HEALTH SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

UNIT 6: LEADERSHIP
6.1 DEFINITION
6.2 MAJOR THEORIES
6.3 OVERVIEW OF LEADERSHIP
6.4 CONVECTIONAL TRAITS AND STYLES

Learning Objectives:

1. Define leadership
2. Outline the major theories of leadership
3. Explain what behaviours or traits leadership theories address
4. Describe conventional traits and styles

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Leadership

6.1 Definition
Leadership, is the process of persuading others to follow. This seems
simple, but there are many questions that naturally follow from this
definition. How does one persuade others to follow? Are we born to
lead? Can it be learned? If so, what skills do you need as a leader?
What about the followers? How do their choices or characteristics
change leadership? Is leadership the same in every situation? These
questions have plagued researchers, who have responded by creating
and testing leadership theories in an effort to explain behaviour.

Leadership is the ability of an individual or a group of individuals to

influence and guide followers or other members of an organization.

Leadership involves making sound -- and sometimes difficult --

decisions, creating and articulating a clear vision, establishing
achievable goals and providing followers with the knowledge and tools
necessary to achieve those goals.

An effective leader possess the following characteristics: self-

confidence, strong communication and management skills, creative
and innovative thinking, perseverance in the face of failure,
willingness to take risks, openness to change, and levelheadedness and
reactiveness in times of crisis.

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 6.2 Major Leadership Theories

There are many ways to understand leadership. One thing common to

all leadership theory is that leadership requires people who
are willing to follow. It is possible (but not a good idea) to have
supervision and management without leadership. However, one cannot
be a leader until others choose to follow.

Theories of leadership focus on some combination of the following

traits or behaviours:
1. Traits of the leader
2. What the leader does
3. What the followers do
4. The context of specific organizations or situations

While many different leadership theories have emerged, most can be

classified as one of eight major types:

1. 1. " Great Man" Theories

2. Trait Theories
3. Contingency Theories
4. Situational Theories
5. Behavioural Theories
6. Participative Theories
7. Management Theories
8. Relationship Theories
9. Transformational theories
10. Transactional theories

6.3 Overview of leadership approaches

1. Great Man Theory (1840s)
The Great Man theory evolved around the mid-19th century. Even
though no one was able to identify with any scientific certainty, which
human characteristic or combination of, were responsible for
identifying great leaders. Everyone recognized that just as the name
suggests; only a man could have the characteristic (s) of great leader.

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The Great Man theory assumes that the traits of leadership are
intrinsic. That simply means that great leaders are born they are not
made. This theory sees great leaders as those who are destined by
birth to become a leader. Furthermore, the belief was that great
leaders will rise when confronted with the appropriate situation. The
theory was popularized by Thomas Carlyle, a writer and teacher. Just
like him, the Great Man theory was inspired by the study of influential
heroes. In his book "On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in
History", he compared a wide array of heroes. In 1860, Herbert
Spencer, an English philosopher disputed the great man theory by
affirming that these heroes are simply the product of their times and
their actions the results of social conditions.

2. Trait theory (1930’s-1940’s)

The trait leadership theory believes that people are either born or are
made with certain qualities that will make them excel in leadership
roles. That is, certain qualities such as intelligence, sense of
responsibility, creativity and other values puts anyone in the shoes of a
good leader. In fact, Gordon Allport, an American
psychologist,"...identified almost 18,000 English personality-relevant
terms" (Matthews, Deary & Whiteman, 2003, p. 3).

The trait theory of leadership focused on analysing mental, physical

and social characteristic in order to gain more understanding of what is
the characteristic or the combination of characteristics that are
common among leaders.

There were many shortfalls with the trait leadership theory. However,
from a psychology of personalities approach, Gordon Allport's studies
are among the first ones and have brought, for the study of leadership,
the behavioural approach.

3. Behavioural Theories (1940’s-1950’s)

In reaction to the trait leadership theory, the behavioural theories are

offering a new perspective, one that focuses on the behaviours of the
leaders as opposed to their mental, physical or social characteristics.
Thus, with the evolutions in psychometrics, notably the factor analysis,
researchers were able to measure the cause an effects relationship of
specific human behaviours from leaders. From this point forward
anyone with the right conditioning could have access to the once

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before elite club of naturally gifted leaders. In other words, leaders
are made not born.

The behavioural theories first divided leaders in two categories. Those

that were concerned with the tasks and those concerned with the
people. Throughout the literature these are referred to as different
names, but the essence are identical.

In the 1930s, Kurt Lewin developed a framework based on a leader's

behaviour. He argued that there are three types of leaders:

a) Autocratic leaders make decisions without consulting their

teams. This style of leadership is considered appropriate when
decisions need to be made quickly, when there's no need for
input, and when team agreement isn't necessary for a
successful outcome.
b) Democratic leaders allow the team to provide input before
making a decision, although the degree of input can vary from
leader to leader. This style is important when team agreement
matters, but it can be difficult to manage when there are lots
of different perspectives and ideas.
c) Laissez-faire leaders do not interfere; they allow people
within the team to make many of the decisions. This works
well when the team is highly capable, is motivated, and does
not need close supervision. However, this behaviour can arise
because the leader is lazy or distracted; and this is where this
style of leadership can fail.

4. Contingency theory 1960’s

The Contingency Leadership theory argues that there is no single way

of leading and that every leadership style should be based on certain
situations, which signifies that there are certain people who perform
at the maximum level in certain places; but at minimal performance
when taken out of their element.

To a certain extent contingency leadership theories are an extension of

the trait theory, in the sense that human traits are related to the
situation in which the leaders exercise their leadership. It is generally
accepted within the contingency theories that leader are more likely

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to express their leadership when they feel that their followers will be
responsive.

Transactional theories, also known as exchange theories of leadership,

are characterized by a transaction made between the leader and the
followers. In fact, the theory values a positive and mutually beneficial
relationship.

5. Transactional theories (1970’s)

For the transactional theories to be effective and as a result have

motivational value, the leader must find a means to align to
adequately reward (or punish) his follower, for performing leader-
assigned task. In other words, transactional leaders are most efficient
when they develop a mutual reinforcing environment, for which the
individual and the organizational goals are in sync.

The transactional theorists state that humans in general are seeking to

maximize pleasurable experiences and to diminish un-pleasurable
experiences. Thus, we are more likely to associate ourselves with
individuals that add to our strengths.

6. Transformational Theory (1970’s)

The Transformational Leadership theory states that this process is by

which a person interacts with others and is able to create a solid
relationship that results in a high percentage of trust, that will later
result in an increase of motivation, both intrinsic and extrinsic, in both
leaders and followers.

The essence of transformational theories is that leaders transform

their followers through their inspirational nature and charismatic
personalities. Rules and regulations are flexible, guided by group
norms. These attributes provide a sense of belonging for the followers
as they can easily identify with the leader and its purpose.

7. Situational Theories

Situational theories propose that leaders choose the best course of

action based upon situational variables. Different styles of leadership
may be more appropriate for certain types of decision-making. For
example, in a situation where the leader is the most knowledgeable

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and experienced member of a group, an authoritarian style might be
most appropriate. In other instances where group members are skilled
experts, a democratic style would be more effective.

8. Participative Theories

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.

9. Management Theories

Management theories, also known as transactional 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.

10. Relationship Theories

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 see the importance and higher good of the task. These
leaders are focused on the performance of group members, but also
want each person to fulfil his or her potential. Leaders with this style
often have high ethical and moral standards

There are many different ways of thinking about leadership, ranging

from focusing on the personality traits of great leadership to
emphasizing aspects of the situation that help determine how people
lead. Like most things, leadership is a highly multi-faceted subject and
it is a mixture of many factors that help determine why some people
become great leaders. Learn more about some of the things that make

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people strong leaders is one way of potentially improving your own
skills.

https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-theories-2795323

6.4 conventional Traits and styles

Conventional leadership means being in charge of a group, formally or

informally. Such leaders influence their groups to pursue a goal and

they coordinate efforts to achieve it. Conventional leadership,

however, is a confusing mixture of leadership and management.

Discussions of conventional leadership focus on senior executives of

large organizations. So, the question of leadership traits becomes:
What traits does it take to become a senior executive and be effective
in that role?
Early research on leadership traits was unsatisfactory because
leadership was felt to vary too much across situations. But, in recent
years, some agreement has been achieved, based on rigorous research,
about the traits needed for leadership. Among such traits are the
following:
 Intelligence
 Personality traits such as extraversion, conscientiousness and
emotional stability
 Motives such as the need for power and achievement
 Social skills such as social and emotional intelligence
This is not an exhaustive list but enough to make it clear that the focus
of trait research is on conventional leadership defined as what it takes

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to get things done by taking charge and coordinating the efforts of a
group toward a goal. Conscientiousness is essential for the
achievement of complex goals. Social skills are necessary to resolve
conflict between people and to get the best out of them. Power
motivation is sometimes expressed as the drive to dominate, to be the
person who calls the shots in a group. This drive is found in many
animal species, not just humans.

A conventional personality type likes to work with data and numbers,

carry out tasks in detail and follow through on the instructions of
others. They are quiet, careful, responsible, well organized and task
oriented. These individuals use their mind, eyes and hands to carry out
tasks.

Conventional personality type solves problems by following rules:

This personality type solve problems by appealing to and following

rules. They are task oriented and prefer to carry out tasks initiated by
others, rather than being in a position of authority. Because of the
attention to detail that a conventional personality type has, these
individuals keep the world's records and transmit its messages.

Conventional personality type is neat and orderly

These individuals have a strong need to feel secure and certain, follow
a routine, get things finished and take care of every detail. A
conventional personality type is neat, orderly and practical, and enjoys
working with data (facts, figures, and numbers) in structured settings.
Take a free personality test to learn more about your work preferences
and test personality.

Possible occupations that fit a conventional personality type

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Their occupations will frequently involve following set procedures and
routines and working with data and details more than with ideas.
There is usually a clear line of authority to follow. Some of the
occupational areas that fit the conventional personality type are:

Conventional/Artistic Organizing, arranging, accuracy and reliability,

combined with creativity, creating and designing.

Typical occupations  Appraiser of antiques and art objects

 Desk editor
 Web editor
 Proof reader, translator

Conventional/Enterprising Organizing, arranging, accuracy and reliability,

combined with being entrepreneurial and

influential.

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