Leadership and

Followership
Lecture 2
Dr. P. David Jawahar
 Leadership
Leadership in organisations is the process of guiding and directing the behaviour of
people in the work environment
Formal Leadership occurs when an organisation officially bestows on a leader the
authority to guide and direct others in the organisation
Informal Leadership occurs when a person is unofficially accorded power by others
in the organisation and uses influence to guide and direct their behaviour
John Kotter – “leadership and management are two distinct yet complementary
systems of action in organisations”
According to Kotter
Management Process Leadership Process
Planning and Budgeting Setting direction for an organisation
Organizing and Staffing Aligning people with that direction through communication
Controlling and Problem Solving Motivating people to action (through empowerment and
need satisfaction
Reduces uncertainty and stabilizes organisation Creates uncertainty and change in organisation

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Early Trait Theories
The first studies attempted to identify what
•Physical attributes
•Personality characteristics
•Abilities – distinguished leaders from others
Leader Personality Characteristics were also examined – originality, adaptability,
integrity, introversion-extraversion, dominance, mood optimism, self-confidence, and
emotional control
Leader Abilities were also examined – social skills, intelligence, scholarship, speech
fluency, cooperativeness and insight
They, however, ignored the situation and the follower!

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Behavioural Theories
1. Kurt Lewin Studies – on leadership styles
Leadership Style Characterized by Results
Autocratic Directive, strong, controlling relationships, using rules Little discretion, passive
Democratic Collaborative, responsive, and interactive in Involved, more discretion
relationships
Laissez-faire Hands off approach Chaos, aggression
2. Ohio State Studies – LBDQ – Leader Behaviour Description Questionnaire.
Revealed two dimensions
1. Initiating Structure
2. Consideration
3. Michigan Studies revealed two styles of leadership
3. Production oriented
4. Employee oriented

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

The Leadership Grid – Robert Blake and Jane Mouton

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Contingency Theories
These theories believe that Leadership Style must be appropriate for the particular
situation. They follow the “if – then” model
I. Fiedler’s Contingency Theory – proposes the fit between the leader’s need structure
(task vs people orientation) and favorableness of the leader’s situation determines the
team’s effectiveness
II. Path – Goal Theory – Robert House

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Contingency Theories (contd.)
III. Vroom-Yetton-Jago Decision Model

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

 Contingency Theories (contd.) Hersey and Blanchard’s
IV. Situational Leadership Model

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Contingency Theories (contd.)
V. Leader - Member Exchange (LMX Model)
• Leaders form different relationships with followers (in groups and out groups)
• In group members tend to be similar to the leader
• They are given more attention, responsibility and rewards
• They are more satisfied, have lower turnover and higher organisational commitment
• The out group members are outside the circle. They receive less attention and
rewards
• They are managed by formal rules and policies

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Substitutes for Leadership
Sometimes situations can neutralize or even replace leader behaviour
The situation
•When a task is satisfying and employees get feedback about performance
•High skill of the employee
•Team cohesiveness
•Formal controls
•Firm’s Customers!

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Inspirational Leadership Theories
•Transformational Leadership (as opposed to transactional leadership). They inspire
and excite followers to high levels of performance

•Charismatic Leadership – a leader’s use of personal abilities and talents in order to

have profound and extraordinary effects on followers

•Authentic Leadership – a style of leadership that includes transformational,

charismatic, or transactional approaches as the situation demands

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Emerging issues in Leadership
•Emotional Intelligence
•Trust
•Gender
•Servant Leadership (Steward)
•Abusive supervision

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Followership

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Guidelines for effective leadership
1. Leaders and organisations should appreciate the unique attributes, predispositions
and talents of each leader
2. There is no one single best leadership style. The organisational preference must
decide the style. Choose leaders who challenge the culture not destroy it
3. Choose leaders who will encourage consideration but not at the cost of task
4. Encourage different leaders to emerge depending on the situation
5. Good leaders are more likely to be good followers

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR