3 Leadership Theories Every Manager Should Understand

Leadership is a critical practice and role in any business or organization. There are many different definitions regarding Leadership; one is the completion of a goal through the direction of a human (Prentice, 2004). Leadership does not have to be the power that the leader shows. A leader does not have to be popular or famous. A leader is someone that can influence a group of people to follow and executes the plans that he/she leads to reach a goal. Here’s the three theories that managers should understand and utilize:

Trait theories

There are many leadership theories, such as trait theories of leadership, which focuses on the leader’s qualities and personal characteristics. There are many traits of a good leader; one is being social, discipline, able to keep a commitment, flexible, and creative. Emotional intelligence (discussed in greater detail in the next chapters) is also one of the main traits of a successful leader. The Good Man Theory is one of the trait theories, and it assumes that great leaders are born not made (Juneja, 2015). Another one by Ralph Stogdill, where he analyzed data from over a hundred studies and came up with the conclusion that to be an effective leader, one must have physical traits, personality traits, and social skills (Stogdill, 1948). Trait theories are too simple and do not hold in any case or circumstance and ignore the fact that traits can change over time.

Behavioral theories

Behavioral theories imply that it is possible to train people to become good leaders. According to a study from Ohio State University, researchers conducted a survey by which they had a leadership behavior description questionnaire (LBDQ) to identify the types of behavior that are most effective in leadership. The study resulted in identifying two of the most accrued leadership behaviors (a) initiating structure, which indicates that the leader focuses on goals, structure, and problem-solving. (b) Consideration, where the leader cares more about personal relationships (Hunt, Sekaran, & Schriesheim, 1981). Another study from the University of Michigan aimed to identify the leadership styles to increase productivity and enhance work satisfaction. The first style is known as (a) employee-oriented leader, where it emphasizes human relations and considers employees’ needs. The other style (b) production-oriented leader, focuses on the tasks and accomplishments of the group. Both styles are similar to Ohio State University’s behaviors, where the employee-oriented leader style is similar to consideration. In contrast, the production-oriented leader style is similar to the initiating structure (Robbins & Judge, 2013).

Contingency theories

The contingency theory of leadership combines both interests of the leader’s goal-oriented and relationship-oriented. Fred Fiedler conducted this model in the 1960s, which uses a scale called the least preferred coworker (LPC). This scale works by asking a set of questions about the least coworker that the leader works with the least. In the case of a higher score on the scale, the leader focuses on maintaining good relations. Whereas, if the score is lower on the scale, the leader focuses on accomplishments (Seyranian, 2009). Another contingency theory is the situational leadership theory (SLT), which focuses on the followers, in other words, it adapts to a work environment, and good leaders make this work for the interest of the organizations and the employees (Blanken, 2013).

Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed it.

If you did, it would be great to share it.

You can reach me at @alounpro on Twitter.

Have a lovely day!