OB: Leadership

The lecture delves into the complexities of leadership within organizational behavior, emphasizing its multi-level analysis: micro, meso, and macro. It outlines the key attributes of effective leaders, such as intelligence, emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, and integrity, while highlighting the necessity of both people-oriented and task-oriented behaviors. The discussion critiques Fiedler's contingency model, which posits fixed leadership styles, and contrasts it with more flexible approaches like the situational leadership theory and path-goal theory, which advocate adapting styles based on situational and follower contingencies. The lecture concludes by encouraging continuous leadership development through training.

• Leadership is a crucial yet complex topic within organizational behavior, involving micro, meso, and macro levels of analysis.
• Great leaders possess specific characteristics at the micro level, function effectively with followers at the meso level, and are often synonymous with their organizations at the macro level.
• The essence of leadership is helping followers achieve more than they thought possible.

"Leadership is helping people do more than they ever thought possible."

• Leadership is defined by its impact on followers, emphasizing the leader's role in enabling followers to surpass their expectations.

• Early research posited that great leaders were born, focusing on physical attributes, predominantly male.
• Modern research incorporates non-physical attributes such as intelligence, drive, and personality into leadership theories.
• The ability to measure personality traits has advanced the understanding of leadership.

"In the beginning, researchers thought that great leaders were born, not made."

• Initial theories emphasized innate qualities, but modern approaches recognize the importance of measurable traits.

• Leaders require high levels of business knowledge and the ability to motivate employees intrinsically.
• Skills include listening, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills, which can be developed over time.
• Cognitive intelligence and practical intelligence are crucial, though distinct, components of effective leadership.

"Leaders tend to have high levels of knowledge about business in general and about the business that they are leading in specific."

• Business acumen and the ability to motivate are key components of leadership knowledge.

"Leaders tend to have high levels of skills such as listening skills, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills."

• Essential leadership skills can be improved with effort and are critical for engaging with others.

• Extroversion and conscientiousness are important personality traits for leaders.
• Drive, perseverance, and diligence are necessary for leadership success.
• Core self-evaluations, including emotional stability and self-esteem, influence a leader's effectiveness.
• Integrity and a strong moral compass are fundamental to inspiring ethical behavior in others.

"A great leader needs to be active and have an interest in other people; they need to be organized, perseverant, diligent, and hardworking."

• Personality traits are foundational to a leader's capability to engage and motivate others.

"A great leader usually has a strong moral compass, is truthful, and does what it is that they say they will do."

• Integrity is essential for building trust and inspiring ethical conduct.

• Leaders engage in people-oriented and task-oriented behaviors.
• People-oriented behaviors focus on employee well-being and relationship-building.
• Task-oriented behaviors ensure job completion and create a conducive work environment.
• Effective leaders balance both dimensions, adapting to situational needs.

"They engage in people-oriented behaviors and task-oriented behaviors."

• Successful leaders must navigate both interpersonal and task-related aspects of leadership.

"Great leaders are capable of exhibiting both dimensions of leader behavior."

• Flexibility in leadership style is crucial for addressing diverse challenges and achieving organizational goals.

• Leadership styles are typically divided into people-oriented and task-oriented behaviors.
• Fiedler's Contingency Model determines which leadership style is best based on the situation and the followers, referred to as situational control or situational favorableness.

"When, where, and with whom they engage in people-oriented or task-oriented or both behaviors may be like you. In fact, these dimensions are the foundation of almost all theories of leadership."

• Leadership is fundamentally categorized into people-oriented and task-oriented styles, forming the basis of leadership theories.

• Leader-Follower Relations: The quality of the relationship between the leader and the follower. A good relationship favors people-oriented leadership, while a poor relationship favors task-oriented leadership.

"If the relationship is good, then the people-oriented leader may be better, and if the relationship is poor, then a task-oriented style may be better."

• The quality of leader-follower relations influences which leadership style is more effective.

• Task Structure: Tasks are categorized as structured or unstructured. Structured tasks have a defined way of completion, whereas unstructured tasks do not.

"Think of an assembly line job as a structured task... An example of an unstructured task is recovering the debris scattered by a tornado."

• Task structure determines the predictability and method of task completion, influencing leadership style effectiveness.

• Leader Position Power: This is characterized as either weak or strong. Strong position power is associated with long-standing leaders or business owners, while weak position power is often seen in new leaders.

"A leader with weak position power usually finds themselves in that position perhaps only recently... A strong position power for a leader is more likely if the leader is also the business owner."

• The strength of a leader's position power affects their ability to influence and direct followers.

• The LPC scale measures a leader's style preference by evaluating their least preferred co-worker.
• A positive description of the least preferred co-worker indicates a people-oriented leader, while a negative description indicates a task-oriented leader.

"If scores on this scale describe the least preferred co-worker in positive terms, then the respondent is people-oriented. If... the LPC is described in unfavorable terms, then the respondent is task-oriented."

• The LPC scale helps identify a leader's inherent orientation towards people or tasks.

• Fiedler posits that leaders cannot change their inherent leadership style and must be replaced if their style does not fit the situation.

"Fiedler concludes that if you are a task-oriented leader and the situation calls for a relationship-oriented leader or vice versa, then you can't change your style and you must be replaced."

• The rigidity of leadership style necessitates matching leaders to situations rather than expecting style adaptation.

• Fiedler's model categorizes eight different situations based on leader-follower relations, task structure, and leader position power.
• Each situation suggests whether a people-oriented or task-oriented leader is more appropriate.

"For example, in situation one, the leader-follower relations are good, the task is structured, and the leader position power is strong."

• The model provides a framework for determining the optimal leadership style based on situational factors.

• In a scenario where leader-follower relations are good, tasks are structured, and leader position power is strong, a task-oriented leader is deemed most effective.

"In situation one, we see that the x is in the task-oriented row, suggesting that when there are good leader-member relations, the task is structured, and the leader position power is strong, then a task-oriented leader is best."

• The example illustrates how situational factors guide the selection of a suitable leadership style according to Fiedler's model.

• The appropriateness of a leader's style is crucial to the effectiveness in a given situation.
• Leaders must either adapt their style to fit the situation or change the situation to suit their style.
• Shortcomings of Fiedler's model include its indirect measurement of leadership style and its oversimplification of concepts like relationships and power.
• Modern leadership models suggest that effective leaders are adaptable and can change their style as needed.

"If a leader's style is not appropriate to a situation, either the situation has to be greatly modified to fit the leader or the leader has to be replaced."

• This quote highlights the necessity of alignment between a leader's style and the situational demands for effective leadership.

"There are probably other contingencies that affect the relationship between leadership style and leadership effectiveness."

• Acknowledges that Fiedler's model may not account for all variables influencing leadership success.

• Leadership styles should evolve with the readiness of subordinates, similar to parenting strategies changing as children mature.
• Four leadership styles: telling, selling, participating, and delegating, are used based on subordinate readiness.
• Great leaders adapt their style to the developmental stage of their subordinates.

"A great leader can simultaneously use all four different styles with different subordinates or use the different styles with the same subordinate over time."

• Emphasizes the flexibility and adaptability required of leaders to effectively manage diverse teams.

"The main point of this Theory and other modern contingency theories is that great leaders not only can change their style but they must change it depending upon or contingent upon many factors."

• Reinforces the necessity for leaders to be dynamic and responsive to situational and subordinate needs.

• Integrates elements from Fiedler's and Hersey and Blanchard's theories, focusing on leader adaptability to subordinates and the environment.
• Four leadership styles: directive, supportive, participative, and achievement-oriented.
• Leader effectiveness is measured by employee motivation, satisfaction, and performance.

"A directive style is near the far end of the spectrum on high task orientation."

• Describes the directive leadership style, which involves clear instructions and task-focused guidance.

"A supportive leader gets people to do things by appealing to the strength of the relationship between them."

• Highlights the supportive leadership style, which relies on building strong interpersonal relationships.

"An achievement-oriented leader appeals to the need of the employee for recognition and learning."

• Explains the achievement-oriented style, which motivates through recognition and opportunities for growth.

"There are three commonly used ways to determine if a leader is effective: employee motivation, satisfaction, and performance."

• Outlines the criteria for evaluating leadership effectiveness, emphasizing the importance of employee outcomes.

• Job satisfaction is a crucial metric for assessing a leader's effectiveness. Employees who dislike their jobs often perform poorly, indicating ineffective leadership.
• Leader acceptance is another measure. If many employees are unsure about a leader after a year, acceptance is low. This is not binary but has various gradations.
• Organizations regularly assess leader acceptance to ensure effective leadership.

"High levels of job satisfaction are the goal everywhere."

• Job satisfaction is a universal goal and a key indicator of effective leadership.

"There are various gradations of leader acceptance, and organizations are keen to measure it regularly."

• Leader acceptance is not absolute; it varies in degrees and is regularly assessed by organizations.

• Employee skill or experience level influences the best leadership style. Highly skilled employees respond to participative styles, while less skilled ones need directive or supportive styles.
• Locus of control affects leadership style effectiveness. Employees with an internal locus of control prefer participative or achievement-oriented styles, while those with an external locus need directive or supportive approaches.

"If an employee is highly skilled or experienced, they will respond best to appeals for their own insight on the job."

• Skilled employees thrive under participative leadership, valuing their own insights and excellence.

"If their locus of control is external, they likely do not yet feel comfortable in the role and need to be shown how to do it."

• Employees with an external locus of control require guidance and support to feel comfortable and capable.

• Task structure affects leadership style. Routine tasks benefit from supportive leadership, while non-routine tasks require directive or participative styles.
• Team dynamics influence leadership effectiveness. Negative norms necessitate a directive style, while positive dynamics benefit from participative leadership.

"If the task is routine and structured, then a supportive leadership style works best."

• Supportive leadership is effective for routine tasks, addressing job monotony and employee concerns.

"If the team has negative norms, such as all going to lunch together and drinking beer, then the directive style will work best."

• Directive leadership is necessary to address negative team norms and enforce new rules.

• Leadership involves balancing people orientation and task orientation. Preferences vary, but effective leaders must excel in both areas.
• Leaders must accept that not everyone will like them and be willing to enforce necessary tasks, even if unpopular.
• Recognizing the unlimited contingencies affecting leadership style effectiveness is crucial. Leaders must adapt styles to situations.
• Leaders should be aware of their limitations and manage contingencies to maximize effectiveness.
• Leadership skills can be improved through training. While some attributes are innate, others can be learned and practiced.

"To be a truly great leader, we have to get the job done through people."

• Effective leadership requires mastering both task and people management to achieve goals.

"A leader must realize that not everyone is going to like them."

• Acceptance of diverse opinions and the willingness to make tough decisions are essential leadership traits.

"Leaders change their styles as the situation wants."

• Flexibility in leadership style is necessary to address varying situational demands.

"Leadership is a skill that can be improved upon."

• Leadership development is possible through training and practice, enhancing both innate and acquired attributes.