Leadership Development Tools and Practices Chapter 12

How can leadership be learned? – Leadership success is a mixture of innate ability combined with experience. Our would
be leader must have the intellectual ability to be able to understand the leadership task as well as some mixture of personal
characteristics in order to interact effectively with followers. Given those basic characteristics, as with any skill, our emerging
leader would also need to have the desire to lead, the opportunity to develop those skills and then the opportunity to be in a
situation to apply those leadership behaviors.
Behavioral Choice Model: Kurt points out that any leader has a wide repertoire of behaviors from which to choose as he/she
attempts to influence potential followers to align their activities with the purposes of the leader. When the leader chooses
appropriate behaviors, followers choose to follow. Choosing effective behaviors is a process learned through experience and
feedback. Behaviors that result in followers choosing to follow are retained and honed. Behaviors that are ineffective or even
counterproductive are discarded. From this model, we can conclude that a motivated individual with basic abilities can learn to
lead. Leader’s success is also influenced by the context. I.e. success in one field does not mean success in another.
How do we learn? -
Learning theory Key points of leadership development
 The theory focuses on the impact of external events (rewards) on the learning of behaviors
Behaviorism  Rewarding behaviors reinforces those behaviors: thus learning occurs
(stimulus–response)  Standards and goals should be clear to the learner
 Feedback, clear and immediate, is key and is a type of reinforcement
 For complex tasks, training should be structured in small, incremental steps, leading towards mastery of the task
 Sporadic rewards are more reinforcing than consistent rewards
 Ignoring behaviors will cause them to be extinguished in time
 Punishment should be avoided as its impact on learning is unpredictable
Cognitivism  The theory examines the internal mental processes involved in learning
(mental processes)  People have unique mental structures and will therefore learn in different ways
 Learning will occur through repletion and variety
 Concepts should be structured to present the same skill or concept in a variety of ways – reading, discussion,
practice, observing and so on
 The development of language is a key support for increasing cognitive complexity and therefore leadership
effectiveness
 Addressing subtleties and ‘areas of grey’ are important for complex skills such as leadership
Social Learning Theory  The theory explores how learning can occur by observing others
(Monkey see Monkey  Leadership skills may be learned by observing role models
do)  If the role model is attractive, charismatic or admired, observed skills are more likely to be learned
 Learning will be influenced by the treatment the role model receives for the behavior: the more positive, the
greater the learning
 Learning a skill does not necessarily mean an individual will use the skill
 Learning must include ‘cues’ of when the learner is to use the behavior
Androgogy  The theory focuses on how to make best use of the motivations of adult learners, setting the learner squarely in
(Adults learn differently the centre of the process
from Children)  Because adults learn differently, the structure and processes of learning methods should reflect these differences
 Adults are most motivated to learn when there is immediate application of the skills, perhaps to solve a problem
or assist with a challenge
 Adults should help plan their learning
 The teacher should be more of a facilitator, a peer assisting with the learning process
 Learning processes should be built on the past experiences of the learner
Learning styles  Advances the work of cognitivism by proposing four main learning styles ( Activist, Pragmatist, Theorist,
(how individuals differ Reflector)
in learning styles)  The styles interact and a person can move through a cycle incorporating all four styles
 In practice the individual is likely to rely on one or more styles more than others
 Development should be structured to allow learning to occur via each style in order to reach all learners
 Is a method for learners to assess and understand their own preferred learning style
Action Learning  Focuses on the optimum way to structure learning experiences
(Learning by doing real  Learning occurs best when learners combine programmed learning with the opportunity to solve real-life
projects at work) problems in the workplace
 Learning and problem-solving skills are typically enhanced through the use of learning ‘sets’ or small groups,
which support each other in their learning and in addressing their projects
 Teamworking, communication and feedback are skills that are learned through the sets in addition to technical
problem-solving skills, all key components of effective leadership
 Skills are learned by the individual, but the organization also benefits from the resolution of issues
 The process of learning is generalized across the organization through the learning of many individuals
 The process is well accepted in many organizations as well as in institutions of higher education

Learning Summary
 Leadership Development Tools and Practices Chapter 12
 Leaders often need to provide leadership across their organization, influencing individuals and teams from other areas, areas
over which they have no formal authority.
 Organizational leadership is substantially different from individual and team leadership in that it may be required to consider
organizational purpose, politics and history within the context of the wider community while involving any simultaneous
situations within a longer timeframe.
 A model of social power includes five sources of such power: reward power, coercive power, legitimate power, referent power
and expert power.
 Reward, legitimate and expert power may be viewed as positive and desirable methods to support leadership aims.
 Coercive power is not likely to be as effective, because of its unpredictable outcomes, while few individuals will find referent
power to be a long-term source of support within an organization.
 Influencing skills are an additional source of leadership success in that they can be employed with little social power but also
in conjunction with social power.
 Kouzes and Posner identified five leadership practices of successful leaders that any leader may successfully employ: model
the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart.
 Organizational leadership and its associated influencing skills will be of increasing importance to leaders in the 21st century.