Theories of Leadership.
Many schools of thought have developed throughout history that propose various theories about the source and development of leaders, how leaders are discovered, and how they can be identified. Early leadership theories focused on the qualities that distinguished leaders from followers; subsequent theories looked at other variables such as situational factors and skill levels. Evaluate the similarities and differences between two approaches or theories of leadership: the trait approach and behavioral theory; the Situational Leadership® Model and authentic leadership theory; or the transformational and transactional leadership theories. Begin by providing a brief summary of the two approaches or theories of leadership you have chosen to analyze. Then, examine the common characteristics and differences between the two approaches or theories you selected. Use a minimum of two scholarly sources to support your post. Cite your sources according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
—————
Required Resources
Text
Read the following chapters from Leadership: A high impact approach:
• Chapter 1: Leadership in a Dynamic World
• Chapter 3: Leadership Theory Foundations and Early Theories
• Chapter 4: Modern Leadership Theories and Transformational Leadership
Article
McWilliams, Margaret A., .(2007, Jul-Aug). A leadership competency model: Guiding the NAON process . Orthopaedic Nursing . 26:4, 211-213. Retrieved from the EbscoHost database.
SHRM . (2008). Leadership competencies (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.shrm.org/research/articles/articles/pages/leadershipcompetencies.aspx
Recommended Resources
Article
Schippmann, J. S., Ash, R. A., Battista, M., Carr, L., Eyde, L. D., Hesketh, B., Kehow, J., Pearlman, K., Prien, E. P. & Sanchez, J. I. (2000). The practice of competency modeling. Personnel Psychology, 53(3), 703−740. Retrieved from the EBSCOhost database.
Multimedia
Goldberg, J. (Producer). (1997). A report from the Harvard Business School: Leadership (Links to an external site.)[Video file]. Retrieved from the Films On Demand database.
INTELECOM (Producer). Elements of leadership (Links to an external site.) [Video file]. Retrieved from http://searchcenter.intelecomonline.net:80/playClipDirect.aspx?id=4870EEC7664070BBC7A04533604A03CF3B24D9F4563D27DA2718088A1E8AF2C6C2404B2E58EC51E8533A1C8A81C8C254
Websites
Changing minds. (2013). Leadership theories (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/theories/leadership_theories.htm
———————-
Week One Lecture
When we think of leaders in today’s world, we often think first of the big names in the news: politicians, top-earning CEO’s, humanitarians, or sports figures. Yet there are leaders working in all organizations, large and small. Leadership is present in the world of business and in sports, but it also around us every day, in all facets of our lives: our families, schools, communities, churches, social clubs, and volunteer organizations. There are qualities that make any leader effective whether one is leading a school, a basketball team, a business, or a family.
Leadership Defined
Before we can examine what makes an effective leader, we need to know what leadership means. Leadership has been a topic of interest to historians and philosophers since ancient times, but scientific studies began only in the twentieth century. Scholars and other writers have offered countless definitions of the term leadership. Burns (1978) offers that leadership is “one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on earth” (p. 2). Bennis and Nanus (1985) emphasize this sentiment when they state that “multiple interpretations of leadership exist, each providing a sliver of insight but each remaining an incomplete and wholly inadequate explanation” (p. 4). An often-cited study, one of the most comprehensive reviews of the leadership literature, was conducted by Stogdill (1974), who found that “there are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept” (p. 7). Definitions of leadership include the following:
• “Leadership can be conceptualized as an interaction between a person and the members of a group: One person, the leader, influences, while the other person responds” (Gordon, 1955, p. 10).
• Leadership is “the initiation and maintenance of structure in expectation and interaction” (Stogdill, 1974, p. 15).
• “Managers do things right. Leaders do the right thing” (Bennis & Nanus, 1985, p. 21).
• Leadership “is the ability to step outside the culture … to start evolutionary change processes that are more adaptive” (Schein, 1992, p.2).
• Leadership is “the art of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared aspirations” (Kouzes & Posner, 1995, p. 30).
• “The essence of leadership is not giving things or even providing visions. It is offering oneself and one’s spirit” (Bolman & Deal, 1995, p. 102).
Leadership can also be defined as an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real-life changes in outcomes that reflect their shared purposes. As a result, leadership involves people in a relationship, influence, change, a shared purpose, and it requires taking responsibility to make things happen.
Most of us are aware of famous leaders, but most leadership that changes the world starts small and may begin with personal frustrations about events that prompt people to initiate change and inspire others to follow them. Your leadership may be expressed in the classroom, your neighborhood, community, or volunteer organizations. Concepts of leadership, and our attempts to define it, will continue to evolve over time.
Forbes School of Business Faculty
References
Bennis, W., & Nanus, B. (1985). Leaders: The strategies for taking charge. New York: Harper and Row.
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (1995). Leading with soul: An uncommon journey of spirit. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper & Row.
Gordon, T. (1955). Group-centered leadership: A way of releasing the creative power of groups. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (1995). The leadership challenge: How to keep getting extraordinary things done in organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Schein, E. H. (1992). Organizational culture and leadership (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Stogdill, R. M. (1974). Handbook of leadership: A survey of theory and research. New York: Free Press.
What Students Are Saying About Us
.......... Customer ID: 12*** | Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"Honestly, I was afraid to send my paper to you, but splendidwritings.com proved they are a trustworthy service. My essay was done in less than a day, and I received a brilliant piece. I didn’t even believe it was my essay at first 🙂 Great job, thank you!"
.......... Customer ID: 14***| Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"The company has some nice prices and good content. I ordered a term paper here and got a very good one. I'll keep ordering from this website."
