What is leadership?

Models/frameworks/definitions

One definition of ‘leadership’ can been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task” (Chemers, 1997).

Definition of leadership...

One was a leader if you were born into the right family, had the right breeding, came from nobility or royalty ect.

Encompasses the idea that... “Leaders are born, not made”

Great Man Theory

An attempt to distinguish leaders as possessing extraordinary traits in comparison to others, for example: intelligence, dominance, self-confidence, high energy level

Personal Traits Theory

1948, Stogdill found that “no single personality typifies a leader; rather, leadership is a relationship that exists among people in a social situation.”

3 main factors to consider within the leadership process:

1. The Leader2. The Situation3. And the Followers

Situational Theory

Forces within the managers, subordinates and situations determine leadership effectiveness, this includes:

Supervisors/Managers: 1. Supervisor’s view of people, performance and

status.2. Degree of confidence held for the subordinates3. Leadership inclinations4. Feelings of security in an uncertain situation

Situational Theory Continued...

Subordinates:

1. Need for independence2. Readiness to assume responsibility3. Expectations to share in decision making4. Tolerance for ambiguity5. Level of knowledge and experience to deal

with situations.

The situation/Forces in the situation:

1. The organisation’s values and traditions2. The organisation’s reaction to change3. Whether the organisation is dominated by the

physicians, administrators or nurses4. To what extent the group is effective, cohesive

and able to assume responsibility in different situations.

Based on Fiedler’s 1985 model...Model of a given situation:1. Leader-member relations2. A task structure3. A position of power Through this theory it is possible to predict the

most productive leadership style through the analysis of the above components and their relationship to a critical situation (Grohar-Murray & Langan, 2011).

Contingency Model

Encompassed in the Life Cycle Theory of Hersey-Blanchard.

“Leadership behaviour may be predicted on the basis of the follower’s readiness” (Grohar-Murray & Langan, 2011).

Situational Leadership Model

Situational Leadership Model

Bennis and Nanus (1985) suggested a new theory of leadership based on a study they conducted on 90 leaders, for the purpose of discovering what is common to leadership and leaders.

Found that there are 4 types of “Human Handling Skills” common to leaders:

Strategy 1: Attention through visionStrategy 2: Meaning through communicationStrategy 3: Trust through positioningStrategy 4: the deployment of self through positive

self-regard and the Wallenda factor. (Grohar-Murray & Langan, 2011).

New Theory of Leadership

Burns proposed 2 kinds of leadership:

Transactional Leadership

Transformational Leadership

(Grohar-Murray & Langan, 2011).

Transformational Leadership

Developed by Jean Lipman-Blumer

Connects individuals to their tasks and visions, to one another, to the immediate group and to the larger network.

(Grohar-Murray & Langan, 2011).

Connective Leadership

Stage One: Analysis and problem identification

Stage Two: Determination of action

Stage Three: Evaluation of action

(Grohar-Murray & Langan, 2011)

Process Model of Leadership