LEADERSHIPChapter 12

“THE FIRST RESPONSIBILITY OF A LEADER IS TO DEFINE REALITY. THE LAST IS TO SAY THANK YOU.

IN BETWEEN, THE LEADER IS A SERVANT.”

WHAT IS LEADERSHIP? (PG. 284)

Behavior/communication that influences, directs, or controls a group

Counteractive influence when groups get off track

CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE LEADERS

Identifying attributes; intelligence, enthusiasm, dominance, self

confidence, and social participation

Physical traits; Larger, more active, and better looking than

other group members

TRAIT VS FUNCTIONAL APPROACH Trait approach

indentify the sort of person who should be appointed to a leadership position

Functional approach communicative behaviors a leader needs in order

to help a group to function effectively

THE TRAIT PERSPECTIVE View of leadership as the personal attributes

or qualities that leaders posses. useful in one situation may not be in another

Leading troops into battle vs conducting a business meeting

Does not identify

Traits important to becoming a leader Traits important to maintaining the position.

Not the most useful approach

THE FUNCTIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Behavior that may be performed by any group member to maximize group effectiveness

FUNCTIONAL PERSPECTIVE: GROUP NEEDS AND ROLES (PG. 285) The major leadership behavior fall in two

categories 1) task leadership- aim specifically at

accomplishing a group goal 2) process leadership (group building or

maintenance)- help maintain a satisfactory interpersonal climate within a group

Both types of leadership are essential

WHEN YOU NEED TASK LEADERSHIP (PG. 286) Lose track of where they are going Cannot seem to get started One person monopolizes the conversations

while others remain silent Leader has a responsibility to keep a group

moving. “leader” does not mean they are the best

equipped for the job

TASK LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS Initiating

Task oriented group discussions need to generate ideas. Ex) “lets get this meeting under way” “lets consider an

alternative plan” Coordinating

Point out the “groupness” Summarizing

How discussion has progress and what needs to be accomplished

Helps motivate toward end goal

TASK LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS CONT’D

Elaborating Ideas can be visualized When an idea is brought up several things might

happen; 1. members might be in favor and some not 2. another idea might be suggested and recorded 3. idea might have fallen flat and elaboration might

give it a fighting chance

TASK BEHAVIORS SUMMARIZED Initiating, coordinating, summarizing, and

elaborating are types of communicative behaviors

Making suggestions, offering new ideas, giving information, asking for information, and making procedural observations

FUNCTIONAL APPROACH SUMMARY The functional approach reveals;

leadership skill is associated with the ability to analyze a groups process choose appropriate behaviors to further that process

PROCESS LEADERSHIP For a group to function effectively,

Address external task of group Address needs of each member

• Maintain a satisfying group climate• Failure can lead to a breakdown in Group’s performance

PROCESS LEADERSHIP Four major process leadership behaviors that

enhance the groups climate: Releasing Tension Gatekeeping Encouraging Mediating

RELEASING TENSION Suggest a Coffee Break Get a Good Laugh

Both can renew a groups energy and improve member satisfaction

GATEKEEPING Coordinated group discussions Ensures more input along the task dimension Higher member satisfaction

ENCOURAGING Increases

Cohesiveness Member satisfaction Productivity

MEDIATING Aimed at:

Resolving conflicts Releasing tension Renewing a groups energy

IMPORTANT Both task and process leadership are

essential to the success of a small group.

SITUATIONAL PERSPECTIVE: ADAPTING STYLE TO CONTEXT A perspective that views leadership as the

interaction among the group’s task needs, process needs and goals, leadership style, and situational variables that influence groups

LEADERSHIP STYLE (P 290) Relatively consistent pattern of behavior

reflecting a leader’s belief’s and attitudes

No two people can act as a leader at as a leader in the precisely the same way.

Three Styles: Authoritarian, Democratic, and Laissez-Faire

AUTHORITARIAN (P.291) They assume positions of intellectual and

behavioral superiority in groups This leader usually dictates task, decisions

and work companion for each member Usually groups with highly structured goals

and high stress moves towards this style.

DEMOCRATIC (P.291) They tend to try to encourage and direct

members of the group in making decisions Leader discusses steps for activities and

goals and leaves division of tasks to the group

Let’s group member work freely with anyone Leader tends to voice praise or criticism

LAISSEZ-FAIRE Avoids dominating group and assumes group

will direct itself Allows the group complete freedom in

decisions Supplies various materials and information

when asked but doesn’t lead discussion on how to accomplish group’s task

HERSEY AND BLANCHARD’S SITUATIONAL MODEL (P.292) This model uses various combinations of task

and relationship leadership behavior to describe leadership style as it relates to different situations

The style of leaders in this model: telling, selling participating, and delegating

These four leadership styles usually start off at a low maturity and moves to high maturity.

HERSEY AND BLANCHARD’S SITUATIONAL MODEL Telling- Selling- Participating- Delegating-

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP (PG 296) Changes the organization by realigning its

culture with a new vision and restructuring its shared assumptions and norms.

Have a sense of vision and purpose.

FOUR DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS Idealized leadership Inspirational motivation Intellectual stimulation Individual consideration

3 CRITICAL SKILLS OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP Building shared vision Surfacing and challenging mental models Engaging in systems thinking

BUILDING SHARED VISION Encouraging individuals to express their

visions of group or organizational goals while encouraging the development of a common, positive view.

SURFACING AND CHALLENGING MENTAL MODELSIdentifying and challenging assumptions

without creating defensiveness.

ENGAGING IN SYSTEMS THINKING Understanding groups and organizations and

the great complexity that characterizes them requires that leaders look beyond day-to-day operations to find underlying themes, forces of change, and interrelationships.

THE MINNESOTA STUDIES (PG 297) Leaders emerge through a “method of

residues,” whereby group members are rejected for the role of leader, until only one remains.

PHASE I Quiet ones who do not actively participate in

discussions Talkative but overaggressive or dogmatic

group members

PHASE II Style is perceived as disturbing. Ones who have an authoritarian style (too

bossy or dictatorial) Ones who are unable to contribute Ones who are too process-oriented

LEADERSHIP AND GENDER (PG 300) 1960s and 1970s – Women were reluctant to

assume leadership roles.

1980s – most effective leader is a leader who could draw from a repertoire of both traditionally male and traditionally female behaviors.

TASK-RELEVANT COMMUNICATION Sole significant predictor of emergent

leadership.

-Katherine Hawkins

LEADERSHIP AND SELF DECEPTION Leaders in organizations tend to ignore

upward communication from non-managerial staff members, especially when that communication is critical of management.

The First step leaders can take to better themselves and their situation is to develop awareness of their own tendencies toward self deception. To do this, higher status members of a group or

organization can not always think they are going to have the best ideas and take everyone’s thoughts in to consideration.

LEADERSHIP TRAINING… “Research consistently indicates that the

productivity of a group improves if its members are trained”

Training involves instruction to help and encourage the development of skills, rather than the way you think. Training emphasizes what you can DO not

necessarily just the way you THINK.

LEADERSHIP TRAINING… One proven method of training is providing

feedback to the members of a group regarding their individual performance. Studies show that when members know they are

being evaluated, they tend to work harder. People need a more objective eye than their own to

see what they are doing and how the can do it better. Another productive way of training is the use

of simulations.

LEADERSHIP TRAINING… “A simulation is a structured exercise that

creates conditions that participants might confront outside the training environment”. It allows users to experiment without any

unnecessary risks. Many leadership or management training

programs recreated conditions of the work environment.

LEADERSHIP EXAMPLE War games

The conditions of war are re-created so the trainees can experiment them in a way that is not life threatening.

MILITARY WAR GAMES

SUMMARY Good training should provide you with a

broad array of behaviors and give you the understanding and ability to know when, how, why, and where to use these behaviors.