2
Leadership
Eighth Edition
3
To Madison, Isla, and Sullivan
4
Leadership
Theory and Practice
Eighth Edition
Peter G. Northouse
Western Michigan University
5
FOR INFORMATION:
SAGE Publications, Inc.
2455 Teller Road
Thousand Oaks, California 91320
E-mail: order@sagepub.com
SAGE Publications Ltd.
1 Oliver’s Yard
55 City Road
London EC1Y 1SP
United Kingdom
SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd.
B 1/I 1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area
Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 044
India
SAGE Publications Asia-Pacific Pte. Ltd.
3 Church Street
#10-04 Samsung Hub
Singapore 049483
Copyright © 2019 by SAGE Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Northouse, Peter Guy, author.
Title: Leadership : theory and practice / Peter G. Northouse, Western Michigan University.
Description: Eighth Edition. | Thousand Oaks : SAGE Publications, [2018] | Revised edition of the author’s
Leadership, 2015. | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017049134 | ISBN 9781506362311 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Leadership. | Leadership—Case studies.
6
Classification: LCC HM1261 .N67 2018 | DDC 303.3/4—dc23 LC record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2017049134
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Acquisitions Editor: Maggie Stanley
Content Development Editor: Lauren Holmes
Editorial Assistant: Alissa Nance
Production Editor: Bennie Clark Allen
Copy Editor: Melinda Masson
Typesetter: C&M Digitals (P) Ltd.
Proofreader: Sally Jaskold
Indexer: Jean Casalegno
Cover Designer: Gail Buschman
Marketing Manager: Amy Lammers
7
Brief Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
About the Contributors
1. Introduction
2. Trait Approach
3. Skills Approach
4. Behavioral Approach
5. Situational Approach
6. Path–Goal Theory
7. Leader–Member Exchange Theory
8. Transformational Leadership
9. Authentic Leadership
10. Servant Leadership
11. Adaptive Leadership
12. Followership
13. Leadership Ethics
14. Team Leadership
15. Gender and Leadership
16. Culture and Leadership
Author Index
Subject Index
8
Detailed Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
About the Contributors
1. Introduction
Leadership Defined
Ways of Conceptualizing Leadership
Definition and Components
Leadership Described
Trait Versus Process Leadership
Assigned Versus Emergent Leadership
Leadership and Power
Leadership and Coercion
Leadership and Management
Plan of the Book
Summary
References
2. Trait Approach
Description
Intelligence
Self-Confidence
Determination
Integrity
Sociability
Five-Factor Personality Model and Leadership
Strengths and Leadership
Emotional Intelligence
How Does the Trait Approach Work?
Strengths
Criticisms
Application
Case Studies
Case 2.1 Choosing a New Director of Research
Case 2.2 A Remarkable Turnaround
Case 2.3 Recruiting for the Bank
Leadership Instrument
Leadership Trait Questionnaire (LTQ)
Summary
References
9
3. Skills Approach
Description
Three-Skill Approach
Technical Skills
Human Skills
Conceptual Skills
Summary of the Three-Skill Approach
Skills Model
Competencies
Individual Attributes
Leadership Outcomes
Career Experiences
Environmental Influences
Summary of the Skills Model
How Does the Skills Approach Work?
Strengths
Criticisms
Application
Case Studies
Case 3.1 A Strained Research Team
Case 3.2 A Shift for Lieutenant Colonel Adams
Case 3.3 Andy’s Recipe
Leadership Instrument
Skills Inventory
Summary
References
4. Behavioral Approach
Description
The Ohio State Studies
The University of Michigan Studies
Blake and Mouton’s Managerial (Leadership) Grid
Authority–Compliance (9,1)
Country-Club Management (1,9)
Impoverished Management (1,1)
Middle-of-the-Road Management (5,5)
Team Management (9,9)
Paternalism/Maternalism
Opportunism
How Does the Behavioral Approach Work?
Strengths
Criticisms
Application
10
Case Studies
Case 4.1 A Drill Sergeant at First
Case 4.2 Eating Lunch Standing Up
Case 4.3 We Are Family
Leadership Instrument
Leadership Behavior Questionnaire
Summary
References
5. Situational Approach
Description
Leadership Style
Development Level
How Does the Situational Approach Work?
Strengths
Criticisms
Application
Case Studies
Case 5.1 Marathon Runners at Different Levels
Case 5.2 Why Aren’t They Listening?
Case 5.3 Getting the Message Across
Leadership Instrument
Situational Leadership® Questionnaire: Sample Items
Summary
References
6. Path–Goal Theory
Description
Leader Behaviors
Directive Leadership
Supportive Leadership
Participative Leadership
Achievement-Oriented Leadership
Follower Characteristics
Task Characteristics
How Does Path–Goal Theory Work?
Strengths
Criticisms
Application
Case Studies
Case 6.1 Three Shifts, Three Supervisors
Case 6.2 Direction for Some, Support for Others
Case 6.3 Playing in the Orchestra
Leadership Instrument
11
Path–Goal Leadership Questionnaire
Summary
References
7. Leader–Member Exchange Theory
Description
Early Studies
Later Studies
Leadership Making
How Does LMX Theory Work?
Strengths
Criticisms
Application
Case Studies
Case 7.1 His Team Gets the Best Assignments
Case 7.2 Working Hard at Being Fair
Case 7.3 Taking on Additional Responsibilities
Leadership Instrument
LMX 7 Questionnaire
Summary
References
8. Transformational Leadership
Description
Transformational Leadership Defined
Transformational Leadership and Charisma
A Model of Transformational Leadership
Transformational Leadership Factors
Transactional Leadership Factors
Nonleadership Factor
Other Transformational Perspectives
Bennis and Nanus
Kouzes and Posner
How Does the Transformational Leadership Approach Work?
Strengths
Criticisms
Application
Case Studies
Case 8.1 The Vision Failed
Case 8.2 An Exploration in Leadership
Case 8.3 Her Vision of a Model Research Center
Leadership Instrument
Sample Items From the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ)
Form 5X-Short
12
Summary
References
9. Authentic Leadership
Description
Authentic Leadership Defined
Approaches to Authentic Leadership
Practical Approach
Theoretical Approach
How Does Authentic Leadership Work?
Strengths
Criticisms
Application
Case Studies
Case 9.1 Am I Really a Leader?
Case 9.2 A Leader Under Fire
Case 9.3 The Reluctant First Lady
Leadership Instrument
Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment Questionnaire
Summary
References
10. Servant Leadership
Description
Servant Leadership Defined
Historical Basis of Servant Leadership
Ten Characteristics of a Servant Leader
Building a Theory About Servant Leadership
Model of Servant Leadership
Antecedent Conditions
Servant Leader Behaviors
Outcomes
Summary of the Model of Servant Leadership
How Does Servant Leadership Work?
Strengths
Criticisms
Application
Case Studies
Case 10.1 Everyone Loves Mrs. Noble
Case 10.2 Doctor to the Poor
Case 10.3 Servant Leadership Takes Flight
Leadership Instrument
Servant Leadership Questionnaire
Summary
13
References
11. Adaptive Leadership
Description
Adaptive Leadership Defined
A Model of Adaptive Leadership
Situational Challenges
Technical Challenges
Technical and Adaptive Challenges
Adaptive Challenges
Leader Behaviors
Adaptive Work
How Does Adaptive Leadership Work?
Strengths
Criticisms
Application
Case Studies
Case 11.1 Silence, Stigma, and Mental Illness
Case 11.2 Taming Bacchus
Case 11.3 Redskins No More
Leadership Instrument
Adaptive Leadership Questionnaire
Summary
References
12. Followership
Description
Followership Defined
Role-Based and Relational-Based Perspectives
Typologies of Followership
The Zaleznik Typology
The Kelley Typology
The Chaleff Typology
The Kellerman Typology
Theoretical Approaches to Followership
Reversing the Lens
The Leadership Co-Created Process
New Perspectives on Followership
Perspective 1: Followers Get the Job Done
Perspective 2: Followers Work in the Best Interest of the
Organization’s Mission
Perspective 3: Followers Challenge Leaders
Perspective 4: Followers Support the Leader
Perspective 5: Followers Learn From Leaders
14
Followership and Destructive Leaders
1. Our Need for Reassuring Authority Figures
2. Our Need for Security and Certainty
3. Our Need to Feel Chosen or Special
4. Our Need for Membership in the Human Community
5. Our Fear of Ostracism, Isolation, and Social Death
6. Our Fear of Powerlessness to Challenge a Bad Leader
How Does Followership Work?
Strengths
Criticisms
Application
Case Studies
Case 12.1 Bluebird Care
Case 12.2 Olympic Rowers
Case 12.3 Penn State Sexual Abuse Scandal
Leadership Instrument
Followership Questionnaire
Summary
References
13. Leadership Ethics
Description
Ethics Defined
Level 1. Preconventional Morality
Level 2. Conventional Morality
Level 3. Postconventional Morality
Ethical Theories
Centrality of Ethics to Leadership
Heifetz’s Perspective on Ethical Leadership
Burns’s Perspective on Ethical Leadership
The Dark Side of Leadership
Principles of Ethical Leadership
Ethical Leaders Respect Others
Ethical Leaders Serve Others
Ethical Leaders Are Just
Ethical Leaders Are Honest
Ethical Leaders Build Community
Strengths
Criticisms
Application
Case Studies
Case 13.1 Choosing a Research Assistant
Case 13.2 How Safe Is Safe?
15
Case 13.3 Reexamining a Proposal
Leadership Instrument
Ethical Leadership Style Questionnaire (Short Form)
Summary
References
14. Team Leadership
Description
Team Leadership Model
Team Effectiveness
Leadership Decisions
Leadership Actions
How Does the Team Leadership Model Work?
Strengths
Criticisms
Application
Case Studies
Case 14.1 Can This Virtual Team Work?
Case 14.2 Team Crisis Within the Gates
Case 14.3 Starts With a Bang, Ends With a Whimper
Leadership Instrument
Team Excellence and Collaborative Team Leader Questionnaire
Summary
References
15. Gender and Leadership
Description
The Glass Ceiling Turned Labyrinth
Evidence of the Leadership Labyrinth
Understanding the Labyrinth
Gender Differences in Leadership Styles and Effectiveness
Navigating the Labyrinth
Strengths
Criticisms
Application
Case Studies
Case 15.1 The “Glass Ceiling”
Case 15.2 Lack of Inclusion and Credibility
Case 15.3 Pregnancy as a Barrier to Job Status
Leadership Instrument
The Gender–Leader Implicit Association Test
Summary
References
16. Culture and Leadership
16
Description
Culture Defined
Related Concepts
Ethnocentrism
Prejudice
Dimensions of Culture
Uncertainty Avoidance
Power Distance
Institutional Collectivism
In-Group Collectivism
Gender Egalitarianism
Assertiveness
Future Orientation
Performance Orientation
Humane Orientation
Clusters of World Cultures
Characteristics of Clusters
Anglo
Confucian Asia
Eastern Europe
Germanic Europe
Latin America
Latin Europe
Middle East
Nordic Europe
Southern Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa
Leadership Behavior and Culture Clusters
Eastern Europe Leadership Profile
Latin America Leadership Profile
Latin Europe Leadership Profile
Confucian Asia Leadership Profile
Nordic Europe Leadership Profile
Anglo Leadership Profile
Sub-Saharan Africa Leadership Profile
Southern Asia Leadership Profile
Germanic Europe Leadership Profile
Middle East Leadership Profile
Universally Desirable and Undesirable Leadership Attributes
Strengths
Criticisms
Application
17
Case Studies
Case 16.1 A Challenging Workplace
Case 16.2 A Special Kind of Financing
Case 16.3 Whose Latino Center Is It?
Leadership Instrument
Dimensions of Culture Questionnaire
Summary
References
Author Index
Subject Index
18
Preface
This eighth edition of Leadership: Theory and Practice is written with the objective of
bridging the gap between the often-simplistic popular approaches to leadership and the
more abstract theoretical approaches. Like the previous editions, this edition reviews and
analyzes a selected number of leadership theories, giving special attention to how each
theoretical approach can be applied in real-world organizations. In essence, my purpose is
to explore how leadership theory can inform and direct the way leadership is practiced.
19
New to This Edition
First and foremost, this edition includes a new chapter on followership, which examines the
nature of followership, its underpinnings, and how it works. The chapter presents a
definition, a model, and the latest research and applications of this emerging approach to
leadership. It also examines the relationship between followership and destructive, or toxic,
leadership. In addition, the strengths and weaknesses of followership are examined, and a
questionnaire to help readers assess their own follower style is provided. Three case studies
illustrating followership, including one that addresses the Penn State sexual abuse scandal
and another that looks at the 1936 U.S. Olympic rowing team, are presented at the end of
the chapter.
In addition to the discussion of destructive leadership in Chapter 12, this edition includes
an expanded discussion of the dark side of leadership and psuedotransformational
leadership and the negative uses and abuses of leadership in several of the chapters. Readers
will also find that the ethics chapter features a new self-assessment instrument, the Ethical
Leadership Style Questionnaire (ELSQ), which assesses a leader’s style of ethical leadership
and will help leaders understand their decision-making preferences when confronting
ethical dilemmas.
This edition retains many special features from previous editions but has been updated to
include new research findings, figures and tables, and everyday applications for many
leadership topics including leader–member exchange theory, transformational and
authentic leadership, team leadership, the labyrinth of women’s leadership, and historical
definitions of leadership. The format of this edition parallels the format used in earlier
editions. As with previous editions, the overall goal of Leadership: Theory and Practice is to
advance our understanding of the many different approaches to leadership and ways to
practice it more effectively.
20
Special Features
Although this text presents and analyzes a wide range of leadership research, every attempt
has been made to present the material in a clear, concise, and interesting manner. Reviewers
of the book have consistently commented that clarity is one of its major strengths. In
addition to the writing style, several other features of the book help make it user-friendly.
Each chapter follows the same format: It is structured to include first theory and then
practice.
Every chapter contains a discussion of the strengths and criticisms of the approach
under consideration, and assists the reader in determining the relative merits of each
approach.
Each chapter includes an application section that discusses the practical aspects of the
approach and how it could be used in today’s organizational settings.
Three case studies are provided in each chapter to illustrate common leadership issues
and dilemmas. Thought-provoking questions follow each case study, helping readers
to interpret the case.
A questionnaire is provided in each of the chapters to help the reader apply the
approach to his or her own leadership style or setting.
Figures and tables illustrate the content of the theory and make the ideas more
meaningful.
Through these special features, every effort has been made to make this text substantive,
understandable, and practical.
21
Audience
This book provides both an in-depth presentation of leadership theory and a discussion of
how it applies to real-life situations. Thus, it is intended for undergraduate and graduate
classes in management, leadership studies, business, educational leadership, public
administration, nursing and allied health, social work, criminal justice, industrial and
organizational psychology, communication, religion, agricultural education, political and
military science, and training and development. It is particularly well suited as a
supplementary text for core organizational behavior courses or as an overview text within
MBA curricula. This book would also be useful as a text in student activities, continuing
education, in-service training, and other leadership-development programs.
22
Digital Resources
23
SAGE edge
SAGE edge for Instructors
A password-protected instructor resource site at edge.sagepub.com/northouse8e supports
teaching with high-quality content to help in creating a rich learning environment for
students. The SAGE edge site for this book includes the following instructor resources:
Test banks built on AACSB standards, the book’s learning objectives, and Bloom’s
Taxonomy provide a diverse range of test items with ExamView test generation.
Each chapter includes 100 test questions to give instructors options for assessing
students.
Editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides offer complete flexibility for creating a
multimedia presentation for the course.
Lecture notes for each chapter align with PowerPoint slides to serve as an essential
reference, summarizing key concepts to ease preparation for lectures and class
discussion.
Carefully selected video and multimedia content enhances exploration of key topics
to reinforce concepts and provide further insights.
Sample answers to questions in the text provide an essential reference.
Case notes include summaries, analyses, sample answers to assist with discussion, and
exercises.
Suggested course projects and assignments help students to apply the concepts they
learn to see how they work in various contexts, providing new perspectives.
Chapter-specific discussion questions for study help launch classroom interaction by
prompting students to engage with the material and by reinforcing important
content.
Exclusive access to influential SAGE journal articles and business cases ties
important research and scholarship to chapter concepts to strengthen learning.
Tables and figures from the book are available for download.
SAGE coursepacks provide easy LMS integration.
24
SAGE edge for students
The open-access companion website helps students accomplish their coursework goals in an
easy-to-use learning environment:
Mobile-friendly practice quizzes encourage self-guided assessment and practice.
Mobile-friendly flashcards strengthen understanding of key concepts.
Carefully selected video and multimedia content enhances exploration of key topics
to reinforce concepts and provide further insights.
EXCLUSIVE! Full-text SAGE journal articles have been carefully selected to
support and expand on the concepts presented in each chapter.
Meaningful web resources with exercises facilitate further exploration of topics.
25
SAGE coursepacks
SAGE coursepacks make it easy to import our quality instructor and student resource
content into your school’s learning management system (LMS) with minimal effort.
Intuitive and simple to use, SAGE coursepacks give you the control to focus on what really
matters: customizing course content to meet your students’ needs. The SAGE coursepacks,
created specifically for this book, are customized and curated for use in Blackboard, Canvas,
Desire2Learn (D2L), and Moodle.
In addition to the content available on the SAGE edge site, the coursepacks include the
following:
Pedagogically robust assessment tools foster review, practice, and critical thinking
and offer a better, more complete way to measure student engagement:
Diagnostic chapter pretests and posttests identify opportunities for student
improvement, track student progress, and ensure mastery of key learning
objectives.
Instructions on how to use and integrate the comprehensive assessments and
resources are provided.
Assignable video with corresponding multimedia assessment tools bring
concepts to life that increase student engagement and appeal to different
learning styles. The video assessment questions feed to your gradebook.
Integrated links to the eBook make it easy to access the mobile-friendly
version of the text, which can be read anywhere, anytime.
Interactive eBook
Leadership (8th ed.) is also available as an interactive eBook, which can be packaged with
the text for just $5 or purchased separately. The interactive eBook offers hyperlinks to
original and licensed videos, including Peter Northouse author videos in which the author
illuminates various leadership concepts. The interactive eBook includes additional case
studies, as well as carefully chosen journal articles from the web, all from the same pages
found in the printed text. Users will also have immediate access to study tools such as
highlighting, bookmarking, note-taking/sharing, and more!
26
Acknowledgments
Many people directly or indirectly contributed to the development of the eighth edition of
Leadership: Theory and Practice. First, I would like to acknowledge my editor, Maggie
Stanley, and her talented team at SAGE Publications (Lauren Holmes and Alissa Nance),
who have contributed in so many different ways to the quality and success of this book. For
their very capable work during the production phase, I would like to thank the copy editor,
Melinda Masson, and the project editor, Bennie Clark Allen. In her own unique way, each
of these people made valuable contributions to the eighth edition.
I would like to thank the following reviewers for their valuable contributions to the
development of this manuscript:
Sandra Arumugam-Osburn, St. Louis Community College-Forest Park
Rob Elkington, University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Abimbola Farinde, Columbia Southern University
Belinda S. Han, Utah Valley University
Deborah A. Johnson-Blake, Liberty University
Benjamin Kutsyuruba, Queen’s University
Chenwei Liao, Michigan State University
Heather J. Mashburn, Appalachian State University
Comfort Okpala, North Carolina A&T State University
Ric Rohm, Southeastern University
Patricia Dillon Sobczak, Virginia Commonwealth University
Victor S. Sohmen, Drexel University
Brigitte Steinheider, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa
Robert Waris, University of Missouri–Kansas City
Sandi Zeljko, Lake-Sumter State College
Mary Zonsius, Rush University
I would like to thank the following reviewers for their valuable contributions to the
development of the seventh edition manuscript:
Hamid Akbari, Winona State University
Meera Alagaraja, University of Louisville
Mel Albin, Excelsior College
Thomas Batsching, Reutlingen University
Cheryl Beeler, Angelo State University
Julie Bjorkman, Benedictine University
Mark D. Bowman, Methodist University
Dianne Burns, University of Manchester
27
Eric Buschlen, Central Michigan University
Steven Bryant, Drury University
Daniel Calhoun, Georgia Southern University
David Conrad, Augsburg College
Joyce Cousins, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Denise Danna, LSUHSC School of Nursing
S. Todd Deal, Georgia Southern University
Caroline S. Fulmer, University of Alabama
Brad Gatlin, John Brown University
Greig A. Gjerdalen, Capilano University
Andrew Gonzales, University of California, Irvine
Decker B. Hains, Western Michigan University
Amanda Hasty, University of Colorado–Denver
Carl Holschen, Missouri Baptist University
Kiran Ismail, St. John’s University
Irma Jones, University of Texas at Brownsville
Michele D. Kegley, University of Cincinnati, Blue Ash College
Jeanea M. Lambeth, Pittsburg State University
David Lees, University of Derby
David S. McClain, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Carol McMillan, New School University
Richard Milter, Johns Hopkins University
Christopher Neck, Arizona State University–Tempe
Keeok Park, University of La Verne
Richard Parkman, University of Plymouth
Lori M. Pindar, Clemson University
Chaminda S. Prelis, University of Dubuque
Casey Rae, George Fox University
Noel Ronan, Waterford Institute of Technology
Louis Rubino, California State University, Northridge
Shadia Sachedina, Baruch College (School of Public Affairs)
Harriet L. Schwartz, Carlow University
Kelli K. Smith, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
David Swenson, The College of St. Scholastica
Danny L. Talbot, Washington State University
Robert L. Taylor, University of Louisville
Precious Taylor-Clifton, Cambridge College
John Tummons, University of Missouri
Kristi Tyran, Western Washington University
Tamara Von George, Granite State College
Natalie Walker, Seminole State College
William Welch, Bowie State University
28
David E. Williams, Texas Tech University
Tony Wohlers, Cameron University
Sharon A. Wulf, Worcester Polytechnic Institute School of Business
Alec Zama, Grand View University
Xia Zhao, California State University, Dominguez Hills
In addition, I would like to thank, for their exceptional work on the leadership profile tool
and the ancillaries, Isolde Anderson (Hope College), John Baker (Western Kentucky
University), Kari Keating (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Kathryn Woods
(Austin Peay State University), Eric Buschlen (Central Michigan University), Lou Sabina
(Stetson University), and Neda Dallal.
A very special acknowledgment goes to Laurel Northouse for her insightful critiques and
ongoing support. In addition, I am especially grateful to Marie Lee for her exceptional
editing and guidance throughout this project. For his review of and comments on the
followership chapter, I am indebted to Ronald Riggio (Claremont McKenna University). I
would like to thank Sarah Chace (Marian University) for her contributions to the adaptive
leadership chapter, Leah Omilion-Hodges (Western Michigan University) for her
contributions to the leader–member exchange chapter, Isolde Anderson (Hope College) for
her comprehensive literature reviews, Robin Curtiss for her contributions to a case study on
followership, and Rudy Leon for her editorial assistance.
Finally, I would like to thank the many undergraduate and graduate students whom I have
taught through the years. Their ongoing feedback has helped clarify my thinking about
leadership and encouraged me to make plain the practical implications of leadership
theories.
29
About the Author
Peter G. Northouse, PhD,
is Professor Emeritus of Communication in the School of Communication at
Western Michigan University. Leadership: Theory and Practice is the best-selling
academic textbook on leadership in the world and has been translated into 13
languages. In addition to authoring publications in professional journals, he is the
author of Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice (now in its fourth edition)
and co-author of Leadership Case Studies in Education (now in its second edition) and
Health Communication: Strategies for Health Professionals (now in its third edition).
His scholarly and curricular interests include models of leadership, leadership
assessment, ethical leadership, and leadership and group dynamics. For more than 30
years, he has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership, interpersonal
communication, and organizational communication on both the undergraduate and
graduate levels. Currently, he is a consultant and lecturer on trends in leadership
research, leadership development, and leadership education. He holds a doctorate in
speech communication from the University of Denver, and master’s and bachelor’s
degrees in communication education from Michigan State University.
30
About the Contributors
Crystal L. Hoyt
completed her doctorate in social psychology at the University of California, Santa
Barbara, and is a professor of leadership studies and psychology at the University of
Richmond. Her primary research interests include female and minority leaders,
stereotyping and discrimination, stigma, and cognitive biases. In her primary area of
research, she explores the role of beliefs, such as self-efficacy, implicit theories, and
political ideologies, in the experiences and perceptions of women and minorities in
leadership or STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields, or of
those who are overweight. In a more applied fashion, she examines factors, such as
role models, that may buffer individuals from the deleterious effects of stereotypes
and discrimination. Her research appears in journals such as Psychological Science,
Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology
Bulletin, and The Leadership Quarterly. She has published over 50 journal articles and
book chapters, and she has co-edited three books.
Susan E. Kogler Hill
(PhD, University of Denver, 1974) is Professor Emeritus and former chair of the
School of Communication at Cleveland State University. Her research and
consulting have been in the areas of interpersonal and organizational communication.
She specializes in group leadership, teamwork, empowerment, and mentoring. She is
author of a text titled Improving Interpersonal Competence. In addition, she has
written book chapters and published articles in many professional journals.
Stefanie Simon
is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Siena College. She
earned her PhD in social psychology from Tulane University and was the Robert A.
Oden Jr. Postdoctoral Fellow for Innovation in the Liberal Arts at Carleton College
before joining the faculty at Siena. Her research centers on the psychology of
diversity, with a focus on prejudice, discrimination, and leadership. In her work, she
focuses on the perspective of the target of prejudice and discrimination, as well as the
perspective of the perpetrator of prejudice and discrimination. She is particularly
interested in how leaders of diverse groups can promote positive intergroup relations
and reduce inequality in society.
31
1 Introduction
Leadership is a highly sought-after and highly valued commodity. In the 20 years since the
first edition of this book was published, the public has become increasingly captivated by
the idea of leadership. People continue to ask themselves and others what makes good
leaders. As individuals, they seek more information on how to become effective leaders. As
a result, bookstore shelves are filled with popular books about leaders and advice on how to
be a leader. Many people believe that leadership is a way to improve their personal, social,
and professional lives. Corporations seek those with leadership ability because they believe
they bring special assets to their organizations and, ultimately, improve the bottom line.
Academic institutions throughout the country have responded by providing programs in
leadership studies.
In addition, leadership has gained the attention of researchers worldwide. Leadership
research is increasing dramatically, and findings underscore that there is a wide variety of
different theoretical approaches to explain the complexities of the leadership process (e.g.,
Bass, 2008; Bryman, 1992; Bryman, Collinson, Grint, Jackson, & Uhl-Bien, 2011; Day &
Antonakis, 2012; Dinh et al., 2014; Gardner, 1990; Hickman, 2016; Mumford, 2006;
Rost, 1991). Some researchers conceptualize leadership as a trait or as a behavior, whereas
others view leadership from an information-processing perspective or relational standpoint.
Leadership has been studied using both qualitative and quantitative methods in many
contexts, including small groups, therapeutic groups, and large organizations. Collectively,
the research findings on leadership from all of these areas provide a picture of a process that
is far more sophisticated and complex than the often-simplistic view presented in some of
the popular books on leadership.
This book treats leadership as a complex process having multiple dimensions. Based on the
research literature, this text provides an in-depth description and application of many
different approaches to leadership. Our emphasis is on how theory can inform the practice
of leadership. In this book, we describe each theory and then explain how the theory can be
used in real situations.
32
Leadership Defined
There are many ways to finish the sentence “Leadership is . . .” In fact, as Stogdill (1974, p.
7) pointed out in a review of leadership research, there are almost as many different
definitions of leadership as there are people who have tried to define it. It is much like the
words democracy, love, and peace. Although each of us intuitively knows what we mean by
such words, the words can have different meanings for different people. As Box 1.1 shows,
scholars and practitioners have attempted to define leadership for more than a century
without universal consensus.
Box 1.1 The Evolution of Leadership Definitions
While many have a gut-level grasp of what leadership is, putting a definition to the term has proved to be a
challenging endeavor for scholars and practitioners alike. More than a century has lapsed since leadership
became a topic of academic introspection, and definitions have evolved continuously during that period.
These definitions have been influenced by many factors from world affairs and politics to the perspectives of
the discipline in which the topic is being studied. In a seminal work, Rost (1991) analyzed materials written
from 1900 to 1990, finding more than 200 different definitions for leadership. His analysis provides a
succinct history of how leadership has been defined through the last century:
33
1900–1929
Definitions of leadership appearing in the first three decades of the 20th century emphasized control and
centralization of power with a common theme of domination. For example, at a conference on leadership in
1927, leadership was defined as “the ability to impress the will of the leader on those led and induce
obedience, respect, loyalty, and cooperation” (Moore, 1927, p. 124).
34
1930s
In the 1930s, traits became the focus of defining leadership, with an emerging view of leadership as
influence rather than domination. Leadership was also identified as the interaction of an individual’s specific
personality traits with those of a group; it was noted that while the attitudes and activities of the many may
be changed by the one, the many may also influence a leader.
35
1940s
The group approach came into the forefront in the 1940s with leadership being defined as the behavior of
an individual while involved in directing group activities (Hemphill, 1949). At the same time, leadership by
persuasion was distinguished from “drivership” or leadership by coercion (Copeland, 1942).
36
1950s
Three themes dominated leadership definitions during the 1950s:
continuance of group theory, which framed leadership as what leaders do in groups;
leadership as a relationship that develops shared goals, which defined leadership based on
behavior of the leader; and
effectiveness, in which leadership was defined by the ability to influence overall group effectiveness.
37
1960s
Although a tumultuous time for world affairs, the 1960s saw harmony amongst leadership scholars. The
prevailing definition of leadership as behavior that influences people toward shared goals was underscored by
Seeman (1960), who described leadership as “acts by persons which influence other persons in a shared
direction” (p. 53).
38
1970s
In the 1970s, the group focus gave way to the organizational behavior approach, where leadership became
viewed as “initiating and maintaining groups or organizations to accomplish group or organizational goals”
(Rost, 1991, p. 59). Burns’s (1978) definition, however, was the most important concept of leadership to
emerge: “Leadership is the reciprocal process of mobilizing by persons with certain motives and values,
various economic, political, and other resources, in a context of competition and conflict, in order to realize
goals independently or mutually held by both leaders and followers” (p. 425).
39
1980s
The 1980s exploded with scholarly and popular works on the nature of leadership, bringing the topic to the
apex of the academic and public consciousness. As a result, the number of definitions for leadership became
a prolific stew with several persevering themes:
Do as the leader wishes. Leadership definitions still predominantly delivered the message that
leadership is getting followers to do what the leader wants done.
Influence. Probably the most often used word in leadership definitions of the 1980s, influence was
examined from every angle. In an effort to distinguish leadership from management, however,
scholars insisted that leadership is noncoercive influence.
Traits. Spurred by the national best seller In Search of Excellence (Peters & Waterman, 1982), the
leadership-as-excellence movement brought leader traits back to the spotlight. As a result, many
people’s understanding of leadership is based on a trait orientation.
Transformation. Burns (1978) is credited for initiating a movement defining leadership as a
transformational process, stating that leadership occurs “when one or more persons engage with
others in such a way that leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation and
morality” (p. 83).
40
From the 1990s Into the 21st Century
Debate continues as to whether leadership and management are separate processes, but emerging research
emphasizes the process of leadership, whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a
common goal, rather than developing new ways of defining leadership. Among these emerging leadership
approaches are
authentic leadership, in which the authenticity of leaders and their leadership is emphasized;
spiritual leadership, which focuses on leadership that utilizes values and sense of calling and
membership to motivate followers;
servant leadership, which puts the leader in the role of servant, who utilizes “caring principles” to
focus on followers’ needs to help these followers become more autonomous, knowledgeable, and
like servants themselves;
adaptive leadership, in which leaders encourage followers to adapt by confronting and solving
problems, challenges, and changes;
followership, which puts a spotlight on followers and the role followers play in the leadership
process; and
discursive leadership, which posits that leadership is created not so much through leader traits,
skills, and behaviors, but through communication practices that are negotiated between leader and
follower (Aritz, Walker, Cardon, & Zhang, 2017; Fairhurst, 2007).
After decades of dissonance, leadership scholars agree on one thing: They can’t come up with a common
definition for leadership. Because of such factors as growing global influences and generational differences,
leadership will continue to have different meanings for different people. The bottom line is that leadership
is a complex concept for which a determined definition may long be in flux.
Source: Adapted from Leadership for the Twenty-First Century, by J. C. Rost, 1991, New York, NY: Praeger.
41
Ways of Conceptualizing Leadership
In the past 60 years, as many as 65 different classification systems have been developed to
define the dimensions of leadership (Fleishman et al., 1991). One such classification
system, directly related to our discussion, is the scheme proposed by Bass (2008, pp. 11–
20). He suggested that some definitions view leadership as the focus of group processes. From
this perspective, the leader is at the center of group change and activity and embodies the
will of the group. Another set of definitions conceptualizes leadership from a personality
perspective, which suggests that leadership is a combination of special traits or characteristics
that some individuals possess. These traits enable those individuals to induce others to
accomplish tasks. Other approaches to leadership define it as an act or a behavior—the
things leaders do to bring about change in a group.
In addition, some define leadership in terms of the power relationship that exists between
leaders and followers. From this viewpoint, leaders have power that they wield to effect
change in others. Others view leadership as a transformational process that moves followers
to accomplish more than is usually expected of them. Finally, some scholars address
leadership from a skills perspective. This viewpoint stresses the capabilities (knowledge and
skills) that make effective leadership possible.
42
Definition and Components
Despite the multitude of ways in which leadership has been conceptualized, the following
components can be identified as central to the phenomenon: (a) Leadership is a process, (b)
leadership involves influence, (c) leadership occurs in groups, and (d) leadership involves
common goals. Based on these components, the following definition of leadership is used
in this text:
Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.
Defining leadership as a process means that it is not a trait or characteristic that resides in
the leader, but rather a transactional event that occurs between the leader and the followers.
Process implies that a leader affects and is affected by followers. It emphasizes that leadership
is not a linear, one-way event, but rather an interactive event. When leadership is defined in
this manner, it becomes available to everyone. It is not restricted to the formally designated
leader in a group.
Leadership involves influence. It is concerned with how the leader affects followers and the
communication that occurs between leaders and followers (Ruben & Gigliotti, 2017).
Influence is the sine qua non of leadership. Without influence, leadership does not exist.
Leadership occurs in groups. Groups are the context in which leadership takes place.
Leadership involves influencing a group of individuals who have a common purpose. This
can be a small task group, a community group, or a large group encompassing an entire
organization. Leadership is about one individual influencing a group of others to
accomplish common goals. Others (a group) are required for leadership to occur.
Leadership training programs that teach people to lead themselves are not considered a part
of leadership within the definition that is set forth in this discussion.
Leadership includes attention to common goals. Leaders direct their energies toward
individuals who are trying to achieve something together. By common, we mean that the
leaders and followers have a mutual purpose. Attention to common goals gives leadership
an ethical overtone because it stresses the need for leaders to work with followers to achieve
selected goals. Stressing mutuality lessens the possibility that leaders might act toward
followers in ways that are forced or unethical. It also increases the possibility that leaders
and followers will work together toward a common good (Rost, 1991).
Throughout this text, the people who engage in leadership will be called leaders, and those
toward whom leadership is directed will be called followers. Both leaders and followers are
involved together in the leadership process. Leaders need followers, and followers need
leaders (Burns, 1978; Heller & Van Til, 1983; Hollander, 1992; Jago, 1982). An extended
discussion of followership is provided in Chapter 12. Although leaders and followers are
43
closely linked, it is the leader who often initiates the relationship, creates the
communication linkages, and carries the burden for maintaining the relationship.
In our discussion of leaders and followers, attention will be directed toward follower issues
as well as leader issues. Leaders have an ethical responsibility to attend to the needs and
concerns of followers. As Burns (1978) pointed out, discussions of leadership sometimes are
viewed as elitist because of the implied power and importance often ascribed to leaders in
the leader–follower relationship. Leaders are not above or better than followers. Leaders and
followers must be understood in relation to each other (Hollander, 1992) and collectively
(Burns, 1978). They are in the leadership relationship together—and are two sides of the
same coin (Rost, 1991).
44
Leadership Described
In addition to definitional issues, it is important to discuss several other questions
pertaining to the nature of leadership. In the following section, we will address questions
such as how leadership as a trait differs from leadership as a process; how appointed
leadership differs from emergent leadership; and how the concepts of power, coercion, and
management differ from leadership.
Figure 1.1 The Different Views of Leadership
Source: Adapted from A Force for Change: How Leadership Differs From
Management (pp. 3–8), by J. P. Kotter, 1990, New York, NY: Free Press.
45
Trait Versus Process Leadership
We have all heard statements such as “He is born to be a leader” or “She is a natural
leader.” These statements are commonly expressed by people who take a trait perspective
toward leadership. The trait perspective suggests that certain individuals have special innate
or inborn characteristics or qualities that make them leaders, and that it is these qualities
that differentiate them from nonleaders. Some of the personal qualities used to identify
leaders include unique physical factors (e.g., height), personality features (e.g.,
extraversion), and other characteristics (e.g., intelligence and fluency; Bryman, 1992). In
Chapter 2, we will discuss a large body of research that has examined these personal
qualities.
To describe leadership as a trait is quite different from describing it as a process (Figure
1.1). The trait viewpoint conceptualizes leadership as a property or set of properties
possessed in varying degrees by different people (Jago, 1982). This suggests that it resides in
select people and restricts leadership to those who are believed to have special, usually
inborn, talents.
The process viewpoint suggests that leadership is a phenomenon that resides in the context
of the interactions between leaders and followers and makes leadership available to
everyone. As a process, leadership can be observed in leader behaviors (Jago, 1982), and can
be learned. The process definition of leadership is consistent with the definition of
leadership that we have set forth in this chapter.
46
Assigned Versus Emergent Leadership
Some people are leaders because of their formal position in an organization, whereas others
are leaders because of the way other group members respond to them. These two common
forms of leadership are called assigned leadership and emergent leadership. Leadership that is
based on occupying a position in an organization is assigned leadership. Team leaders, plant
managers, department heads, directors, and administrators are all examples of assigned
leaders.
Yet the person assigned to a leadership position does not always become the real leader in a
particular setting. When others perceive an individual as the most influential member of a
group or an organization, regardless of the individual’s title, the person is exhibiting
emergent leadership. The individual acquires emergent leadership through other people in
the organization who support and accept that individual’s behavior. This type of leadership
is not assigned by position; rather, it emerges over a period through communication. Some
of the positive communication behaviors that account for successful leader emergence
include being verbally involved, being informed, seeking others’ opinions, initiating new ideas,
and being firm but not rigid (Ellis & Fisher, 1994).
Researchers have found that, in addition to communication behaviors, personality plays a
role in leadership emergence. For example, Smith and Foti (1998) found that certain
personality traits were related to leadership emergence in a sample of 160 male college
students. The individuals who were more dominant, more intelligent, and more confident
about their own performance (general self-efficacy) were more likely to be identified as
leaders by other members of their task group. Although it is uncertain whether these
findings apply to women as well, Smith and Foti suggested that these three traits could be
used to identify individuals perceived to be emergent leaders.
Leadership emergence may also be affected by gender-biased perceptions. In a study of 40
mixed-sex college groups, Watson and Hoffman (2004) found that women who were urged
to persuade their task groups to adopt high-quality decisions succeeded with the same
frequency as men with identical instructions. Although women were equally influential
leaders in their groups, they were rated significantly lower than comparable men were on
leadership. Furthermore, these influential women were also rated as significantly less likable
than comparably influential men were. These results suggest that there continue to be
barriers to women’s emergence as leaders in some settings.
A unique perspective on leadership emergence is provided by social identity theory (Hogg,
2001). From this perspective, leadership emergence is the degree to which a person fits with
the identity of the group as a whole. As groups develop over time, a group prototype also
develops. Individuals emerge as leaders in the group when they become most like the group
prototype. Being similar to the prototype makes leaders attractive to the group and gives
47
them influence with the group.
The leadership approaches we discuss in the subsequent chapters of this book apply equally
to assigned leadership and emergent leadership. When a person is engaged in leadership,
that person is a leader, whether leadership was assigned or emerged. This book focuses on
the leadership process that occurs when any individual is engaged in influencing other
group members in their efforts to reach a common goal.
48
Leadership and Power
The concept of power is related to leadership because it is part of the influence process.
Power is the capacity or potential to influence. People have power when they have the
ability to affect others’ beliefs, attitudes, and courses of action. Judges, doctors, coaches,
and teachers are all examples of people who have the potential to influence us. When they
do, they are using their power, the resource they draw on to effect change in us.
Although there are no explicit theories in the research literature about power and
leadership, power is a concept that people often associate with leadership. It is common for
people to view leaders (both good and bad) and people in positions of leadership as
individuals who wield power over others, and as a result, power is often thought of as
synonymous with leadership. In addition, people are often intrigued by how leaders use
their power. Understanding how power is used in leadership is instrumental as well in
understanding the dark side of leadership, where leaders use their leadership to achieve their
own personal ends and lead in toxic and destructive ways (Krasikova, Green, & LeBreton,
2013). Studying how famous leaders, such as Hitler or Alexander the Great, use power to
effect change in others is titillating to many people because it underscores that power can
indeed effectuate change and maybe if they had power they too could effectuate change.
In her 2012 book The End of Leadership, Kellerman argues there has been a shift in
leadership power during the last 40 years. Power used to be the domain of leaders, but that
is diminishing and shifting to followers. Changes in culture have meant followers demand
more from leaders, and leaders have responded. Access to technology has empowered
followers, given them access to huge amounts of information, and made leaders more
transparent. The result is a decline in respect for leaders and leaders’ legitimate power. In
effect, followers have used information power to level the playing field. Power is no longer
synonymous with leadership, and in the social contract between leaders and followers,
leaders wield less power, according to Kellerman. For example, Posner (2015) examined
volunteer leaders, such as those who sit on boards for nonprofit organizations, and found
that while these followers did not have positional authority in the organization, they were
able to influence leadership. Volunteer leaders engaged more frequently in leadership
behaviors than did paid leaders.
Table 1.1 Six Bases of Power
Referent
Power
Expert
Power
Based on followers’ identification and liking for the leader. A teacher
who is adored by students has referent power.
Based on followers’ perceptions of the leader’s competence. A tour
guide who is knowledgeable about a foreign country has expert
49
Power
power.
Legitimate
Power
Associated with having status or formal job authority. A judge who
administers sentences in the courtroom exhibits legitimate power.
Reward
Power
Derived from having the capacity to provide rewards to others. A
supervisor who compliments employees who work hard is using
reward power.
Coercive
Power
Derived from having the capacity to penalize or punish others. A
coach who sits players on the bench for being late to practice is using
coercive power.
Derived from possessing knowledge that others want or need. A boss
Information
who has information regarding new criteria to decide employee
Power
promotion eligibility has information power.
Source: Adapted from “The Bases of Social Power,” by J. R. French Jr. and B. Raven, 1962, in D. Cartwright
(Ed.), Group Dynamics: Research and Theory (pp. 259–269), New York, NY: Harper & Row; and “Social
Influence and Power,” by B. H. Raven, 1965, in I. D. Steiner & M. Fishbein (Eds.), Current Studies in Social
Psychology (pp. 371–382), New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.
In college courses today, the most widely cited research on power is French and Raven’s
(1959) work on the bases of social power. In their work, they conceptualized power from
the framework of a dyadic relationship that included both the person influencing and the
person being influenced. French and Raven identified five common and important bases of
power—referent, expert, legitimate, reward, and coercive—and Raven (1965) identified a
sixth, information power (Table 1.1). Each of these bases of power increases a leader’s
capacity to influence the attitudes, values, or behaviors of others.
In organizations, there are two major kinds of power: position power and personal power.
Position power is the power a person derives from a particular office or rank in a formal
organizational system. It is the influence capacity a leader derives from having higher status
than the followers have. Vice presidents and department heads have more power than staff
personnel do because of the positions they hold in the organization. Position power
includes legitimate, reward, coercive, and information power (Table 1.2).
Table 1.2 Types and Bases of
Power
Position Power Personal Power
Legitimate
Referent
50
Reward
Expert
Coercive
Information
Source: Adapted from A Force for Change: How Leadership Differs From Management (pp. 3–8), by J. P. Kotter,
1990, New York, NY: Free Press.
Personal power is the influence capacity a leader derives from being seen by followers as
likable and knowledgeable. When leaders act in ways that are important to followers, it
gives leaders power. For example, some managers have power because their followers
consider them to be good role models. Others have power because their followers view
them as highly competent or considerate. In both cases, these managers’ power is ascribed
to them by others, based on how they are seen in their relationships with others. Personal
power includes referent and expert power (Table 1.2).
In discussions of leadership, it is not unusual for leaders to be described as wielders of
power, as individuals who dominate others. In these instances, power is conceptualized as a
tool that leaders use to achieve their own ends. Contrary to this view of power, Burns
(1978) emphasized power from a relationship standpoint. For Burns, power is not an entity
that leaders use over others to achieve their own ends; instead, power occurs in
relationships. It should be used by leaders and followers to promote their collective goals.
In this text, our discussions of leadership treat power as a relational concern for both leaders
and followers. We pay attention to how leaders work with followers to reach common
goals.
51
Leadership and Coercion
Coercive power is one of the specific kinds of power available to leaders. Coercion involves
the use of force to effect change. To coerce means to influence others to do something
against their will and may include manipulating penalties and rewards in their work
environment. Coercion often involves the use of threats, punishment, and negative reward
schedules and is most often seen as a characteristic of the dark side of leadership. Classic
examples of coercive leaders are Adolf Hitler in Germany, the Taliban leaders in
Afghanistan, Jim Jones in Guyana, and Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, each of
whom used power and restraint to force followers to engage in extreme behaviors.
It is important to distinguish between coercion and leadership because it allows us to
separate out from our examples of leadership the behaviors of individuals such as Hitler, the
Taliban, and Jones. In our discussions of leadership, coercive people are not used as models
of ideal leadership. Our definition suggests that leadership is reserved for those who
influence a group of individuals toward a common goal. Leaders who use coercion are
interested in their own goals and seldom are interested in the wants and needs of followers.
Using coercion runs counter to working with followers to achieve a common goal.
52
Leadership and Management
Leadership is a process that is similar to management in many ways. Leadership involves
influence, as does management. Leadership entails working with people, which
management entails as well. Leadership is concerned with effective goal accomplishment,
and so is management. In general, many of the functions of management are activities that
are consistent with the definition of leadership we set forth at the beginning of this chapter.
But leadership is also different from management. Whereas the study of leadership can be
traced back to Aristotle, management emerged around the turn of the 20th century with
the advent of our industrialized society. Management was created as a way to reduce chaos
in organizations, to make them run more effectively and efficiently. The primary functions
of management, as first identified by Fayol (1916), were planning, organizing, staffing, and
controlling. These functions are still representative of the field of management today.
In a book that compared the functions of management with the functions of leadership,
Kotter (1990) argued that they are quite dissimilar (Figure 1.2). The overriding function of
management is to provide order and consistency to organizations, whereas the primary
function of leadership is to produce change and movement. Management is about seeking
order and stability; leadership is about seeking adaptive and constructive change.
As illustrated in Figure 1.2, the major activities of management are played out differently
than the activities of leadership. Although they are different in scope, Kotter (1990, pp. 7–
8) contended that both management and leadership are essential if an organization is to
prosper. For example, if an organization has strong management without leadership, the
outcome can be stifling and bureaucratic. Conversely, if an organization has strong
leadership without management, the outcome can be meaningless or misdirected change for
change’s sake. To be effective, organizations need to nourish both competent management
and skilled leadership.
Figure 1.2 Functions of Management and Leadership
53
Source: Adapted from A Force for Change: How Leadership Differs From
Management (pp. 3–8), by J. P. Kotter, 1990, New York, NY: Free Press.
Many scholars, in addition to Kotter (1990), argue that leadership and management are
distinct constructs. For example, Bennis and Nanus (2007) maintained that there is a
significant difference between the two. To manage means to accomplish activities and
master routines, whereas to lead means to influence others and create visions for change.
Bennis and Nanus made the distinction very clear in their frequently quoted sentence,
“Managers are people who do things right and leaders are people who do the right thing”
(p. 221).
Rost (1991) has also been a proponent of distinguishing between leadership and
management. He contended that leadership is a multidirectional influence relationship and
management is a unidirectional authority relationship. Whereas leadership is concerned
with the process of developing mutual purposes, management is directed toward
coordinating activities in order to get a job done. Leaders and followers work together to
create real change, whereas managers and subordinates join forces to sell goods and services
(Rost, 1991, pp. 149–152).
In a recent study, Simonet and Tett (2012) explored how leadership and management are
best conceptualized by having 43 experts identify the overlap and differences between
leadership and management in regard to 63 different competencies. They found a large
number of competencies (22) descriptive of both leadership and management (e.g.,
productivity, customer focus, professionalism, and goal setting), but they also found several
54
unique descriptors for each. Specifically, they found leadership was distinguished by
motivating intrinsically, creative thinking, strategic planning, tolerance of ambiguity, and
being able to read people, and management was distinguished by rule orientation, shortterm planning, motivating extrinsically, orderliness, safety concerns, and timeliness.
Approaching the issue from a narrower viewpoint, Zaleznik (1977) went so far as to argue
that leaders and managers themselves are distinct, and that they are basically different types
of people. He contended that managers are reactive and prefer to work with people to solve
problems but do so with low emotional involvement. They act to limit choices. Zaleznik
suggested that leaders, on the other hand, are emotionally active and involved. They seek to
shape ideas instead of responding to them and act to expand the available options to solve
long-standing problems. Leaders change the way people think about what is possible.
Although there are clear differences between management and leadership, the two
constructs overlap. When managers are involved in influencing a group to meet its goals,
they are involved in leadership. When leaders are involved in planning, organizing, staffing,
and controlling, they are involved in management. Both processes involve influencing a
group of individuals toward goal attainment. For purposes of our discussion in this book,
we focus on the leadership process. In our examples and case studies, we treat the roles of
managers and leaders similarly and do not emphasize the differences between them.
55
Plan of the Book
This book is user-friendly. It is based on substantive theories but is written to emphasize
practice and application. Each chapter in the book follows the same format. The first
section of each chapter briefly describes the leadership approach and discusses various
research studies applicable to the approach. The second section of each chapter evaluates
the approach, highlighting its strengths and criticisms. Special attention is given to how the
approach contributes or fails to contribute to an overall understanding of the leadership
process. The next section uses case studies to prompt discussion of how the approach can
be applied in ongoing organizations. Finally, each chapter provides a leadership
questionnaire along with a discussion of how the questionnaire measures the reader’s
leadership style. Each chapter ends with a summary and references.
56
Summary
Leadership is a topic with universal appeal; in the popular press and academic research
literature, much has been written about leadership. Despite the abundance of writing on
the topic, leadership has presented a major challenge to practitioners and researchers
interested in understanding the nature of leadership. It is a highly valued phenomenon that
is very complex.
Through the years, leadership has been defined and conceptualized in many ways. The
component common to nearly all classifications is that leadership is an influence process
that assists groups of individuals toward goal attainment. Specifically, in this book
leadership is defined as a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to
achieve a common goal.
Because both leaders and followers are part of the leadership process, it is important to
address issues that confront followers as well as issues that confront leaders. Leaders and
followers should be understood in relation to each other.
In prior research, many studies have focused on leadership as a trait. The trait perspective
suggests that certain people in our society have special inborn qualities that make them
leaders. This view restricts leadership to those who are believed to have special
characteristics. In contrast, the approach in this text suggests that leadership is a process
that can be learned, and that it is available to everyone.
Two common forms of leadership are assigned and emergent. Assigned leadership is based on
a formal title or position in an organization. Emergent leadership results from what one does
and how one acquires support from followers. Leadership, as a process, applies to
individuals in both assigned roles and emergent roles.
Related to leadership is the concept of power, the potential to influence. There are two
major kinds of power: position and personal. Position power, which is much like assigned
leadership, is the power an individual derives from having a title in a formal organizational
system. It includes legitimate, reward, information, and coercive power. Personal power
comes from followers and includes referent and expert power. Followers give it to leaders
because followers believe leaders have something of value. Treating power as a shared
resource is important because it de-emphasizes the idea that leaders are power wielders.
While coercion has been a common power brought to bear by many individuals in charge,
it should not be viewed as ideal leadership. Our definition of leadership stresses using
influence to bring individuals toward a common goal, while coercion involves the use of
threats and punishment to induce change in followers for the sake of the leaders. Coercion
runs counter to leadership because it does not treat leadership as a process that emphasizes
57
working with followers to achieve shared objectives.
Leadership and management are different concepts that overlap. They are different in that
management traditionally focuses on the activities of planning, organizing, staffing, and
controlling, whereas leadership emphasizes the general influence process. According to
some researchers, management is concerned with creating order and stability, whereas
leadership is about adaptation and constructive change. Other researchers go so far as to
argue that managers and leaders are different types of people, with managers being more
reactive and less emotionally involved and leaders being more proactive and more
emotionally involved. The overlap between leadership and management is centered on how
both involve influencing a group of individuals in goal attainment.
In this book, we discuss leadership as a complex process. Based on the research literature,
we describe selected approaches to leadership and assess how they can be used to improve
leadership in real situations.
Sharpen your skills with SAGE edge at edge.sagepub.com/northouse8e
58
References
Aritz, J., Walker, R., Cardon, P., & Zhang, L. (2017). Discourse of leadership: The power
of questions in organizational decision making. International Journal of Business
Communication, 54(2), 161–181. doi:10.1177/2329488416687054
Bass, B. M. (2008). Bass and Stogdill’s handbook of leadership: A survey of theory and
research (4th ed.). New York, NY: Free Press.
Bennis, W. G., & Nanus, B. (2007). Leaders: The strategies for taking charge (2nd ed.).
New York, NY: Harper & Row.
Bryman, A. (1992). Charisma and leadership in organizations. London, UK: SAGE.
Bryman, A., Collinson, D., Grint, K., Jackson, G., & Uhl-Bien, M. (Eds.). (2011). The
SAGE handbook of leadership. London, UK: SAGE.
Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York, NY: Harper & Row.
Copeland, N. (1942). Psychology and the soldier. Harrisburg, PA: Military Service
Publications.
Day, D. V., & Antonakis, J. (Eds.). (2012). The nature of leadership (2nd ed.). Thousand
Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Dinh, J. E., Lord, R. G., Gardner, W. L., Meuser, J. D., Liden, R. C., & Hu, J. (2014).
Leadership theory and research in the new millennium: Current theoretical trends and
changing perspectives. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(1), 36–62.
Ellis, D. G., & Fisher, B. A. (1994). Small group decision making: Communication and
the group process (4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Fairhurst, G. T. (2007). Discursive leadership: In conversation with leadership psychology.
59
Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Fayol, H. (1916). General and industrial management. London, UK: Pitman.
Fleishman, E. A., Mumford, M. D., Zaccaro, S. J., Levin, K. Y., Korotkin, A. L., & Hein,
M. B. (1991). Taxonomic efforts in the description of leader behavior: A synthesis and
functional interpretation. The Leadership Quarterly, 2(4), 245–287.
French, J. R., Jr., & Raven, B. H. (1959). The bases of social power. In D. Cartwright
(Ed.), Studies in social power (pp. 259–269). Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social
Research.
Gardner, J. W. (1990). On leadership. New York, NY: Free Press.
Heller, T., & Van Til, J. (1983). Leadership and followership: Some summary
propositions. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 18, 405–414.
Hemphill, J. K. (1949). Situational factors in leadership. Columbus: Ohio State University,
Bureau of Educational Research.
Hickman, G. R. (Ed.). (2016). Leading organizations: Perspectives for a new era (3rd ed.).
Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.
Hogg, M. A. (2001). A social identity theory of leadership. Personality and Social
Psychology Review, 5, 184–200.
Hollander, E. P. (1992). Leadership, followership, self, and others. The Leadership
Quarterly, 3(1), 43–54.
Jago, A. G. (1982). Leadership: Perspectives in theory and research. Management Science,
28(3), 315–336.
Kellerman, B. (2012). The end of leadership. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
60
Kotter, J. P. (1990). A force for change: How leadership differs from management. New
York, NY: Free Press.
Krasikova, D. V., Green, S. G., & LeBreton, J. M. (2013). Destructive leadership: A
theoretical review, integration, and future research agenda. Journal of Management,
39(5), 1308–1338.
Moore, B. V. (1927). The May conference on leadership. Personnel Journal, 6, 124–128.
Mumford, M. D. (2006). Pathways to outstanding leadership: A comparative analysis of
charismatic, ideological, and pragmatic leaders. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Peters, T. J., & Waterman, R. H. (1982). In search of excellence: Lessons from America’s
best-run companies. New York, NY: Warner Books.
Posner, B. Z. (2015). An investigation into the leadership practices of volunteer leaders.
Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 36(7), 885–898.
Raven, B. H. (1965). Social influence and power. In I. D. Steiner & M. Fishbein (Eds.),
Current studies in social psychology (pp. 371–382). New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart, &
Winston.
Rost, J. C. (1991). Leadership for the twenty-first century. New York, NY: Praeger.
Ruben, B. D., & Gigliotti, R. A. (2017). Communication: Sine qua non of organizational
leadership theory and practice. International Journal of Business Communication, 54(1),
12–30.
Seeman, M. (1960). Social status and leadership. Columbus: Ohio State University, Bureau
of Educational Research.
Simonet, D. V., & Tett, R. P. (2012). Five perspectives on the leadership-management
relationship: A competency-based evaluation and integration. Journal of Leadership &
Organizational Studies, 20(2), 199–213.
61
Smith, J. A., & Foti, R. J. (1998). A pattern approach to the study of leader emergence.
The Leadership Quarterly, 9(2), 147–160.
Stogdill, R. M. (1974). Handbook of leadership: A survey of theory and research. New
York, NY: Free Press.
Watson, C., & Hoffman, L. R. (2004). The role of task-related behavior in the emergence
of leaders. Group & Organization Management, 29(6), 659–685.
Zaleznik, A. (1977, May–June). Managers and leaders: Are they different? Harvard
Business Review, 55, 67–78.
62
2 Trait Approach
63
Description
Of interest to scholars throughout the 20th century, the trait approach was one of the first
systematic attempts to study leadership. In the early 20th century, leadership traits were
studied to determine what made certain people great leaders. The theories that were
developed were called “great man” theories because they focused on identifying the innate
qualities and characteristics possessed by great social, political, and military leaders (e.g.,
Catherine the Great, Mohandas Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc,
and Napoleon Bonaparte). It was believed that people were born with these traits, and that
only the “great” people possessed them. During this time, research concentrated on
determining the specific traits that clearly differentiated leaders from followers (Bass, 2008;
Jago, 1982).
In the mid-20th century, the trait approach was challenged by research that questioned the
universality of leadership traits. In a major review, Stogdill (1948) suggested that no
consistent set of traits differentiated leaders from nonleaders across a variety of situations.
An individual with leadership traits who was a leader in one situation might not be a leader
in another situation. Rather than being a quality that individuals possess, leadership was
reconceptualized as a relationship between people in a social situation. Personal factors
related to leadership continued to be important, but researchers contended that these
factors were to be considered as relative to the requirements of the situation.
The trait approach has generated much interest among researchers for its explanation of
how traits influence leadership (Bryman, 1992). For example, Kirkpatrick and Locke
(1991) went so far as to claim that effective leaders are actually distinct types of people.
Lord, DeVader, and Alliger (1986) found that traits were strongly associated with
individuals’ perceptions of leadership. More recently, Dinh and Lord (2012) examined the
relationship between leadership effectiveness and followers’ perception of leadership traits.
The trait approach has earned new interest through the current emphasis given by many
researchers to visionary and charismatic leadership (see Bass, 2008; Bennis & Nanus, 2007;
Jacquart & Antonakis, 2015; Nadler & Tushman, 2012; Zaccaro, 2007; Zaleznik, 1977).
Charismatic leadership catapulted to the forefront of public attention with the 2008
election of the United States’ first African American president, Barack Obama, who is
perceived by many to be charismatic, among many other attributes. In a study to determine
what distinguishes charismatic leaders from others, Jung and Sosik (2006) found that
charismatic leaders consistently possess traits of self-monitoring, engagement in impression
management, motivation to attain social power, and motivation to attain self-actualization.
In short, the trait approach is alive and well. It began with an emphasis on identifying the
qualities of great persons, shifted to include the impact of situations on leadership, and,
currently, has shifted back to reemphasize the critical role of traits in effective leadership.
64
Although the research on traits spanned the entire 20th century, a good overview of this
approach is found in two surveys completed by Stogdill (1948, 1974). In his first survey,
Stogdill analyzed and synthesized more than 124 trait studies conducted between 1904 and
1947. In his second study, he analyzed another 163 studies completed between 1948 and
1970. By taking a closer look at each of these reviews, we can obtain a clearer picture of
how individuals’ traits contribute to the leadership process.
Stogdill’s first survey identified a group of important leadership traits that were related to
how individuals in various groups became leaders. His results showed that an average
individual in a leadership role is different from an average group member with regard to the
following eight traits: intelligence, alertness, insight, responsibility, initiative, persistence,
self-confidence, and sociability.
The findings of Stogdill’s first survey also indicated that an individual does not become a
leader solely because that individual possesses certain traits. Rather, the traits that leaders
possess must be relevant to situations in which the leader is functioning. As stated earlier,
leaders in one situation may not necessarily be leaders in another situation. Findings
showed that leadership was not a passive state but resulted from a working relationship
between the leader and other group members. This research marked the beginning of a new
approach to leadership research that focused on leadership behaviors and leadership
situations.
Stogdill’s second survey, published in 1974, analyzed 163 new studies and compared the
findings of these studies to the findings he had reported in his first survey. The second
survey was more balanced in its description of the role of traits and leadership. Whereas the
first survey implied that leadership is determined principally by situational factors and not
traits, the second survey argued more moderately that both traits and situational factors
were determinants of leadership. In essence, the second survey validated the original trait
idea that a leader’s characteristics are indeed a part of leadership.
Similar to the first survey, Stogdill’s second survey identified traits that were positively
associated with leadership. The list included the following 10 characteristics:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
drive for responsibility and task completion;
vigor and persistence in pursuit of goals;
risk taking and originality in problem solving;
drive to exercise initiative in social situations;
self-confidence and sense of personal identity;
willingness to accept consequences of decision and action;
readiness to absorb interpersonal stress;
willingness to tolerate frustration and delay;
ability to influence other people’s behavior; and
capacity to structure social interaction systems to the purpose at hand.
65
Mann (1959) conducted a similar study that examined more than 1,400 findings regarding
traits and leadership in small groups, but he placed less emphasis on how situational factors
influenced leadership. Although tentative in his conclusions, Mann suggested that certain
traits could be used to distinguish leaders from nonleaders. His results identified leaders as
strong in the following six traits: intelligence, masculinity, adjustment, dominance,
extraversion, and conservatism.
Lord et al. (1986) reassessed Mann’s (1959) findings using a more sophisticated procedure
called meta-analysis. Lord et al. found that intelligence, masculinity, and dominance were
significantly related to how individuals perceived leaders. From their findings, the authors
argued strongly that traits could be used to make discriminations consistently across
situations between leaders and nonleaders.
Both of these studies were conducted during periods in American history where male
leadership was prevalent in most aspects of business and society. In Chapter 15, we explore
more contemporary research regarding the role of gender in leadership, and we look at
whether traits such as masculinity and dominance still bear out as important factors in
distinguishing between leaders and nonleaders.
Yet another review argues for the importance of leadership traits: Kirkpatrick and Locke
(1991, p. 59) contended that “it is unequivocally clear that leaders are not like other
people.” From a qualitative synthesis of earlier research, Kirkpatrick and Locke postulated
that leaders differ from nonleaders on six traits: drive, motivation, integrity, confidence,
cognitive ability, and task knowledge. According to these writers, individuals can be born
with these traits, they can learn them, or both. It is these six traits that make up the “right
stuff” for leaders. Kirkpatrick and Locke asserted that leadership traits make some people
different from others, and this difference should be recognized as an important part of the
leadership process.
Table 2.1 Studies of Leadership Traits and Characteristics
Stogdill
(1948)
Mann
(1959)
Stogdill (1974)
Lord,
DeVader,
and Alliger
(1986)
Kirkpatrick Zaccaro, Kemp,
and Locke and Bader
(1991)
(2017)
cognitive ability
achievement
intelligence
alertness
persistence
intelligence
insight
extraversion
drive
conscientiousness
emotional
66
insight
masculinity
initiative
motivation
stability
responsibility adjustment
self-confidence
intelligence integrity
openness
initiative
dominance
responsibility
masculinity confidence
agreeableness
persistence
extraversion
cooperativeness dominance
selfconfidence
conservatism tolerance
task
knowledge
influence
sociability
cognitive
ability
sociability
motivation
social intelligence
self-monitoring
emotional
intelligence
problem solving
Sources: Adapted from “The Bases of Social Power,” by J. R. P. French Jr. and B. Raven, 1962, in D.
Cartwright (Ed.), Group Dynamics: Research and Theory (pp. 259–269), New York, NY: Harper and Row;
Zaccaro, Kemp, & Bader (2004).
In the 1990s, researchers began to investigate the leadership traits associated with “social
intelligence,” which is characterized as the ability to understand one’s own and others’
feelings, behaviors, and thoughts and act appropriately (Marlowe, 1986). Zaccaro (2002)
defined social intelligence as having such capacities as social awareness, social acumen, selfmonitoring, and the ability to select and enact the best response given the contingencies of
the situation and social environment. A number of empirical studies showed these
capacities to be a key trait for effective leaders. Zaccaro, Kemp, and Bader (2017) included
such social abilities in the categories of leadership traits they outlined as important
leadership attributes (Table 2.1).
Table 2.1 provides a summary of the traits and characteristics that were identified by
researchers from the trait approach. It illustrates clearly the breadth of traits related to
leadership. Table 2.1 also shows how difficult it is to select certain traits as definitive
leadership traits; some of the traits appear in several of the survey studies, whereas others
appear in only one or two studies. Regardless of the lack of precision in Table 2.1, however,
it represents a general convergence of research regarding which traits are leadership traits.
Table 2.2 Major Leadership
Traits
• Intelligence
• Integrity
• Self-confidence
• Sociability
• Determination
67
What, then, can be said about trait research? What has a century of research on the trait
approach given us that is useful? The answer is an extended list of traits that individuals
might hope to possess or wish to cultivate if they want to be perceived by others as leaders.
Some of the traits that are central to this list include intelligence, self-confidence,
determination, integrity, and sociability (Table 2.2).
68
Intelligence
Intelligence or intellectual ability is positively related to leadership (Sternberg, 2004). Based
on their analysis of a series of recent studies on intelligence and various indices of
leadership, Zaccaro et al. (2017) found support for the finding that leaders tend to have
higher intelligence than nonleaders. Having strong verbal ability, perceptual ability, and
reasoning appears to make one a better leader (Jacquart & Antonakis, 2015). Although it is
good to be bright, if the leader’s IQ is very different from that of the followers, it can have a
counterproductive impact on leadership. Leaders with higher abilities may have difficulty
communicating with followers because they are preoccupied or because their ideas are too
advanced for their followers to accept.
In a study of the relationship between intelligence and perceived leadership in midlevel
leaders from multinational companies, Antonakis, House, and Simonton (2017) found that
the optimal IQ for perceived leadership appeared to be just above one standard deviation
above the mean IQ of the group membership. Their study found a curvilinear relationship
between IQ and perceived leadership—that is, as IQ increased, so did perceived leadership
to a point, and then the IQ had a negative impact on leadership. Stated another way, it is
good for leaders to be intelligent, but if their intelligence scores become too high, the
benefits appear to taper off and can become negative.
An example of a leader for whom intelligence was a key trait was Steve Jobs, founder and
CEO of Apple who died in 2011. Jobs once said, “I have this really incredible product
inside me and I have to get it out” (Sculley, 2011, p. 27). Those visionary products, first
the Apple II and Macintosh computers and then the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad,
revolutionized the personal computer and electronic device industry, changing the way
people play and work.
In the next chapter of this text, which addresses leadership from a skills perspective,
intelligence is identified as a trait that significantly contributes to a leader’s acquisition of
complex problem-solving skills and social judgment skills. Intelligence is described as
having a positive impact on an individual’s capacity for effective leadership.
69
Self-Confidence
Self-confidence is another trait that helps one to be a leader. Self-confidence is the ability to
be certain about one’s competencies and skills. It includes a sense of self-esteem and selfassurance and the belief that one can make a difference. Leadership involves influencing
others, and self-confidence allows the leader to feel assured that his or her attempts to
influence others are appropriate and right.
Again, Steve Jobs is a good example of a self-confident leader. When Jobs described the
devices he wanted to create, many people said they weren’t possible. But Jobs never
doubted his products would change the world, and despite resistance, he did things the way
he thought best. “Jobs was one of those CEOs who ran the company like he wanted to. He
believed he knew more about it than anyone else, and he probably did,” said a colleague
(Stone, 2011, p. 40).
70
Determination
Many leaders also exhibit determination. Determination is the desire to get the job done
and includes characteristics such as initiative, persistence, dominance, and drive. People
with determination are willing to assert themselves, are proactive, and have the capacity to
persevere in the face of obstacles. Being determined includes showing dominance at times
and in situations where followers need to be directed.
Dr. Paul Farmer has shown determination in his efforts to secure health care and eradicate
tuberculosis for the very poor of Haiti and other third world countries. He began his efforts
as a recent college graduate, traveling and working in Cange, Haiti. While there, he was
accepted to Harvard Medical School. Knowing that his work in Haiti was invaluable to his
training, he managed to do both: spending months traveling back and forth between Haiti
and Cambridge, Massachusetts, for school. His first effort in Cange was to establish a oneroom clinic where he treated “all comers” and trained local health care workers. Farmer
found that there was more to providing health care than just dispensing medicine: He
secured donations to build schools, houses, and communal sanitation and water facilities in
the region. He spearheaded vaccinations of all the children in the area, dramatically
reducing malnutrition and infant mortality. In order to keep working in Haiti, he returned
to America and founded Partners In Health, a charitable foundation that raises money to
fund these efforts. Since its founding, PIH not only has succeeded in improving the health
of many communities in Haiti but now has projects in Haiti, Lesotho, Malawi, Peru,
Russia, Rwanda, and the United States, and supports other projects in Mexico and
Guatemala (Kidder, 2004; Partners In Health, 2017).
71
Integrity
Integrity, another of the important leadership traits, is the quality of honesty and
trustworthiness. People who adhere to a strong set of principles and take responsibility for
their actions are exhibiting integrity. Leaders with integrity inspire confidence in others
because they can be trusted to do what they say they are going to do. They are loyal,
dependable, and not deceptive. Basically, integrity makes a leader believable and worthy of
our trust.
In our society, integrity has received a great deal of attention in recent years. For example,
as a result of two situations—the position taken by President George W. Bush regarding
Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction and the impeachment proceedings during the
Bill Clinton presidency—people are demanding more honesty of their public officials.
Similarly, scandals in the corporate world (e.g., Enron and WorldCom) have led people to
become skeptical of leaders who are not highly ethical. In the educational arena, new K–12
curricula are being developed to teach character, values, and ethical leadership. (For
instance, see the Character Counts! program developed by the Josephson Institute of Ethics
in California at www.charactercounts.org, and the Pillars of Leadership program taught at
the J. W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development in Georgia at
www.fanning.uga.edu.) In short, society is demanding greater integrity of character in its
leaders.
72
Sociability
A final trait that is important for leaders is sociability. Sociability is a leader’s inclination to
seek out pleasant social relationships. Leaders who show sociability are friendly, outgoing,
courteous, tactful, and diplomatic. They are sensitive to others’ needs and show concern for
their well-being. Social leaders have good interpersonal skills and create cooperative
relationships with their followers.
An example of a leader with great sociability skills is Michael Hughes, a university
president. Hughes prefers to walk to all his meetings because it gets him out on campus
where he greets students, staff, and faculty. He has lunch in the dorm cafeterias or student
union and will often ask a table of strangers if he can sit with them. Students rate him as
very approachable, while faculty say he has an open-door policy. In addition, he takes time
to write personal notes to faculty, staff, and students to congratulate them on their
successes.
Although our discussion of leadership traits has focused on five major traits (i.e.,
intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity, and sociability), this list is not allinclusive. While other traits indicated in Table 2.1 are associated with effective leadership,
the five traits we have identified contribute substantially to one’s capacity to be a leader.
Until recently, most reviews of leadership traits have been qualitative. In addition, they
have lacked a common organizing framework. However, the research described in the
following section provides a quantitative assessment of leadership traits that is conceptually
framed around the five-factor model of personality. It describes how five major personality
traits are related to leadership.
73
Five-Factor Personality Model and Leadership
Over the past 25 years, a consensus has emerged among researchers regarding the basic
factors that make up what we call personality (Goldberg, 1990; McCrae & Costa, 1987).
These factors, commonly called the Big Five, are neuroticism, extraversion (surgency),
openness (intellect), agreeableness, and conscientiousness (dependability) (Table 2.3).
To assess the links between the Big Five and leadership, Judge, Bono, Ilies, and Gerhardt
(2002) conducted a major meta-analysis of 78 leadership and personality studies published
between 1967 and 1998. In general, Judge et al. found a strong relationship between the
Big Five traits and leadership. It appears that having certain personality traits is associated
with being an effective leader.
Specifically, in their study, extraversion was the factor most strongly associated with
leadership. It is the most important trait of effective leaders. Extraversion was followed, in
order, by conscientiousness, openness, and low neuroticism. The last factor, agreeableness, was
found to be only weakly associated with leadership. In a more recent study, Sacket and
Walmsley (2014) found that conscientiousness had the highest correlation with overall job
performance, task performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and counterproductive
work behavior (negative correlation). It was found to be the most frequently assessed trait
in job interviews for a variety of occupations.
Table 2.3 Big Five Personality Factors
Neuroticism
The tendency to be depressed, anxious, insecure, vulnerable,
and hostile
Extraversion
The tendency to be sociable and assertive and to have positive
energy
Openness
The tendency to be informed, creative, insightful, and curious
Agreeableness
The tendency to be accepting, conforming, trusting, and
nurturing
Conscientiousness
The tendency to be thorough, organized, controlled,
dependable, and decisive
Source: Goldberg, L. R. (1990). An alternative “description of personality”: The Big-Five factor structure.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 1216–1229.
74
Strengths and Leadership
Very closely related to the traits approach is the more contemporary emphasis on strengths
and leadership. The idea behind strengths leadership is that everyone has talents in which
they excel or thrive and leaders are able to recognize and capitalize on not only their own
strengths but those of their followers as well. A strength is defined as an attribute or quality
of an individual that accounts for successful performance. Strength researchers
(Buckingham & Clifton, 2001; Rath, 2007) suggest that strengths are the ability to
consistently demonstrate exceptional work.
The seminal research in this area has been undertaken by the Gallup organization, which
has spent more than 40 years identifying and assessing individual strengths or “themes of
human talent” and designing and publishing the StrengthsFinder profile, now called
CliftonStrengths assessment, an online assessment of people’s talents and potential
strengths. Talents are similar to personality traits—they are relatively stable, fixed
characteristics that are not easily changed. From talents, strengths emerge. Strengths are
derived from having certain talents and then further developing those talents by gaining
additional knowledge, skills, and practice (Rath, 2007).
In the strengths perspective, extraordinary individuals are “distinguished less by their
impressive ‘raw power’ than by their ability to identify their strengths and then exploit
them” (Gardner, 1997, p. 15). MacKie (2016) suggests that our leadership capability is
enhanced when we are able to discover our fully utilized strengths, underutilized strengths,
and weaknesses.
75
Emotional Intelligence
Another way of assessing the impact of traits on leadership is through the concept of
emotional intelligence, which emerged in the 1990s as an important area of study in
psychology. It has been widely studied by researchers, and has captured the attention of
many practitioners (Caruso & Wolfe, 2004; Goleman, 1995, 1998; Mayer & Salovey,
1995, 1997; Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2000; Shankman & Allen, 2015).
As the two words suggest, emotional intelligence has to do with our emotions (affective
domain) and thinking (cognitive domain), and the interplay between the two. Whereas
intelligence is concerned with our ability to learn information and apply it to life tasks,
emotional intelligence is concerned with our ability to understand emotions and apply this
understanding to life’s tasks. Specifically, emotional intelligence can be defined as the ability
to perceive and express emotions, to use emotions to facilitate thinking, to understand and
reason with emotions, and to effectively manage emotions within oneself and in
relationships with others (Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2000).
There are different ways to measure emotional intelligence. One scale is the Mayer-SaloveyCaruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT; Mayer, Caruso, & Salovey, 2000). The
MSCEIT measures emotional intelligence as a set of mental abilities, including the abilities
to perceive, facilitate, understand, and manage emotion.
Goleman (1995, 1998) takes a broader approach to emotional intelligence, suggesting that
it consists of a set of personal and social competencies. Personal competence consists of selfawareness, confidence, self-regulation, conscientiousness, and motivation. Social
competence consists of empathy and social skills such as communication and conflict
management.
Shankman and Allen (2015) developed a practice-oriented model of emotionally intelligent
leadership, which suggests that leaders must be conscious of three fundamental facets of
leadership: context, self, and others. In the model, emotionally intelligent leaders are
defined by 21 capacities to which a leader should pay attention, including group savvy,
optimism, initiative, and teamwork.
There is a debate in the field regarding how big a role emotional intelligence plays in
helping people be successful in life. Some researchers, such as Goleman (1995), suggested
that emotional intelligence plays a major role in whether people are successful at school,
home, and work. Others, such as Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso (2000) and Antonakis
(2009), made softer claims for the significance of emotional intelligence in meeting life’s
challenges.
As a leadership ability or trait, emotional intelligence appears to be an important construct.
76
The underlying premise suggested by this framework is that people who are more sensitive
to their emotions and the impact of their emotions on others will be leaders who are more
effective. As more research is conducted on emotional intelligence, the intricacies of how
emotional intelligence relates to leadership will be better understood.
77
How does the Trait Approach Work?
The trait approach is very different from the other approaches discussed in subsequent
chapters because it focuses exclusively on the leader, not on the followers or the situation.
This makes the trait approach theoretically more straightforward than other approaches. In
essence, the trait approach is concerned with what traits leaders exhibit and who has these
traits.
The trait approach does not lay out a set of hypotheses or principles about what kind of
leader is needed in a certain situation or what a leader should do, given a particular set of
circumstances. Instead, this approach emphasizes that having a leader with a certain set of
traits is crucial to having effective leadership. It is the leader and the leader’s traits that are
central to the leadership process.
The trait approach suggests that ...
Purchase answer to see full
attachment