Leadership Concept & Theory
Leadership Concept & Theory
Leadership Concept & Theory
DEFINITION:
Alan Keith of Genentech states that "Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people
to contribute to making something extraordinary happen."
FEATURES OF LEADERSHIP:
An analysis of the definition brings its certain features which are as follows:
VIEWS ON LEADERSHIP:
Leadership and management are related but they are not the same. A person can be an
effective manager, a leader or both or neither. This is due to the fact that leadership differs
from management on some counts as follows:
Leadership Management
In order to know own self, one have to understand his or her be, know, and do, attributes.
Seeking self-improvement means continually strengthening own attributes. This can be
accomplished through self-study, formal classes, reflection, and interacting with others.
1. Be technically proficient - As a leader, he/she must know his/her job and have a solid
familiarity with employees' tasks.
2. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for actions - Search for ways to guide
organization to new heights. And when things go wrong, they always do sooner or
later -- do not blame others. Analyze the situation, take corrective action, and move
on to the next challenge.
3. Make sound and timely decisions - Use good problem solving, decision making, and
planning tools.
4. Set the example - Be a good role model for the employees. They must not only hear
what they are expected to do, but also see. ‘We must become the change we want to
see’ - Mahatma Gandhi
5. Know the people and look out for their well-being - Know human nature and the
importance of sincerely caring for workers.
6. Keep workers informed - Know how to communicate with not only them, but also
seniors and other key people.
7. Develop a sense of responsibility in workers - Help to develop good character traits
that will help them carry out their professional responsibilities.
8. Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished - Communication is
the key to this responsibility.
9. Train as a team - Although many so called leaders call their organization, department,
section, etc. a team; they are not really teams...they are just a group of people doing
their jobs.
10. Use the full capabilities of organization - By developing a team spirit, one will be able
to employ organization, department, and section, to its fullest capabilities.
FACTORS OF LEADERSHIP
Follower: Different people require different styles of leadership. For example, a new hire
requires more supervision than an experienced employee. A person who lacks motivation
requires a different approach than one with a high degree of motivation. The fundamental
starting point is having a good understanding of human nature, such as needs, emotions, and
motivation. The leader must become to know employees' be, know, and do attributes.
Leader: Leader must have an honest understanding of- who is he, what he knows, and what
he can do. Also, note that it is the followers, not the leader who determines if a leader is
successful. If they do not trust or lack confidence in their leader, then they will be uninspired.
To be successful leader have to convince his followers, not himself or superiors, that he are
worthy of being followed.
Communication: leader lead through two-way communication. Much of it is nonverbal.
What and how to communicate it must be well known to the leader so that good relationship
is established between leader and group.
Situation: All are different. What do in one situation will not always work in another
situation. So, judgment must be used to decide the best course of action and the leadership
style needed for each situation. For example, leader may need to confront an employee for
inappropriate behaviour, but if the confrontation is too late or too early, too harsh or too
weak, then the results may prove ineffective.
ATTRIBUTES
If anyone is a leader who can be trusted, then those around him will grow to respect him. To
be such a leader, there is a Leadership Framework to guide :
IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP:
THEORIES
Many of the research studies, particularly by behavioural scientists, have been carried on to
find out the answer of the question: what makes a leader effective? Is his success due to his
personality, or his behaviour, or the types of followers he has or the situation in which he
works or a combination of all these? These researches, however could not give a satisfactory
answer of the question. Instead their researches have resulted in various theories or
approaches of leadership, the prominent among these beings---
Trait theory
Behavioural theory
Situational theory and
Systems theory.
TRAIT THEORY:
Until the mid-1940s, the trait theory was the basis for most leadership research. Early work in
this area maintained that traits are inherited, but later theories suggested that traits could be
obtained through learning and experiences. Researchers identified the leadership traits as
energy, drive, enthusiasm, ambition, aggressiveness, decisiveness, self-assurance, self-
confidence, friendliness, affection, honesty, fairness, loyalty, dependability, technical
mastery, and teaching skill. Asking them what traits leaders possess, various researchers
arrived at different conclusions but identified some common leadership traits:
1. Leaders need to be more intelligent than the group they lead. However, a
highly intelligent person may not find leadership responsibilities challenging
enough, may prefer to work with abstract ideas and research, and may have
difficulty relating to the group.
2. Leaders must possess initiative, the ability to perceive and start courses of
action not considered by others.
3. Creativity is an asset. Having originality-the ability to think of new solutions
to problems and ideas of new ways to be productive-is helpful.
4. Emotional maturity with integrity-a sense of purpose and direction,
persistence, dependability, and objectivity-is another important trait. Mature
leaders do what they say they will and are consistent in their actions. They
often work long hours, apply themselves intensely, and spread enthusiasm to
followers. Energy, drive, and good health are necessary to endure the long
hours, overcome obstacles, and sustain continuous achievement. Self-
assurance is self-confidence. It is hoped that leaders perceive themselves as
effective problem solvers who can successfully handle the difficulties that
confront them.
5. Communication skills are important. The leader needs to understand others
and speak and write clearly.
6. Persuasion often is used by leaders to gain the consent of followers. The
leader may make suggestions, supply supportive data, ask penetrating
questions, make compromises, and request action to persuade others.
7. Leaders need to be perceptive enough to distinguish their allies from their
opponents and to place their subordinates in suitable positions.
8. Leaders participate in social activities. They can socialize with all kinds of
people and adapt to various groups. Approachable, friendly, and helpful, they
gain the confidence and loyalty of others in such a way that makes people
willing to cooperate.
The authoritarian leader maintains strong control, does the planning, makes the
decisions, and gives the orders. Autocratic leaders tend to be directive, critical,
and punitive. They may make decisions that are not in the best interest of the
group. They give themselves a higher status than the group members, which
reduces open communications and trust. They tend to get good quantity and
quality of output but little autonomy, creativity, or self-motivation. This can be
appropriate for an emergency situation when the leader knows what to do, but it
does not develop people.
IMPLICATION OF THE THEORY:
First, the theory emphasizes that a leader requires some traits and qualities to be
effective.
Second many of these qualities may be developed in individuals through training and
development programmes.
LIMITATIONS:
In response to the early criticisms of the trait approach, theorists began to research leadership
as a set of behaviours, evaluating the behaviour of successful leaders, determining behaviour
taxonomy, and identifying broad leadership styles. David McClelland, for example, posited
that leadership takes a strong personality with a well-developed positive ego. To lead, self-
confidence and high self-esteem are useful, perhaps even essential.
Kurt Lewin, Ronald Lipitt, and Ralph White developed in 1939 the seminal work on the
influence of leadership styles and performance. The researchers evaluated the performance of
groups of eleven-year-old boys under different types of work climate. In each, the leader
exercised his influence regarding the type of group decision making, praise and criticism
(feedback), and the management of the group tasks (project management) according to three
styles: authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire.
The managerial grid model is also based on a behavioural theory. The model was developed
by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton in 1964 and suggests five different leadership styles, based
on the leaders' concern for people and their concern for goal achievement.
Behavioural theory of leadership has some important implications for managers. They can
shape their behaviour which appears to be functional and discard the behaviour which
appears to be dysfunctional. Researchers who have taken behavioural theory for analyzing
leadership behaviour have prescribed various leadership styles which may be applied in
managing the people in organizations.
LIMITATIONS:
Situational leadership approach was applied, for the first time in 1920 in the armed forces of
Germany with the objective to get good generals under different situations. In the business
organizations, much emphasis on the leadership researches was placed on the situations that
surrounded the exercise of leadership since early 1950s.
The prime attention in Situational theory of leadership is given to the situation in which
leadership is exercised. Therefore, effectiveness of leadership will be affected by the factors
associated with the leader and factors associated with the situation.
Leader’s Leader’s
S I T U A T I O N A L F A C T O R S
The various factors affecting leadership effectiveness may broadly be classified into two
major categories.
1. Leader’s behaviour.
2. Situational factors.
1.Leader’s behaviour:
Leader’s behaviour is affected by two variables – (i). Learder’s characteristic and (ii) his
hierarchical position in the organization.
2.Situational Factors
Besides the leader’s related factors, leadership effectiveness is affected by situational factors
as these factors affect the leader’s behaviour. To the extent, a leader matches the requirement
of these factors, his leadership will be effective. The various situational factors may be
grouped into four categories:
Situational theory has wide implications for managers in the sense that it offers clues why a manager
who is successful in one situation, falls when there is change in the situation. Therefore, the managers
may do better by adopting management practices including leadership which match with the
situational variables. In fact, the systems and contingency approach has become the way of thinking in
management and leadership is no exception.
This theory appears to be good on the surface but becomes quite complex in practice because of the
presence of numerous contingent factors. However, managers can overcome this problem by
diagnosing these factors suitably.
SYSTEM THEORY
The system theory of leadership suggests that leadership is an emergent phenomenon in the
form of integrative leadership out of interactions of agents (leaders and followers) within the
contextual variables lying within an organization and outside it. Integrative leadership is a
holistic approach to leading others in a reflective, thoughtful, and responsive way. Thus
leadership is a dynamically integrated process.
External environment
Efficacious adaptation
Integrative leadership
constraints models
leadership leadership
Task Agents
Internal environment
(i)Formal leadership (ii) Emergent leadership (iii) Shared leadership (iv) Integrative
leadership.
Systems theory of leadership has opened a new thinking in analyzing leadership as it takes a
holistic approach. However, this theory is not very popular because of two reasons.
(i) This theory is still in evolutionary stage and many variables which affect
leadership have not been identified precisely.
(ii) This theory is quite complex because of involvement of numerous variables.
CONCLUSION:
As an individual the nurse must maintain her competence by continuing professional growth.
Effective nursing leadership is critically needed at all system levels. Through expert and
ethical use of leadership behaviours in conjunction with nursing and change processes, client
are empowered and thus enabled to achieve their goals for improved health, and nurses are
enriched in their practice and thus enabled to advance in their own career development.
SUBJECT:- NURSING MANAGEMENT
NO. OF GROUP: 24
DATE:
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
GENERAL OBJECTIVE: After the end of the discussion the student will be able to-
2 Group will be
mint. able INTRODUCTION:
Today’s professional nurse assumes
leadership and management
responsibilities regardless of the
activity in which they are involved.
The ability to advocate for the client
is linked to the nurse’s leadership
ability.
FEATURES OF LEADERSHIP:
5 Continuous process, seen in terms of
mints relationship, leader tries to influence
Discussio
the behaviour of individuals or group,
n
depend in particular situation, at a
given point of time.
VIEWS ON LEADERSHIP:
5 To describe Leadership is viewed in diverse
Mints the views on ways- sometimes as a position,
leadership sometimes as a personality trait or a
quality which causes other to follow,
comply, or be persuaded to the
leader’s point of view, sometimes as
a power relationship, and sometimes
as a process.
TIME SPECIFIC T.L.ACTIV A.V.Aids EVALUA
OBJECTIVE CONTENT ITY TION
OHP &
10 To list down DIFFERENCE BETWEEN Discussion black
mints the difference LEADERSHIP AND board
between MANAGEMENT :
leadership
and Leadership and management are related
management. but they are not the same. A person
can be an effective manager, a leader
or both or neither. This is due to the
fact that leadership differs from
management on some counts.
5 IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP :
mints
Motivating employees.
Creating confidence.
Building morale.
Lecture
THEORY OF LEADERSHIP
To describe
the trait Trait theory Can you
10 theory Until the mid-1940s, the trait theory describe the
mint. was the basis for most leadership trait theory?
research. Early work in this area
maintained that traits are inherited,
but later theories suggested that traits
could be obtained through learning
and experiences.
OHP
Discussi
on
8 To explain Behaviours theory:
mints the behaviour In response to the early criticisms of
theory of the trait approach, theorists began to
leadership research leadership as a set of
behaviours, evaluating the behaviour
of successful leaders, determining
behaviour taxonomy, and identifying
broad leadership styles.
TIME SPECIFIC T.L.ACTI A.V.Aids EVALUA
OBJECTIVE CONTENT VITY TION
CONTENT
ON
Leadership----
Concept and Theory
Submitted to submitted by
W.B.G.C.O.N
LESSON PLAN
ON
Leadership---
Concept and Theory
Submitted to submitted by
W.B.G.C.O.N