Ten Theories Of Leadership

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10 Types of Leadership Theories Every Leader Should Know According to Maurice Flanagan, “Some are born leaders, some achieve leadership and some have leadership thrust upon them, which of these are you, or would you rather not bother?“ Leadership is a topic of great interest and for decades now, theories on leadership have been of major interest and the source of numerous studies. In reality, many have tried to define what allows genuine and patriotic leaders to stand out from the masses based on what they exhibit individually, hence, there as many theories on leadership as a result of works done by various philosophers, researchers and professors. Below are the ten theories every leader should know: 1. The Great Man Theory This theory postulated …show more content…

The Leader-Member Exchange Theory This theory says that effective leadership occurs when there is a fair exchange between the leader and those being led. Both sides benefit from the exchange that takes place according to this theory. 10. The Servant Leadership Theory The theory believes that a leader is a servant to those he or she leads. And that a leader should focus on serving others rather than being served. The servant leader creates an environment of trust and cooperation, which results in reciprocal service and ultimately higher performance. Much of Jesus’ approach to leadership used this model. Other Theories • Behavioural Theories (1940’s – 1950’s) The behavioural theories came in reaction to the trait leadership theory. These theories are offering a new perspective which 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 and effects relationship of specific human behaviours from leaders. From this point forward anyone with the right conditioning could have access to the once before elite club of naturally gifted leaders. In other words, it believes that leaders are made and not …show more content…

Those that were concerned with the tasks and those concerned with the people. Throughout the literatures, these are referred to as different names, but the essence are identical. Associated Theories • The Managerial Grid Model / Leadership Grid • Role Theory Contingency Theories (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. And 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 to express their leadership when they feel that their followers will be responsive. Associated Theories • Fiedler 's contingency theory • Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory • Path-goal theory • Vroom-Yetton-Jago decision-making model of leadership • Cognitive Resource Theory • Strategic Contingencies

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