Republic of the Philippines

MINDANAO STATE UNIVERSITY

Fatima, General Santos City

THEORIES OF
LEADERSHIP
MARYNEL B. AZUELO MAED - SCHAD
EDUC 203A – SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION
Terminal Objective:
At the end of the session, the
participants will be able to explain
the concept of different Leadership
Theories in both conceptual and
operational level. 2
Enabling Objectives:
1. Define theories and leadership.
2. Identify and contextualize the different
Leadership Theories underlying principles
and its influence.
3. Assess the participant’s individual
Leadership beliefs and styles. 3
ANALYSIS:
1.In a school setting if you are thrown
by negative intrigues by your co-
worker or parents, how do you deal
it?
2.If you will be the principal how will
you handle this kind of situations?
4
 WHAT IS THEORY
⮚ a coherent group of tested general
propositions, commonly regarded as
correct, that can be used as principles
of explanation and prediction for a class
of phenomena: Einstein's theory of
relativity. Synonyms: principle, law,
doctrine.
 WHAT IS LEADERSHIP?

⮚ Leadership is the ability of an

individual or a group of
individuals to influence and
guide followers or other
members of an organization.
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MANAGEMENT
AND LEADERSHIP
⮚ Management consists of controlling a group or a set
of entities to accomplish a goal. Leadership refers to
an individual’s ability to influence, motivate, and
enable others to contribute toward organizational
success. Influence and
inspiration separate leaders from managers, not

power and control. .

 Theories
1. Great Man”
“

2. Trait
3. Behavioral
4. Participative
5. Situational
6. Contingency
7. Transactional
8. Transformational
“ Great Man”
Theory
❑The great man theory of leadership
became popular during the 19th-century.
❑Often linked to the work of the historian Thomas
Carlyle who commented on the great men or
heroes of the history saying that “the history of the
world is but the biography of great men”.

❑According to him, a leader is the one gifted

with unique qualities that capture the
imagination of the masses.
❑Great man theories assume that the
capacity for leadership is inherent – that
great leaders are born, not made.
❑These theories often portray great
leaders as heroic, mythic and destined
to rise to leadership when needed.
❑The term "Great Man" was used because, at
the time, leadership was thought of primarily
as a male quality, especially in terms of
military leadership.
❑ 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
leaders are born and not made.
“Trait”
Theory
❑Gordon Allport’s Trait Theory
In 1936, psychologist Gordon Allport
found that one English-language dictionary
alone contained more than 4,000 words
describing different personality traits.

He categorized these traits into three levels:

⮚ Cardinal Traits
⮚ Central Traits
⮚ Secondary Traits
❑The trait theory suggests that individual
personalities are composed broad
dispositions.
❑Trait theories often identify particular
personality or behavioral characteristics
shared by leaders.

❑The trait approach to personality is focused

on differences between individuals.
 Cardinal Traits
❑ Traits that dominate an individual’s whole life, often to the point that
the person becomes known specifically for these traits.

❑ People with such personalities often become so known for these

traits that their names are often synonymous with these qualities.

❑ Consider the origin and meaning of the following descriptive terms:

Freudian, Machiavellian, narcissism, Don Juan, Christ-like, etc.

❑ Allport suggested that cardinal traits are rare and tend to develop
later in life.
 Central Traits
❑These are the general characteristics that form
the basic foundations of personality.
❑These central traits, while not as dominating as
cardinal traits, are the major characteristics you
might use to describe another person.

❑Terms such as intelligent, honest, shy and

anxious are considered central traits.
Secondary Traits
❑These are the traits that are sometimes related to
attitudes or preferences and often appear only in
certain situations or under specific circumstances.
❑Some examples would be getting anxious
when speaking to a group or impatient
while waiting in line.
“ Behavioral”
Theory
❑The behavioral leadership theory focuses on how
leaders behave, and assumes that these traits
can be copied by other leaders
❑Sometimes called the style theory, it suggests
that leaders aren’t born successful, but can be
created based on learnable behavior.
❑ Behavioral theories of leadership focus heavily
on the actions of a leader—this theory suggests
that the best predictor of leadership success is
viewing how a leader acts.
❑ Action rather than qualities are the focal
points of behavioral learning theory.
❑ Patterns of behavior are observed and
categorized as “styles of leadership” in this
theory. Some of the styles of leadership include
task-oriented leaders, people-oriented leaders,
country club leaders, status-quo leaders,
dictatorial leaders, and more.
 ADVANTAGE OF BEHAVIORAL THEORY
1. Leaders can learn and decide what actions they
want to implement to become the kind of leader
they want to be.
2. It allows leaders to be flexible and adapt based
on their circumstances.
3. It suggests anyone is capable of becoming a
leader.
DISADVANTAGES OF BEHAVIORAL
THEORY
1. While it allows flexibility, it doesn’t directly
suggest how to behave in certain circumstances.
“ Participative”
Theory
❑ This leadership theory suggests that employees be
directly involved in decision making in their
organization.

❑ The leader simply facilitates a conversation and then

takes all the suggestions, and comes up with the best
possible action.

❑ In this theory, everyone is very involved with decisions

for the team and organization, with the leader simply
helping direct the charge.
❖ In this theory, a leader may have a meeting to
ask employees how to solve a particular
problem. They encourage employees to be
open and honest about their thoughts. They
take all the suggestions, and meet with other
leaders to discuss them. Leaders then make a
decision based on the input from employees
and their own decision making. Employees tend
to appreciate this style, though it can be less
effective overall.
 ADVANTAGE OF PARTICIPATIVE THEORY
1. Employees feel more engaged and motivated
when they are directly involved in decisions and
outcomes for their company.
DISADVANTAGES OF PARTICIPATIVE
THEORY
1. Some suggest that this type of style makes
leaders appear weak or unnecessary.
2. Leaders in this theory don’t actually get the best
outcomes, because they are too engaged in what
people want more than what the company
needs.
“ Situational”
Theory
 ❑ Suggests that no single leadership style is best.
Instead, it depends on which type of leadership and
strategies are best-suited to the task.

❑ According to this theory, the most

effective leaders are those that are able to adapt
their style to the situation and look at cues such
as the type of task, the nature of the group, and
other factors that might contribute to getting the
job done.
❑ Different styles of leadership may be more
appropriate for certain types of decision-
making.
“ Contingency”
Theory
❑ Contingency theories of leadership focus on
particular variables related to the environment that
might determine which particular style of leadership is
best suited for the situation.

❑ According to this theory, no leadership style is best

in all situations.

❑ Success depends upon a number of variables,

including the leadership style, qualities of the
followers and aspects of the situation.
❑ sometimes called situational theory, focuses on the
context of a leader

❑ look at the situational effects of the success or failure or

a leader

❑ A leader’s effectiveness is directly determined by the

situational context

❑ This theory takes the specific leadership styles and

suggests that good leaders can adjust their leadership
style situationally
ADVANTAGE OF CONTINGENCY THEORY
❑ leaders are able to be effective no matter their
situational context

DISADVANTAGE OF CONTINGENCY
THEORY
❑ suggesting that there isn’t enough detail that goes into the
context of any situation.
❑ may not focus enough on the psychology of the
employees or the company itself
❑ may not focus enough on how leadership styles can
change over time.
“ Transactional”
Theory
❑ This theory of leadership was first described in
by sociologist Max Weber, and further explored
by Bernard M. Bass in the early 1980s.
❑ These theories base leadership on a system of
rewards and punishments.

❑ Managerial theories are often used in business;

when employees are successful, they are
rewarded; when they fail, they are reprimanded
or punished.
❑ Transactional theories, also known as
management theories, focus on the role of
supervision, organization and group performance.

❑ involves motivating and directing followers

primarily through appealing to their own self-
interest.

❑ The power of transactional leaders comes from

their formal authority and responsibility in the
organization.
Basic Assumptions of Transactional Leadership

People perform their

Workers are motivated
best when the chain of
by rewards and
command is definite and
punishments.
clear.

Obeying the instructions Subordinates need to be

and commands of the carefully monitored to
leader is the primary ensure that expectations
goal of the followers. are met.
Implications of Transactional Theory

❖ Transactional leaders
⮚ are found to be quite effective in guiding efficiency
decisions which are aimed at cutting costs and improving
productivity.
⮚ tend to be highly directive and action oriented and their
relationship with the followers tends to be transitory and
not based on emotional bonds.
The theory assumes that subordinates can be motivated by simple
rewards. The only ‘transaction’ between the leader and the followers is the money
which the followers receive for their compliance and effort.
“ Transformational”

Theory
❑ Relationship theories, also known as
transformational theories, focus upon the
connections formed between leaders and
followers.
❑Transformational leaders motivate and inspire
people by helping group members see the
importance and higher good of the task.
❑ These leaders are focused on the performance
of group members, but also want each person to
fulfill his or her potential.
❑Transformational leadership may be found at all
levels of the organization: teams, departments,
divisions, and organization as a whole

❑Such leaders are visionary, inspiring, daring,

risk-takers, and thoughtful thinkers.

❑Leaders with this style often have high ethical

and moral standards.
 The Components of Transformational
Leadership
Intellectual Stimulation – Transformational leaders not only
challenge the status quo; they also encourage creativity among
followers. The leader encourages followers to explore new ways of
doing things and new opportunities to learn.

Individualized Consideration – Transformational leadership also

involves offering support and encouragement to individual followers. In order to
foster supportive relationships, transformational leaders keep lines of
communication open so that followers feel free to share ideas and so that
leaders can offer direct recognition of each followers unique contributions.
Inspirational Motivation – Transformational leaders
have a clear vision that they are able to articulate to
followers. These leaders are also able to help followers
experience the same passion and motivation to fulfill
these goals.

Idealized Influence – The transformational leaders

serves as a role model for followers. Because followers
trust and respect the leader, they emulate the leader and
internalize his or her ideals.
Criticisms of Transformational
Leadership Theory
⮚ Transformational leadership makes use of impression
management and therefore lends itself to amoral self
promotion by leaders
⮚ The theory is very difficult to e trained or taught
because it is a combination of many leadership
theories.
⮚ Followers might be manipulated by leaders and there
are chances that they lose more than they gain.
 Applying Leadership Theories at the
Workplace
1. Maximize Your Strengths
As proposed by the Trait Theory, effective leadership depends on the traits that
one possesses. Leaders should strive to focus on their strengths rather than their
weaknesses.

The strengths vary from one leader to another and may include:
∙ Strong will - a strong-willed leader is able to find inner strength and carry on until he
or she overcomes all challenges.
∙ Decisive nature - is another strength that some leaders possess.
Decisiveness -means that when others may be perplexed, a leader
can calmly assess the situation and choose one action to unite everyone.
Be Inclusive Leaders

⮚ Acknowledge individual people to be their greatest assets

and not just mere numbers in their workforce.
⮚ Being an inclusive leader requires that one constantly
involves other people in their leadership, whether it is by
always welcoming the feedback of others or delegating
more responsibility to others than other forms of leadership.
 Key Takeaways
There are numerous ways of defining leadership. Some
leadership theories attempt to explain what differentiates a leader,
while some explain how great leaders come to be. The Great Man
Theory believes that the inherent traits that one is born with
contribute to great leadership. Situational Theory recommends
leaders to adopt a leadership style depending on the situation at hand,
while the Behavioral Theory is all about the learning the skills
necessary to become a good leader.
Leadership theories don’t only exist in history. They are
concepts with actionable advice that can be adopted by many, from
executive managers to community leaders and government officials.