Leadership

Leadership

Leadership involves helping people achieve their goals and creating and implementing strategic direction for organisations. The best leaders challenge the process, inspire a shared vision, enable others to act, model the way, and encourage the heart (Kouzes and Posner).

Vision

A vision is a mental image of a possible and desirable future state of the organisation. It is necessary for effective leadership and can be developed for any job or work unit. Leaders without a clear vision focus only on day-to-day activities. Common reasons visions fail include being too vague, unrealistic, or not communicated effectively.

Sources of Power

Leaders draw on five types of power (French and Raven):

• Legitimate — the right to tell others what to do
• Reward — controls valued rewards
• Coercive — controls through punishments
• Referent — compliance based on desire for approval
• Expert — compliance based on perceived expertise

Traditional Approaches to Leadership

• Trait approach — identifies personal characteristics that great leaders share
• Behavioural approach — identifies what good leaders do: task performance behaviours, group maintenance behaviours, and participation in decision making

Decision-making styles range from autocratic (leader decides alone) to democratic (leader solicits input) to laissez-faire (absence of decision making).

Situational Approaches

• Vroom model — emphasises participative leadership; leaders operate through a decision tree choosing from five styles (decide alone to delegate)
• Fiedler's contingency model — effective leadership depends on the match between leader style and situational favourability
• Path-goal theory — leaders influence subordinates' perceptions of their goals; four behaviours: directive, supportive, participative, achievement-oriented
• Hersey and Blanchard's situational theory — leadership style should vary based on followers' job maturity and psychological maturity

Contemporary Perspectives

• Charismatic leader — dominant, self-confident, creates excitement and adventure
• Transactional leader — manages through transactions, rewards for services
• Transformational leader — motivates people to transcend personal interests for the group's good
• Authentic leadership — being true to oneself while leading
• Level 5 leadership — combines professional will (determination) with humility
• Servant leader — serves others' needs while strengthening the organisation
• Shared leadership — people rotate leadership based on who has the most relevant skills