When it comes to leadership, the world is divided into two different camps. Transformational Leadership Theory: The transformational theory states that a leader is effective only if he can transform or change the perceptions, behaviour and expectations of the followers and direct them towards a common goal which will lead to the accomplishment of the leader’s vision. Business Administration, Human Resource Management – B.S. While the behavioural theories of leadership focused on discovering the constant relationship between leadership behaviours and the group performance, the contemporary theories emphasized the significance of situational factors (such as stress level, job structure, leader’s intelligence, followers’ traits, etc.) The real boom in leadership theories started in the 20 th century, when more focus began pouring in to solving the great mysteries of effective and good leadership. Leadership styles were formally developed as a result of studies on leadership theory, and each style includes distinct qualities.Common leadership styles include: The theories emphasize the traitsLeadership TraitsLeadership traits refer to personal qualities that define effective leaders. No o ne theory can address all the . Share. This theory held … By submitting you will receive emails from WGU and can opt-out at any time. While there are dozens of leadership theories and psychology, there are a few that are more well-known. Positive reinforcement is known for working wonders with employees, encouraging and motivating them to succeed. Sometimes called the style theory, it suggests that leaders aren’t born successful, but can be created based on learnable behavior. Employees feel more engaged and motivated when they are directly involved in decisions and outcomes for their company. This theory believes that leaders are made, not born. When they fail, they may get punished. In other words, one may argue that the studies of the traits are not accurate. According to this theory, people can learn to become leaders through teaching and observation. In fact, the theory values a positive and mutually beneficial relationship. Each of these categories, like contingency theories, situational theories, relationship theories and participative theories, characterize leadership models based on how an individual leads his team. Behavioural Theory In contrast with trait theory, behavioural theoryattempts to describe leadership in terms of what leadersdo, while trait theory seeks to explain leadership on thebasis of what leaders are. Introduction of Trait Approach: The trait approach represents the earliest notions of leadership and was popular between 1930 and 1950. Business Management – B.S. Science Education (Secondary Earth Science) – M.A. They have innate traits and skills that make them great, and these are things that can’t be taught or learned. To continue your development as a world-class financial analyst, these additional resources will be helpful: Become a certified Financial Modeling and Valuation Analyst (FMVA)®FMVA® CertificationJoin 350,600+ students who work for companies like Amazon, J.P. Morgan, and Ferrari by completing CFI’s online financial modeling classes and training program! The behavioral theory has many advantages, primarily that leaders can learn and decide what actions they want to implement to become the kind of leader they want to be. You're in charge of your college education—but you're never alone. A two dimensional view of leadership style that is based on concern for people versus concern for production. Employees tend to appreciate this style, though it can be less effective overall. High levels of ambition and determination are usually seen in leaders that appear to bring this theory to life. The trait approach can help you pick out a leader, or predict that an individual might step up to leadership. --Relationship theory. Numerous explanations, classifications, theories and definitions about leadership, exist in the contemporary literature. At WGU, your experience is our obsession! Trait Theory of Leadership: In the 1940s, most early leadership studies concentrated on trying to determine the traits of a leader. Flexibility 7. The theory suggests that the ability to lead is inherent – that the best leaders are born, not made. French and Raven's Five Forms of Power is a commonly known power theory of leadership. Without a leader, nothing will ever run smoothly. People cite Abraham Lincoln, Alexander the Great, Queen Elizabeth I, and many others as their examples of the great man theory. Individual consideration viewed at multiple levels of … Special Education (Mild-to-Moderate) – B.A. All of these situations play a factor into the contingency theory. 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. Transformational Leadership Theory: The transformational theory states that a leader is effective only if he can transform or change the perceptions, behaviour and expectations of the followers and direct them towards a common goal which will lead to the accomplishment of the leader’s vision. The behavioral leadership theory focuses on how leaders behave, and assumes that these traits can be copied by other leaders. However, it was seen that the preferred behavioural styles of leaders produced varied result under different circumstances. All Rights Reserved. Willingness to accept responsibility 8. Some theories suggest that you need to have inborn traits, some advocate you to shape your persona as per the situation, while others emphasize on … A strong will is crucial to staying resilient and seeing leaders through difficult times. According to theory the personal traits or characteristics of a leader makes him different from the followers. This theory is not without criticism however—some suggest that this type of style makes leaders appear weak or unnecessary. They are often mentors for employees, scheduling time to talk to them and working to meet their needs. This is normal as no single theory can be perfect. Barnard (1938) for 'prescriptives': Ghiselli and Wald & Doty (1954) for the 'descriptives'. There are numerous ways of defining leadership. Nursing – Education (RN-to-MSN Program) – M.S. Teaching, Science Education (Secondary) – M.A. Action rather than qualities are the focal points of behavioral learning theory. Science Education (Secondary Chemistry) – M.A. The situational theory of leadership suggests that no single leadership style is best. Trait leadership theory of leadership is based on the assumption that people are born with inherited traits and some traits are particularly suited to leadership. Nursing – Leadership and Management (BSN-to-MSN Program) – M.S. Contingency theory focuses on the importance of a situation, but may not focus enough on the psychology of the employees or the company itself. THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP AND THEIR EDUCATIONAL/ SCHOOL IMPLICATIONS To many, leaders are born and This approach to leadership, also known as management theories of leadership, focuses on workplace issues. Ralph Nader says “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not followers.” This is considered transformational leadership—a leader can alter the perspective or psychology of a follower and shift them to want to become a leader too. 6. Adaptability 2. Whatever behaviors you choose, the behavioral leadership theory helps leaders focus on their actions and utilize their decisions to be a great leader. Ready to apply now?Apply free using the application waiver NOWFREE. Let’s head back to the 1940s, around the time that Stogdill sent leadership studies off in a different dire… A common example of this management style is a leader that offers a cash bonus for employees who meet a goal. Maturity 5. The relationship theory of leadership focuses on leaders who are mainly concerned about their interactions with others. As its name suggests, the theory implies that leadership depends on the situation at hand. Decision 3. Share your thoughts and experience. Intelligence 10. Consequences and punishments can decrease morale in an organization, negatively impacting employees. Adaptive leadership, one of the most recent leadership theories to emerge, says a leader is someone who mobilizes people to take on tough challenges, like inclusiveness. 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