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Describe the different theories of leadership

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1) Trait theory- This is a traditional perspective. The search for the characteristics or traits of leaders has been ongoing for centuries. This idea that leadership is based on individual attributes is known as the "trait theory of leadership". In Galton's Hereditary Genius (1869), he examined leadership qualities in the families of powerful men. After showing that the numbers of eminent relatives dropped off when moving from first-degree to second-degree relatives, Galton concluded that leadership was inherited. In other words, leaders were born, not developed. Both of these notable works lent great initial support for the notion that leadership is rooted in the characteristics of the leader. For decades, this trait-based perspective dominated empirical and theoretical work in leadership. Using early research techniques, researchers conducted over a hundred studies proposing a number of characteristics that distinguished leaders from non-leaders which included: intelligence, dominance, adaptability, persistence, integrity, socioeconomic status, and self-confidence among others.
2) Functional theory- Functional leadership theory is a particularly useful theory for addressing specific leader behaviors expected to contribute to organizational or unit effectiveness. This theory argues that the leader's main job is to see that whatever is necessary to group needs is taken care of; thus, a leader can be said to have done their job well when they have contributed to group effectiveness and cohesion. While functional leadership theory has most often been applied to team leadership, it has also been effectively applied to broader organizational leadership as well.
3) Transactional and transformational theories- The transactional leader (Burns, 1978) is given the power to perform certain tasks and reward or punish for the team's performance. It gives the opportunity to the manager to lead the group and the group agrees to follow his lead to accomplish a predetermined goal in exchange for something else. The transformational leader (Burns, 1978) motivates their team to be effective and efficient. Communication is the base for goal achievement focusing the group on the final desired outcome or goal attainment. This leader is highly visible and uses a chain of command to get the job done. Transformational leaders focus on the big picture, needing to be surrounded by people who take care of the details. The leader is always looking for ideas that move the organization to reach the company's vision.
4) Emotions theory- Leadership can be perceived as a particularly emotion-laden process, with emotions entwined with the social influence process. In an organization, the leader's mood has some effects on his/her group.
5) Situational and contingency theories- This theory assumes that different situations call for different leadership characteristics. in the view of these theories, no single optimal profile of a leader exists. Rather, "what an individual actually does when acting as a leader is predominantly dependent upon characteristics of the situation in which he/ she is functioning. These theorists, therefore, defined the style of leadership as contingent on the situation, hence the term contingency theory. This theory supports an integrative model of leadership.

Chatelaine answered the question on June 16, 2021 at 07:12

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