LEADERSHIP THEORIES

Who is a leader ?
A leader is someone who influences others to achieve a goal. They inspire and motivate people
to take the initiative to succeed. Leaders use their leadership attributes, such as their values,

beliefs, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills.

what are leadership attributes ?

Leadership attributes are the personal qualities that make for effective leadership.
These attributes include:
● Self-confidence
● Strong communication and management skills
● Creative and innovative thinking
● Perseverance
● Willingness to take risks
● Open to change
● Levelheaded
● Reactiveness in times of crisis

What is leadership and how does it work ?

Leadership is a set of behaviors used to help people align their collective direction, to execute

strategic plans, and to continually renew an organization.

There are some famous theories related to Leadership :

Leadership theories seek to explain how and why certain people become leaders. Such theorie
often focus on the characteristics of leaders, but some attempt to identify the behaviors that
people can adopt to improve their own leadership abilities in different situations.
These thories include questions such as :
• What exactly makes a good leader?
 • Do certain personality trait make people better suited to Leadership roles?
• Do characteristics of the situation make it more likely that certain people will take
charge?
• What is it that makes some people excel in leadership roles?
TYPES OF LEADERSHIP THEORIES
1. “Great man” theory
2. Trait theory
3. Contingency theory
4. Situational theory
5. Behavioral theory
6. Participative theory
7. Relational theory
8. Power & Influence theory

1.“Great man ” theory:

The great man theory of leadership suggests that some individuals are born with
characteristics that naturally make them skilled leaders. According to this view, leaders
are born, not made.
Origin of the great man theory :
The great man theory of leadership became popular during the 19th century.The mythology
behind some of the world's most famous leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln, Julius Caesar,
Mahatma Gandhi, and Alexander the Great, helped contribute to the notion that great leade
rs are born and not made.
Example of Great man theory of leadership:
Some examples of famous historical figures who are often cited as examples of "great men"
include:
• Abraham Lincoln
• Julius Caesar
 • Mahatma Gandhi
• Alexander the Great
Criticisms of the Great Man Theory of Leadership

The great man theory of leadership has been the subject of considerable debate and criticism.
The following are some of the major critiques of this approach to explaining leadership.
1.Incomplete Account of Leadership

If leadership were simply an inborn quality, all people who possess the ​necessary traits would
eventually find themselves in leadership roles.

2. Ignores Situational Factors

Characteristics of the group, the leader in power, and the situation all interact to determine what
type of leadership is needed and the effectiveness of this leadership.

3.Neglects Skill Development

The great man theory of leadership also fails to explain how leadership skills can be developed.
It oversimplifies leadership and focuses on a very narrow set of skills that may not be effective
or appropriate in every context or situation.
Modern views emphasize that leadership abilities can be learned and honed with practice.

2.Trait theory:
Trait theories assume that people inherit certain qualities and traits that make them better suited
to leadership.
Trait theories argue that effective leaders share a number of common personality characteristics,
or "traits."
Traits are external behaviors that emerge from the things going on within our minds – and it's
these internal beliefs and processes that are important for effective leadership.
Leadership Traits
• Intelligence
• Insight
• Self-confidence
• Alertness
• Responsibility
• Initiative
• Persistence
• Sociability

Classification of traits
1.All port : Thousand traits
Psychologist Gordon Allport was one of the first to categorize these characteristics:
He created a list of more than 4,000 personality traits. Allport grouped these traits into three
different categories: cardinal traits , central traits and secondary traits .
Cardinal traits are those that are so dominant that they are expressed across situations and
various parts of a person's life. This type of trait is considered rare.
Central traits are the core traits that tend to remain relatively stable throughout life. Many trait
theories of personality focus on these traits. These traits serve as the "building blocks" of
personality.
Secondary characteristics are those that emerge in certain situations. These can be inconsistent
and may not remain stable over time.

2.Cattell: 16 traits
Cattell (1957) identified 16 factors or dimensions of personality: warmth, reasoning, emotional
stability, dominance, liveliness, rule-consciousness, social boldness, sensitivity, vigilance,
abstractedness, privateness, apprehension, openness to change, self-reliance, perfectionism, and
tension.
3.Eysenck : 3 traits
1.Introversion / Extroversion
2.Neuroticism / Emotional stability
3.Psychoticism
4.Modern View: 5 Dimension
The Big 5 personality traits are
1.Extraversion (also often spelled extroversion)
2. Agreeableness
3.Openness
4. Conscientiousness
5.Neuroticism.

3. Contingency Theories –
How Does the Situation Influence Good Leadership?
The contingency theory of leadership supposes that a leader’s effectiveness is contingent on
whether or not their leadership style suits a particular situation. According to this theory, an
individual can be an effective leader in one circumstance and an ineffective leader in another
one.
The contingency theory of leadership is impacted by a range of specific factors in the average
workplace, including:

• Maturity level of the employees

• Relationships between coworkers
• Work palce
• Management style
 • Typical work schedule
• Goals and objectives
• Standards for behavior
• Company policies
• Employees’ work styles
• Employees’ morale
Popular contingency-based models includes:
• House's Path-Goal Theory
• Fiedler's Contingency Model.
1.House's path-Goal theory :
The Path-Goal model is primarily concerned with identifying processes (paths) that will allow
each team member to meet their individual objectives (goals).

The Path-Goal model focuses on improving employee motivation, autonomy and satisfaction to
increase their productivity within an organization.
To accomplish this, the model identifies four different leadership styles. These include:
1.The Directive Clarifying Leade
2.The Achievement-Oriented Leader
3.The Participative Leader
4.The Supportive Leader
2.Fielder's Contingency Model:
This model states that three important factors contribute to “situational favorableness”. To be
productive, leaders must consider these factors.
This theory also considers leadership styles to be fixed and unchangeable. Therefore, if a leader’s
style is not a good fit for a particular situation, they will need to be replaced by a different leader.
This leadership style use a scale called the Preferred Coworker scale on which you must rate
your coworker or team member.
Alternatively, a high score would make you a Highly Preferred Coworker leader and a
lowsocre will make yor a Lowely Preferred Coworker leader.
Example of scale that can be used:

Unfriendly 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Friendly
Unpleasant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pleasant
Rejecting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Accepting
Tense 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Relaxed
Cold 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Warm
Boring 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Interesting
Hostile 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Supportive

More favorable situations require LPC leaders, while less favorable ones require HPC leaders.

4. Situational Theory –
Situational leadership theory suggests leadership styles go through stages as employees develop
and cultivate their workplace skills. In other words, situational leaders shift their leadership style
to meet company and employee needs.
In the 1980s, Ken Blanchard and Paul Hershey developed a theory on how the adaptation of a
leadership style to an employee's potential is more effective than trying to adapt employees to
fixed leadership styles.
The four situational leadership styles developed by Blanchard and Hershey are:
1.Telling and directing
2.Selling and coaching
3.Participating and supporting
4.Delegating
Qualities of an effective situational leader

The necessary skills of a situational leader include adaptability to changing conditions and
awareness of their employees' capabilities. Here are a few of the qualities that make effective
situational leaders:
• Insight
• Probelem solving
 • Trust
• Flexibility

5.Behavioral Theories –

What Does a Good Leader Do?

behvioral leadership theory focuses on how leaders behaves . It focus on interpersonal
relationships between leader and followers.
Sometimes called the style theory,it suggests that leaders aren't born successful but can be
created based on learnable behavior. It supports the idea that anyone can be a leader. It suggests
that certain behaviors make people into leader,not qualities that they may have inherently.
Types of behavioral leadership
1.Task oriented leaders : A task-oriented leader focuses on getting tasks done to
meet goals and deadlines. They prioritize results, performance, and productivity.
2.Participative leaders: Participative leaders are managers who value their team
members' perspectives and involve them in decision-making. They also ensure
that their team members understand their contributions and how important they

are to the project's success.

3,Status-quo leaders: Status quo leaders manage a business in the same way it has
always been managed, even when major change is necessary. They are the
opposite of change leaders.
4.Indifferent leaders: Indifferent leaders are ineffective and lack the traits of
successful leaders. They focus on protecting their own job rather than supporting
their employees.
5.Dictatorial leaders : A dictatorial leader is a political leader with absolute
power. Dictators often gain power through force or fraud.
They maintain power through:
 • Intimidation
• Terror
• Suppression of civil liberties
• Mass propagand

6.Country club leaders : A country club leader is a manager who focuses on the needs
of their employees. They believe that happy employees will work hard. Country club
leaders are also known as "accommodating" managers.
7.Sound leaders : Sound leaders are reflective and willing to admit failure. They
prioritize employee morale and productivity, and value their team members. They set

achievable goals and deliver high-quality results.

8.Opportunistic leaders : An opportunistic leader is someone who looks for future

opportunities and uses them to gain advantages
9.Paternalistic leaders : Paternalistic leadership is a management style where a leader
acts as a parental figure. The leader treats employees as members of a family and
expects loyalty, trust, and obedience in return. The goal is to create a workplace

where employees feel safe and secure.

From all these types the core types are:

• People oriented
• Task oriented leaders
People Oriented Leaders
This type of leaders focus on the specific needs of their team .Cocern for employees welfare and
inspire their team to perform. They regularly enhance their relations with their team members
and motivate them to excel in their roles. Some common behaviours associated with these kinds
of leaders include:

• promoting collaboration
 • rewarding the success of others
• observing and analyses their teams' progress
• mentoring their team members to perform better

Task_Oriented_leaders
This type of leaders typically focus on the systems and processes that their team use.They
considered employees as tools to get work done.Focus on technical aspects of job.
Some common behaviours associated with task-oriented leaders include:
•project initiation
•organising company processes
•clarifying instructions to relevant stakeholders
•gathering necessary

6. Participative Theory –
Participative leadership theory is a leadership style that seeks input from every member of the
team
In most cases, participative leadership follows this process:
• The leader facilitates a meeting with the team.
• The leader shares any necessary information and knowledge about the project or problem
to solve.
• Team members share their ideas and thoughts with the group.
• The group processes all the ideas and information.
• The group or group leader makes a decision.
Participative leadership styles
• Collective leadership
• Democratic leadership
• Autocratic leadership
• Consensus leadership
Key components of the participative leadership theory:
1.Participating in decision making
2.Sharing information
3.Sustaining morale
4.Building relationships
5.Supporting development

7.Relational Theory –
Relational leadership emphasizes building relationships in the workplace and using those
relationships to work toward a common goal.
Principles of relational leadership
There are five components of relational leadership:
1.Ethics
2.Purpose
3.Inclusivity
4.Process orientation
5.Empowerment
Benefits of relational leadership
1.Strengthens team morale: Choosing to empower your team members helps them feel valued
and essential to projects and team goals.Team members become loyal leaders with a vested
company interest to whom you can effectively delegate tasks.
2.Develops teamwork: In a relational leadership model, your employees play cooperative roles
to attain a successful workplace goal. You can establish open feedback and communication to
understand if employees are in roles suitable for their skills.
3.Increases change: Using relational leadership can accelerate change because it establishes a
foundation for your employees to work toward a common goal. By achieving smaller common
goals through teamwork, the group can visualize larger common goals.
8. Power and Influence Theories –
What Is the Source of the Leader's Power?
Power and influence theories of leadership take an entirely different approach – these are based
on the different ways that leaders use power and influence to get things done, and they look at
the leadership styles that emerge as a result.
Power : Ability to influence others behaviour thoughts or actions.
Influence : Process of affecting someone's behaviour or decision.
Perhaps the best-known of these theories is French and Raven's Five Forms of Power.
This model highlights three types of positional power – legitimate, reward, and coercive – and
two sources of personal power – expert and referent (your personal appeal and charm).
The model suggests that using personal power is the better alternative, and that you should work
on building expert power (the power that comes with being a real expert in the job) because this
is the most legitimate source of personal power.

French and Raven's Bases of Power (1959) :-

1. Referent Power : Based on charisma and administration.
For example: Influential business leader.
2.Expert Power : Rooted knowledge and competence.
For example :Expertise of a software development team leader.
3.Legitimate Power : Granted by position or title.
For example:A boss can assigned project, a president of a corporation has certain powers
because of the office they hold in the Corporation.
4. Reward Power : Ability to offer incentive or rewards. Raises, promotion, desirable
assignments, etc. are the examples controlled by the people in 'power'.
5. Coercive Power : Using punishment or threats to influence
For example: Supervisor who threatens to demote, determinate or suspend an employee.
Six year later Raven added an extra power base :-
6. Informational Power : Access to valuable information.
For example :Having access to confidential financial reports.
Advantages of Power and influence theory:
1. Increased understanding of leadership dynamics.
2. Enhance communication and decision making within team.
Challenges and Criticism:
1.Potential for misuse of power.
2. Ethical considerations regarding the use of influence tactics.
3. Limitations of the theory in complex leadership scenarios.
Another leadership style that uses power and influence is Transactional leadership. This
approach assumes that people do things for reward and for no other reason. Therefore, it focuses
on designing tasks and reward structures. While this may not be the most appealing leadership
strategy in terms of building relationships and developing a highly motivating work
environment, it often works, and leaders in most organizations use it on a daily basis to get
things done.

CONCLUSION :
In order to inspire, innovative ,and produce creativity within an organization ,leaders should be
aware and mindful of their followers’ perception of them .Each of these theories focuses on
building trust through a mutually beneficial relationship between leaders and followers.
Leadership may be something of an art; it still requires the application of special skills and
techniques.