The company you work for has asked you to prepare a document that categorizes le

ID: 433909 • Letter: T

Question

The company you work for has asked you to prepare a document that categorizes leadership theories. Assume this document will serve as a reference to quickly identify and explain the differences between leadership theories. This document will have two parts:

Prepare a table in Word or Excel identifying at least five Leadership Theories (e.g., Situational Leadership Theory) in the first cell of each row. The following columns should offer 3-5 distinctions (variables/traits) between the varying theories. For example, advantages and disadvantages of each theory could be two of the columns.
Hint: For your Word document or Excel sheet, Rows are horizontal flow (left to right) and Columns are vertical (up and down). In the first cell in each row, list the Leadership Theory (identify at least five). The other 3-5 columns are your choice. Anything you can compare or contrast between the theories will work.

In a one-page report, describe the best leader you have worked for by answering the following questions:

What theories of leadership do you think were most important to this leader and how did this leader make effective use of them?

As a leader, which theories would you two have in common, and which theories would you not use and why?

Explanation / Answer

Answer to the question:

Type of Leadership Theory

Definition

Advantages

Disadvantages

Behavioral Theory

This type of leadership ignores traits or characteristics, rather, they look on what leaders are actually capable to do. In this approach, the leadership qualities are learnt, rather than being inherited.

1. Leadership is a learning and development process and it can be developed by anybody.

2. Effective leaders can be made to achieve intended results.

1. Learning may not necessarily inculcate leadership qualities among an individual.

2. The leader may not be adaptive to new challenges he may face at workplace.

Trait Theory

Great leaders inherit traits or characteristics which are suited for leadership. These traits may be alertness, adaptability, decisive, co-operative, etc.

1. Leaders are unique and distinctive.

2. It has a century of research to boast of it’s approach.

1. This theory only focuses extensively on leader and not others.

2. Since the traits are natural, it can’t be developed or trained into.

Situational Leadership Theory

In this type, the leaders act according to the situation of demand and depend on factors such as external relationships, resources, group management, etc.

1. It is simple to understand and intuitive.

2. It is far more flexible in work as rigidity can be demoralizing for a workforce.

3. Relationship between the leader and his employees is at the centerstage.

1. It may fail as set of rules and regulations may not allow flexibility in work.

2. Attention may be shifted from long term goals as immediate needs are addressed to in this type of leadership.

Transactional Leadership Theory

In this type of leadership, chain of command is clearly established. The leaders reward those who achieve their targets and punish those who are not able to do so.

1. It is effective in motivating the employees, as it is reward and punishment based.

2. It does not create any confusion among employees and they are clear about their goals.

3. Employees know what they have to follow and whom they have to report to.

1. It restricts creativity as the employees are following certain instructions and they have to abide by them.

2. The employees are highly accountable for their job which may create unhappiness and distrust among them.

3. The employees are doing their job only to achieve their targets and nothing else, thereby making them insensitive towards the organization.

Transformational Leadership Theory

A leader creates a vision and the team members follow his leader through this vision to carry out their job with much enthusiasm and energy.

1. A clear vision is formulated for achieving goals.

2. It promotes enthusiasm among the employees by creating happy working environment.

3. The leader motivates and inspires his employees through his passion which drives the employees to be efficient in their job.

1. Too much emotion and passion may turn focus away from the real time challenges.

2. This type of leadership is often abusive as the employees blindly follow their leader.

At my workplace, I came across our boss who was Assistant Commissioner of Customs. He was a very charismatic leader and able to do his job effectively and make optimum use of contribution of his sub-ordinates. According to my knowledge, he was able to make active use of following type of leadership theories during his work:

1. Behavioral Theory: He always wanted each and everybody to be efficient in their work and he would like them to handle different situations independently and individually. He wanted to see leadership qualities in his staff also so that they may not be dependent on him for each and every minor decision and they should decide on their own. He used to motivate them in their work and also used to guide them on how to do their job satisfactorily and effectively.

2. Situational Leadership Theory: He used to assess the situation for it’s potential and then accordingly, he decided the course of action. He was never haste in taking the decisions and kept his calm and cool in every situation. He used to sometimes maintain discipline among his staff who were losing focus on their job and sometimes rewarded them for achieving the intended results on time. Due to his calculative and studious approach, he handled all the situations very well.

3. Transformational Leadership Theory: When he joined the Department, his vision was very clear and he communicated the same to us, the very first day. He just wanted to achieve what our department was meant to and that too with the sincere and enthusiastic efforts of all the staff. He used to give inspirational speeches in between the work and kept a very lively and happy working environment. He used to solve the professional and personal problems of the employees equally well due to which the staff was very loyal and supportive to him and ready to do anything for him.

If I were a leader as my boss, I would like to have following theories in common:

1. Behavioral Theory: This theory would help to create effective workforce by properly guiding and training them. This theory would be able to decide the employees on their own on minor and petty issues instead of taking or asking senior’s approval. This may reduce the time for execution of any work and would create an efficient and reliable workforce which would believe actively in their leadership and support.

2. Situational Leadership Theory: This theory would help me to effectively study and calculate the situations and accordingly put my wisdom to take necessary decision. In this type, situation analysis is the key, as the leaders decide as per the situations. Some situations may be too easy to handle and some may be too tough to handle. The leaders don’t tend to lose their cool and composure in any situations and they are likely to take good decisions.

I would not like Transformational Leadership Theory in common, as it would tend the employees to follow their leader blindly and they are likely to be over dependent for any decision. They work and the nature of their job is tremendously influenced by their leader and there is very little or less autonomy to do the job. The employees may not be able to handle different situations as they are likely to lose perception to handle such situations.

Further, I would also not like to be Trait Leader as it is extensively focussed on leader only and take employees very little into account. Also, for today’s world and challenges, it is simply outdated. I may also not like to have Transactional Leadership into me as this is also not beneficial for any organization. Employees will tend to focus only on goals and objectives and will lack creativity and innovation at work.