Organisational Behaviour

Leadership, in its broadest sense, is the process using social influence to enlist the support of other people in completing a common task or achieving a collective goal. Common conceptions about organisational leadership focus on the image of charismatic individuals inspiring their subordinates with their own passion and zeal for a vision. This popular image is taken as the standard for effective leadership style and a measure of future organisational success.

Effective leadership is a function of both the individual and the working environment of the organisation they are tasked with leading. Competing theories of personality provide differing conclusions on how effective any given leader and their style of leadership is on the behaviour of their organisation.

Older conceptions of leadership often revolve around the idea of ‘great men’, individuals who are born with the ability to lead by virtue of their superior abilities and traits. Trait theory evolved from this antiquated idea, and holds that several identifiable traits set apart leaders from non-leaders, and allow these individuals to successfully lead organisations (Kirkpatrick and Locke, 1991, Pg 48). Research by Ralph Stogdill demonstrated that no one trait could be universally correlated with effective leadership. Furthermore, Stogdill found that situational factors have a more measurable impact on leadership than traits. Kirkpatrick and Lock (1991) argue that, while traits may not be universally correlated, possessing these traits act as a pre-condition for effective leadership, increasing the probability of organisational success. Effective leaders are actualised by the actions that they take, which stem from the desire to lead and the drive to accomplish things w...

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