Ohio State University in the late 1940s, based on the findings of
Stogdill's (1948) work.

Indicated that two clusters of behaviors had an important role in successful

leadership. Those dimensions are:

Initiating Structure
(organizing work, organizing and defining relationships or roles,
establishing well-defined patterns of organization, channels of
communication, and ways of getting jobs done.)

Consideration
(building friendship, mutual trust, respect and camaraderie) (Northouse,
2007, p.70-71).
 2. Michigan University, starting in the 1950s
Under the general direction of Rensis Likert, the focus of the Michigan studies was to
determine the principles and methods of leadership that led to productivity and job
satisfaction. Two types of leadership behaviors were identified:

Employee orientation
(stress the human-relations aspect, employees are viewed as human beings
with personal needs)

Production orientation
(stress on the technical and production aspects of the job, employees viewed
as the means of getting the work done).
3. Robert Blake and Jane Mouton developed another theory called
the Leadership Grid,

Focusing on production/relationship orientations uncovered in the Ohio State and

Michigan University studies. They went a little further by creating a grid based on
Leaders' concern for people (relationships) and production (tasks).
3. Robert Blake and Jane Mouton developed another theory called
the Leadership Grid,
In addition to these previously described five alternative behavioral styles of leadership,
Blake and his colleagues identified two other styles that incorporate multiple aspects of
the grid:

Paternalism/Maternalism
-refers to a leader who acts graciously but does so for the purpose of goal
accomplishment. The leader of this style treats people as of they were dissociated
from the task (Northouse, 2007, p.75).

Opportunism
-refers to a leader who acts using any combination of the basic five styles for
personal advancement.
 Several positive contributions to the leadership
research:
Broadened the scope of leadership research to include the behaviors of leaders and
1 what they do in various situations.

2 A wide range of leadership style studies validates and gives credibility to the basic tenets of
the approach and offers a viable approach to understanding the leadership process.

These studies have identified the core of the leadership process consisting of two major
3 types of behaviors: task and relationship.
improve their leadership style (Northouse, 2007, p.78-79).
The style approach is heuristic in providing a broad conceptual map that is worthwhile to use in
4 attempts to understand the complexities of leadership. Based on this approach, leaders can
assess their actions and determine how they could improve their leadership style (Northouse,
2007, p.78-79).
 The style approach has also got some criticism:
The research on styles has not shown how leaders' styles are associated with
1 performance outcomes.

The style approach has failed to find a universal style of leadership that could be effective in
2 almost every situation.

3 The style approach indicates that the most effective leadership style is the high-high style (high
task and high relationship). However, several research findings do not agree with this and argue
that certain situations may require different leadership styles (Northouse, 2007, p.79).
 Conclusion
The style approach focuses on what leaders do and how they act rather
than who leaders are. It identified two main types of behaviors of
effective leadership: task-oriented behaviors and relationship-oriented
behaviors. The focus of the style approach is how leaders combine
these two types of behaviors.

Several studies contributed to the development of the style approach:

The Ohio State University Study, The University of Michigan Study,
and Blake and Mouton's Leadership Grid.

The style approach has several strengths and weaknesses. However, it

provides a valuable framework for assessing leadership in a broad way.
 Thank you for
listening!
CREDITS: This presentation template was created by
Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, infographics & images
by Freepik