Module 7 Paper

Joanna Walls

Dr. Veach

OGL 300
 Northouse (2015) defines leadership as a process whereby an individual influences a group of

individuals to achieve a common goal. Northouse specifically uses the word process to describe

leadership in the sense of a transactional event rather than a characteristic that resides within the leader.

Leadership is the ability to have influence over a member(s) of a group in order to achieve a common

goal. Leadership can have a huge impact on the performance of an employee depending on the style of

leadership and the amount of influence there is over the individual. By understanding the power of

influence, there will be an understanding of how the employee prefers to be lead and developed

throughout their time with the organization.

The skills approach is leader-centered and focused more to emphasize the skills and abilities that

one is able to learn and develop throughout their time with the organization. Northouse (2015), notes that

skills are what leader can accomplish whereas traits are who leaders are and are broken down into three

specific skills including technical skill, human skill, and conceptual skill. The first strength of the skills

approach is that the skills approach is the first approach to be able to define a clear structure and

conceptualize the process of leadership around specific skills. The second strength is very appealing and

makes leadership available to everyone. The third strength to the skills approach is the expansive view of

leadership that provides a wide variety of components. The first criticism is related to the boundaries that

the skills approach is not able to describe. The second criticism is the skills approach ben weak in

predictive value. The third criticism is the idea that the skills approach is not used for other contexts of

leadership.

Within the trait approach according to Northouse (2015), leadership was reconceptualized as a

relationship between people in a social situation and the traits that a leader does possess must be relevant

to the situations in which the leader is functioning. In this theory, five traits are used to describe the

personality factors of a leader including neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and

conscientious.The first strength of the trait approach is that it it consistent with reality in the sense that

one is able to understand the difference and appreciate the differences and the different personalty traits
that a leader can possess. The second strength is related to the amount of research that gives the trait

approach credibility. With the strength and longevity of the trait approach, it ranks as one of the most

researched and studied leadership theories. The third strength of the trait approach is the way that the

approach is able to highlight the leader and their relationship to the leadership process. The first criticism

of the trait approach is the inability to produce a definitive list of traits to better understand and define

what a leader is. The second criticism is the failure of the approach to keep the situation in mind, due to

each leader not always being proficient in a specific area. The third criticism is the failure of the approach

to look at the outcomes of the relationships between leaders and followers.

The behavioral approach focuses exclusively on how the leaders act within their Owen behavior.

Within this approach, the leader is placed on the Managerial (Leadership) grid that helps placed emphasis

on specific behavioral aspects. The behavioral approach is able to remind leaders of their action towards

their relationship with their peers. The first strength of the behavioral theory is how the effect of the

theory was able to be a change in the general focus of leadership. The second strength is the wide range of

studies that provide validity to the approach. The third strength is the focus on the relationship between

tasks and relationship in our attempt to understand the approach. The first criticism is related to the

research and how inaccurately it depicts the relationship of the behaviors and performance. The second

criticism is the failure to find a universal style of leadership that is proficient for each situation. The third

criticism is the failure to depict that each style may not be suitable for each situation.

Within the situational approach to leadership focuses on the necessary leadership for the situation

at hand. To be an effective leader, according to Northouse (2015), the leader is required to adapt his or

her style to the demands of the situation. This approach also breaks down the structure of the process into

four distinct categories that describe the supportive or distinctive than also describing the developmental

level. The first strength go the situational approach is usefulness in the marketplace for this style of

leadership. The second strength is the idea of practicality and how this approach is able to adapt to the

situations. The third strength is the prescriptive value fo the approach through telling the leader what to

do in specific situations. The first criticism of the situational approach is the minimal studies that have
been done on this leadership style. The second criticism is the idea that this approach may be consider to

be ambiguous and unclear in meaning. The third criticism is the idea that the authors of the leadership

style do not accurate provide background for parts of their studies to prove validity.

The path-goal theory relies on the motivation of followers towards a common goal. This theory

recognizes the importance of the relationship between the leader’s style and the characteristics of the

followers. By classifying the leader behaviors, the follower and task characteristics are then reached

before understanding the motivation. The first strength is the useful theoretical framework that this theory

provides. The second strength is ability of the approach to attempt to integrate the motivation principles in

relevance to the followers. The third strength is that fact that no other leadership theory has a focus on

motivation of the followers. The first criticism is complexity of the theory and all the moving mechanics

necessary to develop a decision. The second criticism is the partial support that the theory has received.

The third criticism is inadequate way that the relationship between leader behavior and the follower

motivation is depicted.

Within the Leader-Member Exchange theory of leadership directs the attention of the researcher

to the differences that might exist between a leader and the followers of that specific leader. This theory

also focuses on the dyadic relationship between leaders and followers. The first strength of the LMX

theory is the strong descriptive power that one is able to have. The second strength is the idea that it is the

only leadership theory that is able to use the dyadic relationship as a man focal point. The third strength is

the direction of attention to communication in leadership. The first criticism is that the lmx theory create

inequalities than that of what we already believe to be true. The second criticism is that the theory is not

fully developed. The third criticism is inadequate amount of research done on this specific theory.

The transformational style of leadership places more emphasis on the charismatic and affective

elements within leadership. This approach is concerned more with emotions, values, ethics, standards,

and long-term goals. The first strength is the amount of researched that has been placed on the

transformational style. The second strength is how the style is able to treat leadership as a process that

occurs between followers and leaders. The third strength is the broader view that this theory has over
other theories. The first criticism is the lack of conceptualized clarity within an organization due tot he

wide range of activities covered. The second criticism is the type of measurement used to understand the

leadership style. The third criticism is that the style treats the leadership as personality traits rather than a

behavior that can be learned.

Within the authentic leadership model, the focus is more on the authenticity of the leader and the

relationship with the follower. The model is broken down into practical or theoretical. The first strength is

the fulfillment of need for trust in society. The second strength is the broad guidelines that are provided

for individual who want to become authentic leader. The third strength is the explicit moral reason this

theory has. The first criticism is the idea that this model is still new and in the formative stages. The

second criticism is that this model is no fully explained and mislead the motivation. The third criticism is

the unclear way that leadership is able to result in a positive outcome.

The adaptive approach focuses on the ability to face and deal with problems as they arise and

adapt to the necessary changes. Included are the situational challenges, leader behaviors, and the adaptive

work involved. The first strength of the model is the idea of a process approach to leadership relating to

the Northouse definition. The second strength is that even though it is follower centered, it provides a

clear picture of what is needed for the leader. The third strength is how the attention is to help followers

deal with conflicting values that emerge inc hanging environments. The first criticism is that this model is

based on assumptions, not actual research. The second criticism is the refinement of the model. The third

criticism is the idea it is too wide ranging of a topic for some.

Within servant leadership, the model runs counter to common sense. This model is much more

focused on the followers as well as being a leader and being attentive to the followers’ concerns so that

one can empathize and nurture them. The first strength is that the followers are put first. The second

strength of this model is that there is a proactive and counterintuitive approach to influence and power

than other models. The third strength is that the research on this model is not expansive but still sound to

provide validity. The first criticism is that it is prone to being whimsical and fanciful in nature. The
second criticism is that the focus is on following not leading. The third criticism is the use of the term

conceptualizing when the focus should be the behavior.

The psychodynamic approach focuses on the human behavior and how and why we do things. In

this theory, leadership is about leveraging the different complex forces and dynamics.This model defend

the idea that psychological, social and emotional processes between leaders and followers have a great

impact. The first strength of the theory is that it provides a rational and structural approach. The second

strength is it provides an in-depth study into one individual. The third strength is that it emphasizes the

relationship between leader and follower. The first criticism is it is based on clinical observation. The

second criticism is that is is not conventional. The third criticism is that structural issues are not the main

focal point of discussions.

I feel that I am more suited to the authentic style of leadership with a mixture of transformational

theory. I feel that I attempt to be as authentic in my leadership by keeping the entire team informed and

communicate effectively. I feel that I am able to actively pull from my previous experiences to be able to

resonate with the different style of followership we may endure.

I resonate with the adaptive, behavioral, and path-goal theories. I feel that these theories allow me

to actively be involved with the organization at a level that is suitable for both the leader and the follower.

By understanding these differences between the leader and follower, one can make the team stronger by

putting their “aces in their spaces” and adapting to the obstacles that travel through the different projects

as well as maneuvering the different important logistics and daily functions of the organization.
References

Northouse, P. G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th ed.), SAGE Publications, Inc.,