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Session-18-Trait Approach To Leadership

The document discusses trait and behavioral theories of leadership from 1945 to the present. It summarizes key studies including Warren Bennis identifying 4 common traits of effective leaders, and the Ohio State studies that identified two dimensions of leadership behavior: initiating structure and consideration. The Ohio State studies developed the LBDQ questionnaire to measure these dimensions and found they were distinct aspects that could be present in varying combinations.

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45 views16 pages

Session-18-Trait Approach To Leadership

The document discusses trait and behavioral theories of leadership from 1945 to the present. It summarizes key studies including Warren Bennis identifying 4 common traits of effective leaders, and the Ohio State studies that identified two dimensions of leadership behavior: initiating structure and consideration. The Ohio State studies developed the LBDQ questionnaire to measure these dimensions and found they were distinct aspects that could be present in varying combinations.

Uploaded by

akshayvig
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Topic - 6

LEADERSHIP
(Cont’d)
Session - 18
Trait Approach to Leadership
• Pre 1945, leadership traits suggested certain
characteristics, such as physical energy or
friendliness as essential for effective leadership.
• These inherent personal qualities like intelligence
were felt to be transferable from one situation to
another, but since all individuals did not possess
these qualities, only those who had them were
considered potential leaders.
• Research on Traits is continuing. Warren Bennis
who completed a 5-year study of ninety
outstanding leaders and their followers, identified
four common traits, or common areas of
competence, shared by all ninety leaders.
1. Management of Attention
The ability to communicate a sense of outcome,
goal, or direction that attracts followers.
2. Management of Meaning
The ability to create and communicate meaning
with clarity and understanding.
3. Management of Trust
The ability to be reliable and consistent.
4. Management of Self
The ability to know one’s self and to use one’s
skills within the limits of one’s strengths and
weaknesses.
Bennis updated these traits with seven
characteristics of effective performance:
1. Business Literacy
Does the manager know the business – the real
feel of it?

2. People Skills
Does the manager have the capacity to
motivate, to bring out the best in people?

3. Conceptual Skills
Does the manager have the capacity to think
systematically, creatively and inventively?
4. Track Record
Has the manager done it before and done it well?
5. Taste
Does the manager have the ability to pick the right
people – not clones, but people that can make up
deficiencies?
6. Judgement
Does the manager have the ability to make quick
decisions with imperfect data?
7. Character
The core competency of leadership is character, but
character and judgment are the qualities we know
least about when trying to teach them to others.
Negative Leadership Traits
When people are hindered from reaching the
top, it is simply due to certain negative traits.
Three such negative traits, in order of
importance are:
– The perception of being uninformed.
– Of being non-participants.
– Of being extremely rigid.
Both, winners and losers had strengths and
weaknesses, but those who fell short, seemed to
have one or more of what are termed as ‘fatal
flaws’ viz:
– Insensitive to orders: abrasive, intimidating,
bullying style.
– Cold, aloof or arrogant.
– Untrustworthy.
– Overly ambitious: always thinking of the next
job, playing politics.
– Having specific performance problems with the
business.
– Unable to delegate or build a team – over
managing.
– Unable to staff effectively.
– Unable to think strategically.
– Unable to adapt to boss with different style.
– Over dependent on advocate or mentor.
Leadership Traits that do matter

• Drive: Achievement, ambition, energy,


tenacity, initiative.

• Leadership motivation (personalized Vs


socialized).
Personal-Behavioural Theories
(Attitudinal Approaches)
• The main period of the attitudinal
approaches to leadership occurred between
1945 with the Ohio State and Michigan
studies and the mid 90s, with the
development of the Managerial Grid.

• The dimensions of the Managerial Grid –


concern for production and concern for
people – are attitudinal.
Ohio State Leadership Studies
Initiating Structure and Consideration
• This study attempted to identify various dimensions of leader
behaviour.
• Defining leadership as ‘the behaviour of an individual when
directing the activities of a group towards goal attainment’,
they eventually narrowed the description of leader behaviour
to two dimensions: initiating structure and consideration.
• Initiating structure meant ‘a type of leader behaviour that
describes the extent to which a leader is task oriented and
directs subordinates’ work activities towards goal achievement’.
• Consideration, on the other hand refers to ‘a type of leader
behaviour that describes the extent to which a leader is
sensitive to subordinates, respects their ideas and feelings and
establishes mutual trust’.
• The State developed the Leader Behaviour
Description Questionnaire, (LBDQ), an
instrument designed to describe how leaders
carry out their activities.

• This questionnaire measures the perceptions of


subordinates, peers or superiors.

• The initiating structure and consideration


scores derived from the responses to the
questionnaire provide a way to measure
leadership style.
Examples of LBDQ Items
CONSIDERATION INITIATING STRUCTURE
1. The leader finds time 1. The leader assigns
to group members to
listen to group particular tasks.
members.
2. The leader asks the
2. The leader is friendly group members to
and approachable. follow standard rules
and regulations.
3. The leader lets group
members know what is
3. The leader is willing to expected of them.
make changes.
• The Ohio State University found
that initiating structure and
consideration were separate and
distinct dimensions.
• A high score on one dimension did
not necessitate a low score on the
other.
• The behaviour of a leader was any
mix of both dimensions.
High Consideration High Structure
and and
Low Structure High Consideration

Low Structure High Structure


and and
Low Consideration Low Consideration

Low - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - INITIATING STRUCTURE - - - - - - - - - - - - - -HIGH


The Ohio State personal-behaviour
theory has been criticized because of
simplicity, lack of generalizability and
reliance on questionnaire responses to
predict leadership effectiveness.

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