L2: Trait, Behaviour, Contingency Approach to Leadership Flashcards
1
Q
what does the trait approach of leadership posit?
A
leaders are born
- leadership is based on inherent genetic traits (confidence, intelligence, extraversion)
- certain ppl naturally possess qualities that make them effective leaders
- assumes these traits are stable & predict leadership emergence & success
- traits evolved for evolutionary perspective to enhance suvival & reproductive fitness , leaders w advantageous traits more likely to gain status, resources etc
2
Q
what are traits
A
- have a geneticbasis but shaped by environment
- personality traits are relatively stable dispositiosn to behave in a particular way - consistent behaviour across time & situations
- stable: they tend to remain relatively unchanged over time
- ex: self confidence, being introverted, conscientious, optimistic, energy level
- think of it as: ur psych default setting
vs states
3
Q
what are states
A
- temporary conditions that fluctuate depending on the situation or moment
- short term: they change more frequently & are often influenced by the environment
- ex: feeling anxious before exam, excited at concert
- think of it as ur psych eather report - it can change quickly
vs traits
4
Q
when was trait approach to leadership popular?
A
- most prominent in first half of 20th century, especially in early leadership research
- interest declined in mid 20th century due to mixed & inconclusive results (researchers couldnt agree on a universal set of traits that defined effective leadership)
5
Q
what are some relevant personality traits for leadership (trait approach)?
A
- stress tolerance
- extraversion
- conscientiousness
- core self evaluations
- power motivation
- intelligence
- self confidence
- internal locus of control
- emotional maturity/stability
- integrity
- charisma
6
Q
what are the 3 needs/motives in leaders?
A
- need for achievement (desire to get things done well)
- need for power (socialized power (for the teams good) > personalized power (for ego))
- need for affiliation (desire for close relationships, too much can make u a pushover)
7
Q
what are 3 important leadership skills to have?
A
- technical skills (hands on know how w tools, processes, systems etc)
- interpersonal skills (understanding, influencing, collaborating w people)
- conceptual skills (big picture thinking, strategic planning, problem solving etc)
bonus: political skill, social intelligence, learning ability
8
Q
what is a competency?
A
mixes traits & skills
think emotioanl intelligence, adaptability, and persuasiveness
9
Q
what are the limitations of the trait approach?
A
overly broad categories make it messy to measure real effects
- most studies ignore situational context
- traits often overlap & interact in unpredictable
10
Q
how is stress tolerance a relevant leadership trait?
A
- energy level & stress tolerance are related to managerial effectiveness: helps to cope w hectic pace, long hours, high demands of most managerial jobs
- they tend to stay focused & calm rather than panicking,dont deny the problem exists or shift responsibility to someone else
11
Q
how is extraversion a relevant leadership trait?
A
- they are assertive, active, energetic, upbeat, talkative, optimistic
- more likely to be perceived as leader like
- their optimistic views of the futue help them emerge as group leaders
12
Q
how is conscientiousness a relevant leadership trait?
A
- being dependable, doing what u promised to do, paying attention to detail
- most of the Big 5 are related to leadership emergence & effectieness
13
Q
how are core self evaluations relevant leadership traits?
A
- its a broad personality trait: self esteem, locus of control, self efficacy, emotional stability (high on all these is good for leadership)
- related to job & life satisfaction, job performane, task motivation & goal setting
- related to job & life satisfaction, job performance, task motivation, goal setting
14
Q
how is power motivation a relevant leadership trait?
A
- someone w a high need for power
- more likely to seek positions of authority
- need for power is related to advancement to higher management levels
- a strong need for power is desirable but depends on how its expressed: socialized vs personalized power orientation
15
Q
what is socialized power orientation?
A
- exercise power for the benefit of others
- less egoistic & defensive
- use influence to build up the organization and make it successful
= the drive to influence others for the collective goal
16
Q
what is personalized power orientation?
A
- use power to aggrandize themselves & satisfy their need for esteem & status
- exercise power impulsively
- seek to dominate others by keeping them weak and dependent
= the desire to control & dominat others for personal gain or ego
17
Q
what are bright vs dark traits of leadership
A
bright traits are socially desirable, dark traits are socially undesirable
bright traits leadership: humility, conscientiousness etc
dark traits leadership: narcissisim
but: dark side of bright traits & bright side of dark traits! its not fully black or white
18
Q
what is the dark side of bright traits
A
socially desirable traits can, in particular situations, & at extreme levels have negative implications
- conscintious leaders are catuious & analytical but less willing to innovate & take risks, may delay decision making,resist change
- agreeable leaders may avoid interpersonal conflict, may be prone to give lenient performance ratings to not hurt someones feelings
- leader high on CSE (core self evaluation) can at extremes result in overconfidence (hubris) & self love (narcissism)
19
Q
how can we evaluate a leadership trait?
A
on social desirability: bright vs dark
but a bright trait (socially desirable one) can have dark implications
so the 2nd way we evaluate traits is on actual effects in specific context or situations
bright + bright= socially desirable trait has positive implications
bright + dark= socially desirable trait has neg implications
dark+bright= socially undesirable trait has pos implications
dark+dark= socially undesirable trait has neg implications
20
Q
what is an example of a bright side of a dark trait?
A
overly confident/dominant team leader might not be liked, but could save the group project by motivating others, delegating tasks and pushing the team forward
so good outcome for the group!
21
Q
what is an example of a bright trait w bright effects
A
conscientious leader displays high ethical standards in pursuing agenda in long term interest of organisation
22
Q
what are some dark leadership traits?
A
- narcissism
- arrogance
- dominance
- machiavellianism
23
Q
what are the limitations of the trait approach?
A
- most traits are not guided by a theory that explains how traits are related to effectiveness except by examining how they relate to behaviour: few trait studies include mediating processess
- lack of attention to the leadership situation: whether traits are helpful may depend
- the relationship between traits & leadership effectiveness is assumed to be linear but its not: a moderate amount is usually better than a max amount (too much of a good thing can be bad)
24
Q
what is the helpful side of the trait approach to leadership?
A
some traits and skills (like Big 5) have been identified as relevant for leader effectiveness and advancement
25
what does the leader trait emergence effectiveness model show
how traits influence who emerges & is effective as a leader
& where these traits come from
& what mediators and moderators influence the relationship between traits & leadership emergence/effectiveness
26
what do the mediators mean in the leader trait emergence effectiveness model?
why are 2 variables related
why does a certain trait lead to leadership emergencr
27
what do the moderators mean in the leader trait emergence effectiveness model ?
they explain under which circumstances emerged leaders will be effective
28
what does the attribution theory say about leadership & humility?
subordinates attributions of leader humility determines whether it has positive or negative outcomes
if they attribute humility as self serving (so the employee is reason for leaders humility) -> psych entitlement -> more workplace deviance
dont attribute it as self serving -> more leader member exchange -> less workplace deviance
29
what is the general research question of Qin research?
when does leader humility lead to positive vs negative subordinate outcomes (like psych entitlement, leader member exchange which both influence workplace deviance) and why?
30
define leader humility
an interpersonal characteristic that emerges in social contexts that connotes
- a manifested willingness to view oneself accurately
- a displayed appreciation of others strengths & contributions
- taechability or openness to new ideas & feedback
31
define subordinate workplace deviance
volutnary behaviour that violates sig org norms and in doing so threatens the well being of an org, its members, or both
32
define subordinate psych entitlement
A momentary sense that one deserves special or unique treatment relative to his or her peers
33
what is meant by self-serving attribution of leader humility?
the extent to which subordinates attribute a leader expressed humility in a self-serving way (e.g. my strengths and contributions make my leader treat me humbly)
aka high levels of self serving attribution is when subordinate believes leaders treat them humbly because they are unique and deserve such treatment.
34
what were the 2 interaction hypotheses of Xin on leader humility?
H1:self serving attribution of leader humility increases psych entitlement
aka when theres high subordinate self serving attribution of leader humility then it leads to increased psych entitlement, when theres low subordinate self serving attribution then no increase in psych enttilement
H2: leader humility improves LMX only when subordinates dont attribute the humility in a self serving way cause then subordinates value leader humility in the relational exchange process
35
what were the 2 moderation mediatoin hypotheses in Xin's research on leader humility?
- only when subordinate self serving attribution of humility is high, does psych entitlement increase workplace deviance
- only when self serving attribution is low does LMX lead to less workplace deviance
36
why did Xin think that self serving attribution of leader humility increases psych entitlement?
attribution theory!
posits that leader humility increases subordinate psych entitlement cause the leaders humility inflates sub perceptions of self capabilities & self worth
37
what were the results of Xins study on leader humility?
- when high self serving attribution then leader humility incrases sub psych entitlement
- when low self serving attribution, this effect becomes basically non existent
-
38
what were the practical implications of Xins study on leader humility?
- leaders must be aware of how their humility is percieved & attributed by employees
- and avoid selfs erving attribution cause this may increase workplace deviance
39
what does the behavioural approach of leadership posit?
that leaders are made
- leadership is based on what ppl do, not who they are
- effectgive leadership can be learned through observing & developing sepcific behaviours (task oriented vs ppl oriented leadership)
- focus is on actions, not inborn characteristics
40
what is task oriented behaviour vs relations oriented behaviour
task: primarily concerned w accomplishing the task in an efficient & reliable way, getting thigns done!
relations: primarily concerned w increasing mutual trust, cooperation, job satisfaction, and identification w the team or organisation
41
what does task oriented leadership look like in practice?
- planning work activities
- clarifying roles & objectives
- monitoring operations & performance
- solving operational problems
42
what does relations orietned leadership look like in practice?
- supporting
- developing suboridnate skiills
- providing praise & recognition
43
what does the contingency appraoch to leadership posit?
a leader adapts their behaviour or style based on the needs of the situation/team
44
what are the 2 early contingency theories?
- path goal theory
- situational leadership theory
45
what does path goal theory posit?
- focuses on how leaders can motivate their followers to achieve goals by providing the right guidance & support
- does this by clearing obstacles & providing resources & guidance
- leaders are coaches & supporters of their employees
- leaders can adopt differnt styles depending on the situation & needs of followers (thats why its a contingency appraoch theory)
46
what are the 4 leadership styles one can adopt according to path goal theory?
▪ Directive: Giving clear instructions and expectations
▪ Supportive: Being friendly, approachable, and showing concern for the well-being of followers
▪ Participative: Involving followers in decisionmaking and seeking their input
▪ Achievement-oriented: Setting challenging goals and encouraging high performance
47
what does situational leadership theory posit?
leaders should adapt their approach based on the needs & DEVELOPMENT level of their followers, which is defined by their competence & commitment
4 dev levels
leaders behaviours vary on 2 dimensions: supporting & directing, which results in 4 categories of it
48
what are the 4 development levels an employee can be at according to situational leadership theory?
D1: low competence, high commitment
D2: some competence, low commitment
D3: high competence, variable commitment
D4: high competence, high commitment
49
what did Thompsons study on situational leadership theory research?
tested whether congruence (agreement) between leader & follower ratings on their development level improves the predictive power of SLT
50
what did Thompsons study on situational leadership theory find?
- agreement between leaders and followers about their dev level boosts performance outcomes
- follower overconfidence udnermines accurate leadership style application
- leader ratings on follower dev levels are more reliable than follower self assessments in mismatches
51
what are the 4 categories of leader behaviours according to situational leadership theory
▪S1 Directing: Do it like this! for D1: high directive, low supportive
▪S2 Coaching: I think this, what do you think? for D2: high supportive, high directive
▪S3 Supporting: So, what’s your idea?, for D3: low directive, high supportive
▪S4 Delegating: I’ll see it next week!: for D4: low directive, low supportive
52
what is Liaos research on abusive behaviour?
he researches when & why daily abusive behaviour can result in functional & dysfunctional consequences (so its not always harmful! can be either depending on how employees interpret the supervisors motives)
53
what is abusive supervisor behaviour?
leaders display of nonphysical mistreatment towards subordinates
- suprisingly common at work despite social norms against it
54
what are the 2 ways in which employees can interpret abuse?
- performance promotion (my boss is pushing me to do better, results in constructive reaction)
- injury initation (my boss wants to hurt me, results in destrcutive reactions)
these attribtuions are stable & shape how employees react to daily abuse
55
how does daily abuse affect behaviour?
| the cycle
- during work: supervisor behaves abusively
- evening: employee thinks about it via task reflexivity (positive reflection) or rumination (negative replay), depening on attribution type
- next day: better performance if reflexive, deviant behaviour twoards leader if ruminating
56
what is task reflexivity
the extent to which subordinates reflect on work objectives, approaches, and process to adjust their behaviour to the changing environment
- linked to improvements in job performance, as they will think over how they performed tasks previously and make sense of their pitfalls
57
what is rumination
passively contemplating distress and the circumstances surrounding it and is a dysfunctional form of cog processing that focuses on failures in achieving desired states or resolving goal discrepancies
58
what are Liaos hypotheses on abusive supervision?
- performance promotion attribution moderates relationship between daily abusive supervisor behaviour & task reflectivity at night
- injury initiation attribution tendency moderates relationship between daily abusive supervisor behaviour and rumination at night
- moderated mediation: task reflexivity mediates the moderator performance
59
why does performance promotion attribution moderate the relationship between daily abusive supervisor behaviour & task reflexivity at night?
- Daily abusive supervisor behaviour can trigger task reflexivity at night due to a discrepancy in achieving desired objectives but feel control over being able to resolve it
- But when they attribute this control to performance promotion then subordinates feel a sense of control in resolving this.
- As a result, they engage in constructive thinking to develop coping strategies which can improve performance.
60
what are Liaos key findings on abusive supervision?
- functional path: if abuse is attributed as performance motivated, then leads to task reflexivity at night & higher performance next day
- dysfunctional path: if abuse is seen as harm motivated then leads to rumination at night & deviance towards leader the next day
61
what is Zhangs paper about humility on?
how two seemingly opposite CEO traits - humility and naricissim- can coexist and interact to drive innovation in organisations
62
what were Zhangs main findings on humility in CEOs?
basically both of those traits can lead to socialized charisma which boosts innovative culture & innovative performance
- especially relevant in chinese culture which embraces dialectical thinking (yin and yang)
- contradictory traits can complement each other
63
define humility
self awareness, appreciation of others, openness to learning
64
what are the benefits & risks of humility in a leader?
encourages collaboration, but may lack visibility and boldness
65
what is narcissism?
inflated self view, craving for attention, self confidence
66
what are the benefits & risks of narcisism as a leadership trait?
drives bold moves & risk taking, but can be self centered
67
how do humility & narcissism work together to make a good leader?
interaction hypothesis!
1: humility leads to more innovative culture, especially when narcissism is high
2: humility leads to higher innovative performance when narcissism is high
3: the interaction of humility & narcissism boosts socialized charisma
4: socialized charisma mediates the effects of the traits on innovation outcomes
this works cause
humility promotes collaborative environments
narcisissm provides confidence & visbility
together: ceos can empower others, but still stand out & lead boldly
68
what is socialized charisma
- refers to leaders who promote a collective vision, not just their own ego
- comes from the blend of humility (vision for others) and narcissism (ability to communicate and inspire)
- helps spread innovative values across the organisation
69
what are the practical implications of Zhangs research on humility & narcissism in CEOs?
- CEOs with just humility may lack influence.
- CEOs with just narcissism may undermine collaboration.
- But CEOs who combine both can:
- Inspire employees
- Promote innovation-supportive values
- Take bold but thoughtful action
70
why are there so many leadership taxonomies, theories etc that are all quite messy together?
- cause theorists use different terms for the same thing (or the same term for different things)
- behaviour categories are subjective and abstract
- taxonomies vary depending on purpose (research vs practical use), leadershp level (team leader vs CEO) and how they were created (eg surveys vs judgment based)
71
what are the 7 main leader behaviour types?
- task oriented behaviours
- relations oriented behaviours
- change oriented behaviours
- empowering & participative behaviours
- transformational leadership
- external leadership behaviours (navigate relationships w bosses, peers, customers, suppliers)
- proactive influence tactics (leads dont just react, initiate influence through tactcs like rational persuasion, appeals etc)
