HR Competency: Leadership (Leadership & Navigation)

Question 1

Coercive Leadership Approach
Definition
Positive
Negative

Answer 1

The leader imposes a vision or solution on the team and demands that the team follow this directive.

Effective during crises when immediate and clear action is required.

Ineffective at other times when it can damage employees’ sense of ownership in their work and motivation

Question 2

Authoritative Leadership Approach:
Definition
Positive
Negative

Answer 2

The leader proposes a bold vision or solution and invites the team to join this challenge.

Effective when there is no clear path forward, the proposal is compelling and captures the team’s imagination.

Ineffective when the leader lacks real expertise.

Question 3

Affiliative Leadership
Definition
Positive
Negative

Answer 3

Leader creates strong relationships with and inside the team. The team members are motivated by loyalty.

Effective especially when a leader has inherited a dysfunctional and dispirited team that needs to be transformed.

Ineffective when used alone (affiliative leader fears damaging a relationship.)

Question 4

Democratic Leadership
Definition
Positive
Negative

Answer 4

The leader invites followers to collaborate and commits to acting by consensus.

Effective when the leader does not have a clear vision or anticipates strong resistance to a change. Team members must be competent; leaders must have strong communication skills.

Ineffective when time is short, since building consensus takes time and multiple meeting

Question 5

Pacesetting Leadership
Definition
Positive
Negative

Answer 5

The leader sets a model for high performance standards and challenges followers to meet these expectations.

Effective when teams are composed of highly competent and internally motivated employees.

Ineffective when expectations and the pace of work become excessive and employees become tired and discouraged.

Question 6

Coaching Leadership
Definition
Positive
Negative

Answer 6

Focuses on developing employees’ skills to align their goals with organizational goals.

Effective when leaders are highly skilled in communication, and motivation, and time management. Team members must also be receptive to coaching.

Ineffective when employees resist changing their performance.

Question 7

Trait Theories of Leadership

Answer 7

Leaders possess certain innate characteristics that followers do not possess and probably cannot acquire. Sometimes referred to as the “Great Man” theory.

Question 8

Blake-Mouton Theory of Leadership

Answer 8

Leadership involves managing tasks and employees.

5 types of managers, team leader is only one considered a real leader:

Country club managers (low task, high relationship) create a secure atmosphere and trust individuals to accomplish goals, avoiding punitive actions so as not to jeopardize relationships.

Impoverished managers (low task, low relationship) use a “delegate-and-disappear” management style. They detach themselves, often creating power struggles.

Authoritarian managers (high task, low relationship) expect people to do what they are told without question and tend not to foster collaboration.

Middle-of-the-road managers (midpoint on both task and relationship) get the work done but are not considered leaders.

Team leaders (high task, high relationship) lead by positive example, foster a team environment, and encourage individual and team development.

Question 9

Situational Theories of Leadership

Answer 9

Leaders can flex their behaviors to meet the needs of unique situations, employing both task or relationship behaviors with employees.

Question 10

Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership

Answer 10

Leaders adapt their behaviors to meet the evolving needs of team members.

TELLING when the employee is not yet motivated or competent.

SELLING when the increasingly competent employee still needs focus and motivation (“why are we doing this”).

PARTICIPATING when competent workers can be included in problem solving and coached on higher skills.

DELEGATING when very competent team members can benefit from greater levels of autonomy and self-direction.

Question 11

Fiedler’s Contingency Theory

Answer 11

Theory asks:
“How can the situation be changed to improve the effectiveness of both leader and employees?”

Goal = “situational favorableness,” which means:
1- Leader-member relations are strong
2 - task structure/requirements are clear
3 - leader has necessary power

If situation is not favorable, it must be changed.

Question 12

Path-Goal Leadership Theory

Answer 12

Leader must adjust behavior based on what each employees’ goals/needs are

Directive—Help the employee understand the task and its goal.

Supportive—Try to fulfill employee’s relationship needs.

Achievement—Motivate by setting challenging goals.

Participative—Provide more control over work and leverage group expertise through participative decision making

Question 13

Emergent Leadership Theory

Answer 13

Leaders are not appointed but emerge from the group, which chooses the leader based on interactions.

Question 14

Ally: Bureaucratic black belts

Answer 14

Know the organization’s systems well, decision making processes, and how to make things happen.

Question 15

Ally: Tugboat pilots

Answer 15

They usually have a deep history with the organization and can predict reactions. They can point out other potential allies who may have a related interest and can benefit from an HR initiative.

Question 16

Ally: Benevolent bureaucrats

Answer 16

Might only be your ally because they have their own ideas to implement/this will further their own agenda

Question 17

Ally: Wind surfers

Answer 17

Willing to partner but only to share in any successes. They add little value to the initiative and to the process of gaining support.

Question 18

Legitimate power
Definition
Positive
Negative

Answer 18

Created formally—through a title or position in the hierarchy that is associated with the rights of leadership.

Can save time in decision making and focus team on the organization’s goals.

May be insufficient if leader is not also competent and effective at leading.

Question 19

Reward power
Definition
Positive
Negative

Answer 19

Created when the leader can offer rewards in exchange for their commitment (e.g., promotions, compensation).

Can appeal to an individual or team’s motivators

Is useful only when leader has access to and can extend to team members meaningful rewards.

Question 20

Expert power
Definition
Positive
Negative

Answer 20

Created when a leader is recognized as possessing great intelligence, insight, or experience.

Can win respect. Can improve a team’s efforts by offering advice and guidance.

Can create dependency and weaken team members’ initiative or discourage their own contributions.

Question 21

Referent power
Definition
Positive
Negative

Answer 21

Created by the force of the leader’s personality—the ability to attract admiration, affection, and/or loyalty.

Appeals to social needs of individuals, the desire for affiliation.

Will weaken if leader is not competent, effective, and fair.

Question 22

Coercive power
Definition
Positive
Negative

Answer 22

Created when the leader has the power to punish those who do not follow.

Likely to get immediate results.

Damages team members’ motivation and self-direction over time.

Question 23

Emotional intelligence

Answer 23

Able to understand and manage one’s own and others’ emotions and impulses.

Question 24

Perceiving emotion

Answer 24

Identifying and evaluating emotions in oneself and others.

Question 25

Using emotion to facilitate thought | Example

Answer 25

Using changes in mood as opportunity to promote change/decision making/problem solving The emotionally intelligent person can use changes in mood, for example, as an opportunity to approach a decision from multiple viewpoints.

Question 26

Understanding emotion | Example

Answer 26

Interpreting complex emotions and understanding their causes. ex.: predict how employees’ emotions are likely to evolve following the announcement of structural changes to the organization.

Question 27

Regulating emotion | Example

Answer 27

Tracking and managing one’s own and others’ emotions. For example, the emotionally intelligent person can detach from feeling angry about a particular problem if anger has proven limiting in helping to solve the problem.

Question 28

Define Motivation

Answer 28

Factors that initiate, direct, and sustain human behavior over time. Not necessarily the same for everyone.

Question 29

Theory X/Theory Y

Answer 29

Motivation is seen as absolutely irrelevant (Theory X) or absolutely critical (Theory Y) in the workplace. Theory X: people must be strictly controlled and forced to work. Theory Y: people dislike rigid controls and inherently want to accomplish something Leaders apply a more participative style that empowers employees. Theory Y is considered more appropriate in today’s knowledge-driven workplaces.

Question 30

Needs Theory

Answer 30

Individuals are motivated by a desire to satisfy certain needs. Understanding these needs helps leaders create the most motivational external environments.

Question 31

Maslow Motivation Theory, Hierarchy of Needs

Answer 31

Five basic categories of needs must be met in an ascending order: 1. Physiological (basic needs related to survival) 2. Safety and security 3. Belonging and love 4. Esteem (both self-esteem and admiration of others) 5. Self-actualization (the need to fill one’s potential) A lower-level need must be relatively satisfied in order for a higher-level need to emerge or serve to motivate. No need is ever totally satisfied, however. The lower-level needs will always have some influence on behavior.

Question 32

Hernzberg Motivation-Hygeine Theory

Answer 32

Behavior is driven by intrinsic factors (innate desires) and extrinsic factors (workplace hygiene). Intrinsic factors: challenging work, meaningful impact of work, recognition Extrinsic factors: job security, pay, conditions Satisfying hygiene factors can remove some areas of discontent that interfere with motivation, but *extrinsic factors are not enough in themselves to create motivation.*

Question 33

McClelland 3 Needs Theory

Answer 33

Individuals are motivated at different strengths by three basic desires. Effective leaders identify primary motivators and appeal to each. Achievement (accomplishment) Affiliation (feeling part of a group) Power (influence or control over others) For example: Give an achievement-oriented employee an assignment that will require and call attention to the employee’s abilities. Incorporate socialization events or opportunities into team schedules for affiliation-oriented employees. Delegate to power-oriented employees tasks that they can control and direct, perhaps ones with high visibility in the organization.

Question 34

Self-determination Motivation Theory (is CRAP)

Answer 34

Individuals are motivated by innate needs Competence (McClelland’s achievement) Relatedness (McClelland’s affiliation) Autonomy Purpose

Question 35

Expectancy Theory (Vroom)

Answer 35

Effort increases in relation to one’s confidence that the behavior will result in a positive outcome and reward. Individuals are motivated based on how likely they are to get a positive outcome/reward.

Question 36

Attribution Theory (Heider, Weiner)

Answer 36

A person's own attributions in attempt to explain their success or failure determines their present/future motivation level. A leader can help employees attribute results to the correct causes and create opportunities for success.

Question 37

Goal Setting Theory

Answer 37

Motivation can be increased by giving employees goals. Employees should be involved in goal setting process.

Question 38

Situational favorableness

Answer 38

Part of Fiedler's contingency theory occurs when: 1 - Leader-member relationships are strong, 2 - task structure and requirements are clear, 3 - leader can exert the necessary power to reach the group’s goal.