Chapter 2 -Trait

Approach

Trait Approach

Leadership
Theory and
Practice, 3/e
Peter G. Northouse, Ph.D.
William Kritsonis, PhD
Presenter

SAGE Publications © 2003 Jan Kriege1r

 Chapter 2 -Trait
Approach

Overview
• Great Person Theories
• Historical Shifts in Trait Perspective
• What Traits Differentiate Leaders
From Nonleaders?
• How Does the Trait Approach
Work?
SAGE Publications © 2003 Jan Kriege2r
 Chapter 2 -Trait
Approach

Great Person Theories

Trait Approach: one of the first systematic
attempts to study leadership

• “Great Man”
Theories (early
1900s)
– Focused on identifying
intrinsic qualities and
characteristics possessed
by great social, political,
& military leaders

SAGE Publications © 2003 Jan Kriege3r

 Chapter 2 -Trait Approach
Historical Shifts in Trait Perspective
Early 1900s 1930-50s 1970’s - Early 90s Today

Traits Interacting 6 Major

Great Man Revival of Critical Role of Leadership
Theories With Situational Traits in Leader Traits
Demands on Leaders
Effectiveness
• Intelligence
• Self-Confidence
• Determination
• Integrity
• Sociability

Innate Qualities

Situations
Personality / Behaviors
SAGE Publications © 2003 Jan Kriege4r
 Chapter 2 -Trait
Approach

Major Leadership Traits

• Intelligence - Intellectual • Integrity - The quality
ability including verbal, of honesty and
perceptual, and reasoning
capabilities trustworthiness
• Self-Confidence - • Sociability - Leader’s
Ability to be certain about inclination to seek out
one’s competencies and pleasant social
skills relationships
• Determination - The
desire to get the job done
(i.e., initiative, persistence,
dominance, drive)

SAGE Publications © 2003 Jan Kriege6r

 Chapter 2 -Trait
Approach

How Does the

Trait Approach
Work?
• Focus of Trait Approach
• Strengths
• Criticisms
• Application
SAGE Publications © 2003 Jan Kriege7r
 Chapter 2 -Trait Approach

Focus of Trait Approach

Leader

• Focuses exclusively
on leader
– What traits leaders –
exhibit
– Who has these traits

SAGE Publications © 2003 Jan Kriege8r

 Chapter 2 -Trait
Approach

Strengths
• Intuitively appealing • Highlights leadership
– Perception that component in the
leaders are different in leadership process
that they possess – Deeper level
special traits understanding of
– People “need” to view how
leaders as gifted leader/personality
related to
• Credibility due to a • leadership process
century of research for what to look for in a
Provides
leader benchmarks
support

SAGE Publications © 2003 Jan Kriege9r

 Chapter 2 -Trait
Approach
Criticisms
• Fails to delimit a
definitive list of
leadership traits
– Endless lists have
emerged
• Doesn’t take into
account situational
effects
– Leaders in one situation
may not be leaders in
another situation
SAGE Publications
• List of most important
leadership traits is highly
subjective
– Much subjective experience &
observations serve as basis for
identified leadership traits
• Research fails to look at
traits in relationship to
leadership outcomes
• Not useful for
training &
development
© 2003 Jan Kriege1r 0
 Chapter 2 -Trait
Approach

Application
• Can be used by managers to assess
where they stand within their
organization and what is needed to
strengthen their position

SAGE Publications © 2003 Jan Kriege1r 1