Classical Leadership Theories & New Leadership School

Question 1

1930: Trait Theories (“Great Man”)

Answer 1

-“Which personal leader attributes determine success?”
-More leadership attributes / characteristics

Question 1

Leadership Theories in the Course of Time (page 28)

Answer 1

1930 : “Great Man theories”
1950 : “Behavioral theories”
1960: “Situational theories”
1980: “New leadership school”
2025: Next leadership

Question 2

Which personal leader
attributes determine success? (“Great Man”)

Answer 2

Attributes
-Personality traits
-Stability in different environments

Empirical findings
-Only moderate correlation between
attributes and leadership success
-Partially contradictory findings regarding the relevance of examined attributes

Question 3

More leadership
attributes / characteristics (“Great Man”)

Answer 3

• Abilities
• Attainments
• Responsibility
• Participation
• Status

Question 4

Abilities (“Great Man”)

Answer 4

Intelligence, capability of expression, power of judgment, originality

Question 5

Attainments (“Great Man”)

Answer 5

Success in school, knowledge, success in sports

Question 6

Responsibility (“Great Man”)

Answer 6

Reliability, initiative taking, self assuredness,
stamina

Question 7

Participation (“Great Man”)

Answer 7

Social activity, cooperation, flexibility, humor

Question 8

Status (“Great Man”)

Answer 8

Socioeconomic popularity

Question 9

Trait Theories Today

Answer 9

• A high number of decision-makers in organizations still
  believe that the ability to lead is congenital
• Yet, leadership can be learned and trained to a large extent

-In the selection process of leaders, personality and
intelligence tests still play a major role

• Yet, their prognostic quality is limited with complex tasks,
  such as a leadership role

Question 10

Trait Theories Today Rediscovered with limitations

Answer 10

Moderate relationships between leadership success
and the so called “Big Five” personality traits
 Extraversion: r=24 (active, sociable, communicative,
determined, dominant)

 Openness to experience: r= 24
(creative, cultivated, versatile,intellectual, open-minded)

 Agreeableness: r=21
(friendly, flexible, trustful,cooperative, benevolent)

Conscientiousness: r= 16
(reliable, careful,
responsible, planful, persistent)

 Neuroticism: r=22
(anxious, easily upset,embarassed, insecure, worried)

–> voir page 34 /35 pour graph

Question 11

Trait theorie/ “Great Man” – Theories (Stogdill): Strenghts

Answer 11

 Intuitively understandable
 Long research tradition
 Partially supported by empirical research,
particularly in the context of the “big five” theory

Question 12

Trait theorie/ “Great Man” – Theories (Stogdill): Weaknesses

Answer 12

-Unidimensional explanation of leader
behavior and success through personality
traits and other attributes

-Prominent leaders exhibit different traits

-Disregard of situation, role and task factors

-Development of leadership competencies is
not taken into consideration

Question 13

1950s: Behavioral Theories -“Ohio-State Studies” (Fleishman, Hemphill) - Leadership Orientations

Answer 13

1. Relationship orientation: consideration
2. Task orientation: Initiating structure

Question 14

Relationship orientation

Answer 14

 Leader regards the wellbeing of followers
 Leader makes an effort to have a good
relationship to followers
 Leader treats followers as equals
 Leader supports followers with current
practices and concerns
 Leader is committed to developing
followers’ skills and abilities

Question 15

Task orientation

Answer 15

 Leader criticizes inadequate work

 Leader encourages slow working employees
to invest more effort

 Leader rules with an ‘iron fist’

 Leader makes sure that followers fully engage in their work

 Leader demands inefficient workers to get more out of themselves

Question 16

1950s: Behavioral Theories (ohio state studies : graph)

Answer 16

page 40

Question 17

1950s: Behavioral Theories (ohio state studies) : Results

Answer 17

-Both leadership styles show moderately positive relationships with team/organizational performance

• Relationship orientation is on average more strongly related with indicators of leadership
  success (e.g., employee motivation, satisfaction with leader, perceived leader effectiveness)

-Relationship orientation is in particular more strongly related to employee job
satisfaction than task orientation

Question 18

Behavioral Theories (ohio state studies): Strengths

Answer 18

-Distinction of two essential leadership
styles derived from organizational practice

-Empirical research proves effectiveness of both leadership styles regarding different success indicators

-Studies indicate that the combination of
both leadership styles has a positive effect on leadership effectiveness

Question 19

Behavioral Theories (ohio state studies): Weaknesses

Answer 19

-Rather weak implications of the model due
to the conceptual breadth of the two
categories

• Focus exclusively on leadership style, no consideration of situational or follower aspects

Question 20

1950s: Behavioral Theories
Managerial Grid (Blake & Mouton)

Answer 20

(1,1) Impoverished Management – Low concern for people and results; minimal effort to manage.

(9,1) Authority-Compliance (Task Management) – High concern for results, low concern for people; efficiency is prioritized over relationships.

(1,9) Country Club Management – High concern for people, low concern for results; focuses on relationships over performance.

(5,5) Middle-of-the-Road Management – Moderate concern for both people and results; aims for balance but may not achieve excellence.

(9,9) Team Management – High concern for both people and results; considered the most effective leadership style as it fosters trust, respect, and commitment.

Question 21

Managerial Grid: Strenghts

Answer 21

-Integration of both dimensions
consideration and initiating structure:
Interplay between the two dimensions is considered

-Intuitively understandable

-Shared understanding and vocabulary in
business world

• Considers the behaviors of leaders and what they do
• Leaders can assess their actions and
  determine how they want to develop
  alternative/additional leadership styles

-Implication for organizational practice:
“Adequate” leadership behavior is learnable
(–> leadership training)

Question 22

Managerial Grid: Weaknesses

Answer 22

-Inconsistent research findings

-Match between leader behavior and
situational characteristics not clear

-What skills do leaders need to balance task
and relational leadership behaviors over
time?

• Leadership style as single determinant of leadership success may be oversimplification
  of the complexity of everyday leadership
• Neglect of the role of situation and
  organizational structure in measuring
  leadership success

Question 23

Situational Leadership Model (Hersey & Blanchard)

Answer 23

low maturity (unable und unwilling)
–> low to moderate maturity (willing but unable)
–> moderate to high maturity (able but unwilling)
–> high maturity (able and willing)

page 53

Question 24

Situational Leadership Model (Hersey & Blanchard): Suggestions for leaders

Answer 24

- Try to use the whole spectrum of leadership types - Analyze your employees’ competencies and potentials precisely -Differentiate leadership behavior: Leader is required to practice all 4 leadership styles in parallel and adapt them to the respective situation (i.e., depending on the maturity level of the followers) - Analyze the causes for the qualification and motivation levels of your employees - Invest into your employees’ maturity in order to be better able to delegate

Question 25

Situational Leadership Model (Hersey & Blanchard): Strengths

Answer 25

-Incorporation of the situation in which leadership occurs - Frequently used in practice

Question 26

Situational Leadership Model (Hersey & Blanchard): Weaknesses

Answer 26

-High demands are set on leaders: They must be able to carry out 4 different styles simultaneously - Leaders are expected to have no preference for one style of leadership - The classification of employees into the four quadrants may be too rigid - Employee maturity is the only situational factor taken into account

Question 27

Limit of Classical research on leadership leads to a dead end

Answer 27

-Limited predictive power of leadership success -Primary focus on employees’ extrinsic motivation -Neglect of change in employees’ work-related values, attitudes and expectations -Marginalization of leaders' influence

Question 28

New Leadership School: Development of a new approach

Answer 28

- Emphasis on leader‘s charisma - Focus on emotions -Goals: --> Stimulate intrinsic motivation --> Personal growth of employees -New terms: Transformational / charismatic / visionary leadership

Question 29

Transactional Leadership

Answer 29

-Focus on goal definition -Task fulfillment in exchange for reward or punishment -Purely rational approach --> Goal and results oriented

Question 30

Transformational Leadership

Answer 30

-Emotional approach -Leadership via inspiration, vision, charisma -Transformation of subordinates’ values --> value and goal transforming

Question 31

Transactional Leadership: Main Assumptions

Answer 31

Exchange is based on rational motivation; the desired reward is achieved when the task is completed according to the leader‘s expectations; exchange is assumed to be independent from the employees' preferences

Question 32

Transactional Leadership: Two main behavioral patterns

Answer 32

- “Contingent reward”: goal clarification coupled with rewards for goal achievement - “Management by exception”: delegation – leader interventions only in exceptions

Question 33

Goal and Results-Oriented (Transactional) Leadership: process

Answer 33

1. Define or agree upon clear goals 2.Establish transparent performance standards 3. Management-by-exception 4.Ensure that work environment promotes employees’ goal achievement 5.Systematic and open feedback 6.Contingent reward - reward goal achievement

Question 34

Transactional Leadership: Objectives and Key Results

Answer 34

is a method to define, communicate and track objectives and their results in a VUCA-environment

Question 35

It is an individual/ team performance management process to…

Answer 35

-Motivate/ engage in the management process -Align the whole organization with the strategy -Focus on fast learning -Dynamically adjust priorities and develop the business model

Question 36

Transactional Leadership: advantages

Answer 36

-Development of followers' performance motivation, initiative taking, and readiness to take responsibility -Establishing transparent and comparable performance standards -Individual analysis of critical points and possibilities for improvement

Question 37

Transactional Leadership: Limitations

Answer 37

-Qualification and motivations of followers -Limitation of leadership to MbO (Management by Objectives) - Quantitative aspects of tasks tend to be over-valued as compared to qualitative aspects -Individual goals and performance may be given priority at the cost of teamwork

Question 38

Transformational Leadership Definition

Answer 38

Transformational leaders inspire followers to transcend their own self-interests for the good of the organization and are capable of having a profound and extraordinary effect on their followers. Leadership is not getting people to do things they don‘t want to do, but getting them to do things they never thought they were able to do.

Question 39

Transformational Leadership: Basic Assumptions

Answer 39

-Transformational leadership complements transactional leadership -Transformational Leadership considers emotional aspects of leaders -Transformational leaders change the needs and preferences of their subordinates -Leadership through inspiration, vision, and charisma

Question 40

Transformational Leadership: Dimensions of Transformational Leadership

Answer 40

1. Idealized influence 2. Inspirational motivation 3.Intellectual stimulation 4.Individualized consideration

Question 41

Idealized influence

Answer 41

-Communicate enthusiasm -Show behavior with which others identify -Exhibit integrity at all times

Question 42

Inspirational motivation

Answer 42

-Motivate others with an exciting vision -Engage people emotionally -Augment the importance of goals and tasks

Question 43

Intellectual stimulation

Answer 43

-Break out of established modes of thinking - Communicate new insights

Question 44

Individualized consideration

Answer 44

- Consider each employee as an individual - Reinforce each employee individually - Promote self- confidence

Question 45

Vision – An image of our desired future

Answer 45

- A vision is a picture of the future you seek to create. A statement of “our vision” shows where we want to go, and what it will be like when we get there. - The word comes from the Latin videre , “to see” -Because of its tangible and immediate quality, a vision gives shape and direction to the organization’s future. It also helps people to set goals to get the organization closer to what it wants to become

Question 46

Transformational leadership increases...

Answer 46

-Employee satisfaction and motivation -Effectivity rating of the leader and the work performance -Objective organizational performance --> augmentation effect: Transformational leadership has a positive effect on workload in addition to the effect of transactional leadership

Question 47

Transformational Leadership: limitations

Answer 47

-There are few charismatic leaders/visionaries - Charisma, inspiration, and intellectual stimulation can only be learned to a certain extent -Qualifications and motivation of the leader set the boundaries -May be time-intensive, especially for individualized consideration

Question 48

The Ohio State Studies narrowed the independent dimensions of leader behavior to two that substantially accounted for most of the leadership behavior described by employees: consideration and ________

Answer 48

initiating structure

Question 49

Dyadic Leadership Approach: Leader-Member-Exchange (LMX, Graen)

Answer 49

The relationship between leaders and individual followers may differ for followers in the 'in-group' versus those in the 'out-group'

Question 50

In-group

Answer 50

high quality relationships, e.g. strong support from leader, greater responsibilities

Question 51

Out-Group

Answer 51

low quality relationships, e.g. in extreme cases, only monitoring of compliance with the work contract

Question 52

Leader-Member-Exchange (LMX, Graen): Development

Answer 52

Role taking --> Role buiding --> stabilization

Question 53

Role taking

Answer 53

-Leader tries to get information about skills, abilities and traits of followers

Question 54

Role building

Answer 54

- Mutual expectations and demands are negotiated -Shaping of the working relationship --> in-group/ out-group

Question 55

Stabilization

Answer 55

- Developing routine behaviors - Reinforcement of role patterns

Question 56

Leader-Member-Exchange (LMX, Graen): Suggestions

Answer 56

-Establish a positive relationship to each member of your working group -Consider the capabilities and needs of each employee -Treat each employee fairly - Meet each employee with trust and respect -Promote diversity by recognizing the individual skills of employees -Turn the whole working group to an in-group - Develop a respectful working climate - Critically examine one’s own attitude toward individual employees on a regular basis

Question 57

Leader-Member-Exchange (LMX, Graen): Results (positive)

Answer 57

Positive correlation between good relationship quality and  Performance of employees (r = .30)  Satisfaction with leader (r = .57)  Organizational commitment (r = .41)  OCB: Organizational citizenship behavior (r = .34)

Question 58

Leader-Member-Exchange (LMX, Graen): Results (negative)

Answer 58

Negative correlation between good relationship quality and  Role conflict (r = -.27)  Role ambiguity (r = -.34)  Turnover intention (r = -.34)  Actual turnover (r = -.15)

Question 59

Leader-Member-Exchange (LMX, Graen): Strengths

Answer 59

-Incorporation of the diversity of employees -Stresses the dyadic relationship between leader and individual follower -Emphasizes the importance of communication in leadership -Positive relationship between high-quality relationships and leadership success empirically proven

Question 60

Leader-Member-Exchange (LMX, Graen): weaknesses

Answer 60

-Validity of empirical measures sometimes unclear -The concept has not been researched thoroughly enough, e.g. what exactly constitutes a 'high-quality relationship'?

Question 61

Health-Oriented Leadership

Answer 61

-Integrative approach for evaluating health-oriented leadership -Consideration of leader and follower perspectives: --> Self-Care: Management of one‘s own health (leader and follower) --> Staff-Care: Management of follower health by leader -Three dimensions: value, awareness, behavior page 18

Question 62

Servant Leadership

Answer 62

- Paradox and counterintuitive perspective on leadership - First conceptualization by Robert K. Greenleaf in the 1970’s - Growing interest and popularity in recent years in practice and research -Main ideas: --> A servant leaderprimarily focuses on the needs of his/her employees and aids them in becoming more competent, free and independent. --> This is contradictory to other leadership approaches, which tend to place the leader and his/her needs in the center of attention.

Question 63

Servant Leadership: Characteristics of a servant leader according to L. Spears

Answer 63

Servant: -Listening -Empathy -Healing Leader: -Awareness -Persuasion -Conceptualization -Foresight Leader and Servant: -Stewardship -Commitment to people -Building community Page 22