An overview of leadership style
It is impossible to pinpoint precisely the time when interest in leadership styles emerged. However a set of experiments conducted by 3 social scientist in 1938 is a good time to begin. Kurt Lewin, Ronald Leppit, and Robert White used groups of children to study different approaches to exercising control. Their classic study identified three types of control: autocratic, democratic, and laissez faire. These three types of control came to be known as leadership styles.
Lewin, Leppit, and White were cautious in the conclusions the drew from this study. They noted that autocratic leadership does get results and is preferred over democratic leadership. However they observed that autocratic leadership can create tension, apathy, frustration, and dependence by the group on the leader. Further, the researchers found that some of the differences in the behaviors of the children were associated with the presence or absence of the leader. Specifically, constructive effort declined in the autocratically controlled children groups. Finally, they observed very little value in laissez-faire control ---an essentially “no-leader” approach to leadership.
Significance: from our perspective, the Lewin, Leppit, and White study is important because it created an awareness of the possible effect on a group of a leader’s style. In addition, it helped to make people more sensitive to the importance of the psychological atmosphere in the group. This atmosphere can influence not only group productivity, but also psychological variables such as tension, frustration, and conflict. Thus, the specific findings of the Lewin, Leppit, and White study were not as important as general awareness and sensitivity to the importance of ...
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... that system 4 management has the greatest long-range potential for contributing to organizational effectiveness. System 4 characterized by high degree of trust and interaction between superiors and subordinates. It involves extensive participation by subordinates in goal settings and control process.
Likert places great significance on the importance of genuine, trusting, interpersonal and group relationship. A central idea in his view of leadership is his principal of supportive relationship: “the leadership and other processes of the organizations must be such as to insure a maximum probability that in all interactions and in all relationships within the organization, each member, in light of his background, values, desires, and expectations, will view the experience as supportive and one which builds and maintains his sense of personal worth and importance”.
STYLES OF LEADERSHIP An autocratic leadership style is one where the manager sets objectives, allocates tasks, and insists on obedience. Therefore the group becomes dependent on him or her. The result of this style is the members of the group are often dissatisfied with the leader. This results in little cohesion, the need for high levels of supervision, and poor levels of motivation amongst employees. A democratic leadership style encourages participation in decision making.
Leadership is delicate precise and very rewarding. Many philosophers, teachers, businessmen and government officials have of the same characteristics that make them successful leaders. Also some other personal choice to make them failures. In acknowledging leadership within different perspectives and styles aspiring leaders are able to study, plan and correct all of traits and style that may make them ineffective at within their current role as leaders. In additional content of leaders and the role that government plays on society is a critical element in understanding different leadership and decision makers from different origins of the world.
Leadership is an important aspect of all businesses, especially the health care industry, and without good leadership, patient care and outcomes may be affected. Effective leaders and managers use various styles and theories and adapt these with consideration to the characteristics of their workers and of the environment. A self-assessment was done that asked a series of questions that generated a picture of the quality and what style of leader that I am. This picture will be compared to existing leadership and management theories along with a few examples. Also, my leadership style will show the actions and behaviors required for effectively leading an ideal workforce and workplace environment. There are many surveys that help one to
Leadership is a quality many of us strive to achieve. To be an excellent leader has been an elusive quest. However, the pursuit of excellent leadership is movement in the right direction. In this paper we will examine the major types of leadership styles. The three types are, Participative or Democratic, Laissez-Faire, and Authoritative.
Lord, R. (2000). Leadership. In A. E. Kazdin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of psychology, vol. 4. (pp. 499-505). Doi:10.1037/10519-216
Yet, there are drawbacks to autocratic leadership style. During his experiments, Lewin also noted the autocratic style to be demoralising at times. In his experiments, which asked a team to perform tasks under specific leadership models, the group under autocratic leadership showed enhanced productivity, yet were joyless and showcased high levels of dependence and frustration.
There tend to be a variety of concepts regarding how, as well as what should undergo consideration when developing leadership in individuals. Scholars have different suggestions on the kind of approaches that should get observed during the practice. As a result, this paper seeks to unravel various forms of leadership approaches, as well as suggesting the best theory that should be in use when creating a perfect leader. Additionally, the work will establish ways of determining the effectiveness of a leadership program.
Particularly, two members within my group began to emerge as leaders due to their knowledge, skills, as well as experience working with our chosen population. Although I always view them as ‘experts’ in this topic, our group became less focused on our goals and more concerned about the ‘power struggle’ between our two leaders, before we could reach any consensus. Essentially, our group had two authoritarians butting heads and trying to take lead throughout the beginning of the group process. Thus, the other members or ‘followers’ contribution, like mine, seem to not matter unless they adhered to either leaders’ opinions without question. According to Stringer (2014), “Leadership… Is defined according to its function of facilitating organizational and operational processes, rather than defining and controlling them” (p. 31). The researcher further states that active participation is the key to encourage and motivate group members to invest their time and energy to shape the quality of the group's production. Therefore, our group needed to find ways for all members to have a chance to participate fully and apply their individual strengths, in order to enhance our group’s
Leadership is the glue that binds any business together, identifying and understanding your type of leadership style can ultimately aid you in becoming a better leader in your professional career. A successful business cannot function without leadership therefore this is a crucial aspect of internal employee development for businesses striving to stay relevant in a crowded marketplace. In addition to recognizing your leadership style every leader needs to look to them and identify what type of personality they have. By becoming an informed business leader you will gain trust and respect of your team to guide them into the future and maximizing potential growth. Throughout this paper I will identify my leadership style and also personality type and how it has affected my personal career growth. Identifying these conclusions is extremely important in crafting company culture.
There are a few different types of well known leadership styles, authoritarian, delegative, and democratic. To assess my leadership style I used two online tests to help me determine my style. I felt the results were accurate and I fall into a democratic style/participative style. If I am leading I prefer to include the group and get their feedback on solving issues. However, I still make the final decision after listening to the thoughts of the group on a particular topic. This is considered to be a positive style of leadership that is inspiring to the group involved. The leaders decision making tends to be more accurate due to the input of other experts. (Cite)
Some people believe leadership and management are one in the same; however, this is not true because management involves planning, staffing, directing and controlling and, a manager is a person who performs these functions (Leadership Theories and Studies, 2009). The term manager is a formal title given to a person who has authority by virtue of his or her position or office. (Leadership Theories and Studies, 2009) Leadership, by contrast, is about influence; leaders use factors other than just their formal authority to influence subordinates. There are three major leadership theories developed from the 1930s to the 1970s which attempt to explain why some leaders are better than others, these theories are: trait leadership (1930s and 1940s), behavior leadership (1940s and 1950s), and contingency leadership (1960s and 1970s).
Women do have different leadership styles from men. As Bodyshop founder Anita Roddick says: ‘I run my company according to feminine principles – principles of caring, making intuitive decisions, not getting hung up on hierarchy, having a sense of work as being part of your life, not separate from it; putting your labour where your love is, being responsible to the world in how you use your profits; recognising the bottom line should stay at the bottom’.
We can divide the theories that deal with leadership in 3 chronological groups. First were the trait theories. Until the 1940's, research in the field of leadership was dominated by these theories. Second came the behavioral theories which were very influent until the late 1960's. Finally, contingency theories are the most modern theories about leadership.
There is a time and place to insert these styles and depending on the people being lead will help key into what style needs to be brought to light. Being a leader seems to be both engrained in us genetically and life lessons mold into our leadership style as we progress through life. The balance of rewards and punishments were carefully applied, but he ensured to continue maximizing great experiences since human nature tends to want to be surrounded by it. My stepfather gave us his selfless service and seeks no recognition for what he did; he was worthy of it.
In this paper I will look at the four major leadership styles, their characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, and in what situations a particular leadership style is desired. Additionally, I will look at my leadership style and how I acquired this style throughout my career.