LECTURE 1

INTRODUCTION TO LEADERSHIP
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Discuss the challenges in defining leadership.

2. Define theory and explain leadership science.
3. Explain the different approaches to leadership including trait and behavioural (situational to
discuss in detail next week).
DEFINING LEADERSHIP

• The term leadership was incorporated from common vernacular into technical language.
• Stogdill explains that ‘there are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are persons
who have attempted to define the concept’.
DEFINITION OF LEADERSHIP

• Most definitions of leadership reflect the following:

– The process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to
do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives.
LEADERSHIP CONCEPT
CONTROVERSY 1
Leadership is a …
LEADERSHIP CONCEPT
CONTROVERSY 2
The type and purpose of leadership influence is …
LEADERSHIP CONCEPT
CONTROVERSY 3
Leadership and management …
THEORY
TESTING THEORY

• To test a theory, we gather data on the variables included in our hypotheses

• We then use variants of the correlation coefficient to test hypotheses, to see if they verify our
theory
• How big is a ‘big’ correlation?
THE SCIENCE OF LEADERSHIP

• There are virtually no laws or solid facts pertaining to human behavior.

• Many people often believe themselves to be experts regarding certain behaviours.
TRAIT THEORIES
BEHAVIOURAL THEORIES

• In addition to making decisions, leaders engage in a number of day-to-day behaviors

– What are some of those behaviors?
BEHAVIOURAL THEORIES

• There are two broad dimensions that encompass day-to-day leadership behaviors
1. Initiating Structure
• Defining and structuring the roles of employees for goal attainment
2. Consideration
• Creating job relationships characterized by mutual trust, respect, and consideration of employees’ feelings
ARE BEHAVIOURAL THEORIES
IMPORTANT?
• Long been dismissed as importance influences on leadership effectiveness.
• But meta-analytic findings show that both consideration and initiating structure are related to
– Follower job satisfaction (especially consideration)
– Follower satisfaction with leader (especially consideration)
– Follower motivation
– Leader job performance
– Group-organization performance
– Leader effectiveness
NEXT WEEK: SITUATIONAL THEORIES

• Close with this because we will be covering in detail next week.