UNDERSTANDING LEADERSHIP PROCESS

• In the United States of America, leadership is exercised by all kinds

of people. The leader is not a man who dresses in a distinctive
fashion, sits in impressive surroundings, and issues
commands……….This diversity of leadership is a product of our
pluralistic way of life, and is essential to the continuance of that
way of life….The varied leadership of our society must come to
recognize that one of the great functions of leadership is to help a
society to achieve the best that is in it.
 LEADERSHIP

• Leadership is a fascinating subject to most people. It is

intriguing because all people are affected by the actions of
leaders and because most people at one time or another, are
placed in leadership positions – as parents, officers in
organization, or leaders in society. Without proper leadership,
an organization or society drifts aimlessly and is eventually
subjugated by another that exercises proper leadership. The
quality of leadership often determines the success or failure
of an organization.
 LEADERSHIP

• Leadership is defined as the process of influencing other people

toward accomplishing group tasks. It involves a complex set of
interpersonal and organizational interactions. Leadership
effectiveness increases when a leader’s personal characteristics are
compatible with the characteristics of the subordinates, group tasks,
and other organizational influences.
 MANAGERSHIP AND LEADERSHIP
• The terms management and leadership are so closely related that the
distinctions between them have become blurred. However, they can be defined
in the following manner:
• Management is a process of planning, organizing, coordinating, and controlling
the activities of other people.
• Managership is the authority to carry out these management functions.
• Leadership is the process of influencing other people for the purpose of
achieving shared goals.
• Both managership and leadership are mangement tools with which managers
can influence the behavior of employees to achive organizational goals. The
distinction between them can be made on the basis of the qualifications that
managers have. Managers, by virtue of being in a mangerial position, have
managership, but they may not possess leadership or the ability to influence
other people.
 ATTRIBUTES OF LEADERS

• Only successful managers can have the attributes of both managership and
leadership The following attributes of leaders further point out the distinction
between leadership and mangership.
• 1. Leaders have followers.
• Not all managers are leaders. Managers have other people to supervise, but if
these people are not willing to accept and follow the supervisory authority, the
managers are not leaders. Subordinates may comply with the supervisory
command out of fear, but such compliance is not a response to leadership. Some
leaders may have followers, but if they lack the formal authority to manage,
they are not managers, For example, informal leaders in a work group are
leaders, but they are not managers.
 ATTRIBUTES OF LEADERS
• 2. Leaders have emotional appeal.
• Zalezink points out the differences in our expectations of the behavior of managers and leaders.
Managers are expected to be rational decision makers and problem solvers. They are expected
to use their analytical mind in the process of establishing and achieving organizational goals.
Leaders, however, are expected to be charismatic people with great visions who can alter the
mood of their followers and raise their hopes and expectations.
• 3. Leaders meet the needs of followers.
• Both managers and leaders are responsible to meeting the demands of the organization as well
as the demands of its members. However, managers are expected to be more concerned with
attaining organizational goals, while leaders are expected to be more concerned with meeting
the needs of their followers. Managers cannot be good managers without meeting organizational
goals. Likewise, leaders cannot be good leaders without satisfying their followers’ needs.
LEADER BEHAVIORS

A. DIRECTIVE LEADER BEHAVIOR

Directive leader behavior is often called “boss-
centered” leadership, “leader facilitation,” “leader
structure,” or sometimes “instrumental leadership.”
Major characteristic of directive leadership is that the
leader initiates the task structure of the subordinates,
works and guides them to achieve their task goals.
LEADER BEHAVIORS

Characteristics of Directive Leadership.

Directive leadership can be manifested in many ways. Managers using directive leader
behavior tend to:
1. Define the group’s performance goals.
2. Assign responsibilities for individual performance.
3. Establish a well-defined chain of command.
4. Train employees to perform the tasks.
5. Provide the necessary information and instructions.
6. Use rewards and punishments to control employee behavior.
7. Define performance-reward relationships.
 LEADER BEHAVIORS
Conditions Favoring Directive Leadership:
Directive leadership can have a positive impact on employee behavior in the
following situations:
1. When the job is so unstructured that task ambiguity create tension and
frustation for employees, supervisory efforts to structure the task are
perceived as benefiting task accomplishment.
2. When subordinates expect their supervisor to be directive, directive
leadership satisfies that expectation.
3. Directive leadership satisfies the dependency need of submissive
subordinates.
4. When subordinates depend on the supervisor for information and technical
support, the supervisor’s coaching behavior is perceived as assisting task
accomplishment.
5. When the supervisor has strong position power – the power backing of the
organization – subordinates are more receptive to directive leadership.
 LEADER BEHAVIOR

B. SUPPORTIVE LEADER BEHAVIOR

Suportive leadership is often called leader consideration, people-
oriented, or employee-centered leaderships. It is characterized by
friendly, approachable, and considerate leader behavior. Such leader
behavior can have positive impact on employee satisfaction and job
performance. It is helpful in satisfying socialization needs of employees
and in improving cooperation between supervisor and subordinates.
 LEADER BEHAVIORS
Characteristics of Supportive Leadership
Managers who use supportive leader behavior tend to:
1. Show personal interest in subordinates.
2. Be friendly and approacable.
3. Provide ongoing personal consultations.
4. Encourage subordinates to express her feelings and concerns.
5. Strive for harmony in the work group.
6. Use rewards as a means of gaining support.
7. Use positive reward rater than negative sanctions.
 LEADER BEHAVIORS
Conditions Favoring Supportive Leadership.
Supportive leadersip can have a positive impact on employee behavior in the
following situations:
1. Supportive leadership is desirable when tasks are higly structured. A supportive
leader can reduce the frustration resulting from routinized tasks that provide
little intrinsic satisfaction.
2. Workers with high socalization needs tend to react favorably to supportive
leader behavior. Office parties, and happy hours help them satisfy
socialization needs.
3. When the job requires a high degree of interaction among work group
members, supportive leader behavior can foster the needed interactions, for it
can promote a cooperative climate.
 LEADER BEHAVIORS

C. PARICIPATIVE LEADER BEHAVIOR

Participative leadership is often called group management or
team management because the manager shares the
responsibility of performing the tasks and maintenance
functions with work group members. Participative leaders
share information and power with their subordinates in
decision-making and implementation processes.
 LEADER BEHAVIORS
Characteristics of Participative Leadership.
Although participation means different thing to different people, we
can identify certain common characteristics. Managers who use
participative leadership tend to:
1. Allow group members to definetheir own performance goals.
2. Permit group members to structure their own jobs.
3. Negotiate differences or difficulties with subordinates.
4. Use employee participation as a means of communicating.
5. Allow group members to exercise control over their performance progress.
6. Use group-based reward systems rather than individual-based systems.
7. Share the group’s successes and failures with subordinates.
 LEADER BEHAVIORS
Conditions Favoring Participative Leadership.
Participative leadership can have positive impacts on emploee behavior in the following situatons:
1. Participative leadership is most successful when the tasks are intrinsically motivating ---
interesting, challenging, and moderately structured.
2. When the group tasks require a high degreee of interaction among employees, participative
leadership can increase the frequency and quality of the interactions, thus promoting cooperation.
3. Workers with a strong need for independence and achievement are more receptive to participative
leadership than the dependent workers.
4. Individuals whose goals are compitable with organizational or group goals are more receptive to
participative leadership.
5. Participants should have the necessary knowledge and information to make quality decisions. When
they do not have such characteristics, directive leadership can be more productive than
participative leadership.
6. Participative leader behavior can be used when acceptance of decision by employees is important
in the implementation process.