Outstanding Leadership Theory

Examples of Outstanding Leadership Theory in the following topics:

• Leadership and Task/Follower Characteristics: House

  • In 1971, Robert House introduced his version of a contingent theory of leadership known as the Path-Goal theory.
  • House's leadership styles include:
  • House and Podsakoff attempted to summarize the behaviors and approaches of "outstanding leaders" that they obtained from some more modern theories and research findings.
  • Using the Path-Goal model as a framework, their Outstanding Leadership Theory (OLT) expanded the list of leadership behaviors required to channel follower's motivations and goals more effectively toward the leader's vision:
  • Identify the leadership and task/follower characteristics identified by Robert House in the Path-Goal theory (1971)

• Four Theories of Leadership

  • Theories of effective leadership include the trait, contingency, behavioral, and full-range theories.
  • Experts have proposed several theories, including the trait, behavioral, contingency, and full-range models of leadership.
  • According to this approach, called contingency theory, no single psychological profile or set of enduring traits links directly to effective leadership.
  • In other words, contingency theory proposes that effective leadership is contingent on factors independent of an individual leader.
  • The full-range theory of leadership is a component of transformational leadership, which enhances motivation and morale by connecting the employee's sense of identity to a project and the collective identity of the organization.

• A Blended Approach to Leadership

  • The full-range leadership theory blends the features of transactional and transformational leadership into one comprehensive approach.
  • The full-range theory of leadership seeks to blend the best aspects of transactional and transformational leadership into one comprehensive approach.
  • Transactional leadership focuses on exchanges between leaders and followers.
  • Management researcher Bernard Bass developed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), consisting of 36 items that reflect the leadership aspects associated with both approaches.
  • Assess the intrinsic value of blending transactional leadership behaviors with transformational leadership behaviors

• Leadership Model: The Ohio State University

  • Leadership is a field of study (and core ability) which focuses on the ability of an individual or group to "lead" or guide other teams, people or even entire organizations. the evolution of the field of leadership is quite extensive, ranging from the following perspectives:
  • Each of these schools of thought are facets of what modern leadership theories try to take into account today, as varying perspectives on leadership are useful to keep in mind in the complex, global world of organizations.
  • Early methods of research theory centered around trait theories.
  • The basic premise was that certain characteristics of individuals was the ideal indicator of success in a leadership role.
  • The Ohio State Leadership Studies touch upon this concept.

• Leadership Model: University of Michigan

  • The Michigan behavioral studies are an important link in the ongoing development of behavioral theory in a leadership framework.
  • The recognition of leaders and the development of leadership theory have evolved over centuries.
  • Leadership research continues as scholars observe, identify, and promote the emergence of new leadership styles and behaviors in the 21st century.
  • These theories evaluate the relationship of the leader to organizational members and examine styles of leadership, adding to the general knowledge of leader behavior and effectiveness.
  • Discuss the Michigan Leadership Studies generated in the 1950s and 1960s in the broader context of behavioral approaches to leadership

• Leadership Styles

  • Cohen, the senior vice president for Right Management's Leadership Development Center of Excellence, describes the engaging leadership style as communicating relevant information to employees and involving them in important decisions.
  • This leadership style can help retain employees for the long term.
  • Under the autocratic leadership style, decision-making power is centralized in the leader.
  • Bass used Burns's ideas to develop his own theory of transformational leadership.
  • Different situations call for particular leadership styles.

• Leadership Traits

  • Early trait theory proposed that merely a few personality traits have the ability to determine the success of a leader.
  • Researchers now attest that while trait theory may still apply, individuals can and do emerge as leaders across a variety of situations and tasks.
  • These models rests on two basic premises about leadership traits.
  • The second premise suggests that leadership traits differ in their proximal (direct) influence on leadership.
  • This diagram shows one contemporary theory of the essential traits of a leader.

• Choosing Leaders

  • Although the leader may or may not have any formal authority, students of leadership have produced theories involving traits, situational interaction, function, behavior, power, vision and values, charisma, and intelligence, among others.
  • The trait theory of leadership seeks to find attributes that all leaders possess.
  • Situational theory also appeared as a reaction to the trait theory of leadership.
  • This theory assumes that different situations call for different characteristics; according to this group of theories, no single optimal psychographic profile of a leader exists.
  • By contrast, functional leadership theory is a particularly useful theory for addressing specific leader behaviors expected to contribute to organizational or unit effectiveness.

• Leadership

  • Leadership is the process by which an individual mobilizes people and resources to achieve a goal.
  • Leadership is one of the most important concepts in management, and many researchers have proposed theories and frameworks for understanding it.
  • Some have distinguished among types of leadership such as charismatic, heroic, and transformational leadership.
  • The many dimensions of leadership indicate how complex a notion it is and how difficult effective leadership can be.
  • Abraham Lincoln is considered a model of leadership.

• The Trait-Theory Approach

  • According to trait leadership theory, effective leaders have in common a pattern of personal characteristics that support their ability to mobilize others toward a shared vision.
  • Following studies of trait leadership, most leader traits can be organized into four groups:
  • The model rests on two basic premises about leadership traits.
  • The second premise maintains that the traits differ in how directly they influence leadership.
  • This diagram visually represents Zaccaro's theory that distal attributes (e.g., cognitive abilities, personality, values) serve as precursors for the development of proximal personal characteristics (e.g. social skills, problem-solving skills), both of which contribute to leadership.