Leadership Style and Effectiveness – Psychology – UGC NET – Notes

Defining Leadership Style

Leadership style is the pattern of behaviour that a leader exhibits, in influencing his/her subordinates towards the goals of an organization. Leadership style changes from group to group and also from situation to situation. When a group lacks the sense of direction or purpose, directive style can be adopted by a leader, and when groups are clear of the organizational goals and objectives and perform well, non-directive styles can be adopted by a leader.

The study of leadership style has been in vogue right from 1930s, when researches were conducted on the leadership theories. When the traits and behaviours of leaders were explored, the classification that was arrived at was task oriented and employee oriented leaders. Such classification further was expanded by the scholars in later years, which got extended as different styles of leadership. In this unit, effort has been made to explore the different types and styles of leadership. But before we get into the leadership styles that exist, it is critical to understand the factors influencing leadership styles.

Factors Affecting Leadership Style

The behavioural pattern exhibited by a leader is influenced by various factors. Some of the factors that influence the leadership styles are as follows (D’Souza, 1987):

(i) Personality of the Leader: The very personality of the leader has its impact on the style of leadership that he/she adopts. The value system that a leader follows influences him/her in adopting a certain style. The leadership style also gets influenced by the amount of trust that a leader has on his/her employees. The inclination that a leader has towards a directive style or team-building style also influences the leadership style. Further, the personality displayed by a leader in uncertain situations also decides the style of leadership to be adopted by him/her.

(ii) Personality of Group Members: The kind of personality exhibited by the followers in an organization also helps in deciding the style to be adopted. For instance, if employees in an organization prefer a high need for independence, show readiness to assume responsibility, and display interest in problem solving and decision making, then leaders permit greater freedom.

(iii) Nature of Task: The nature of task performed in an organization plays a greater role in determining the leadership style. If the nature of task is quite critical and the time is too short for taking decisions, autocratic style may be used by leaders. Whereas, in handling simple tasks with no pressure of time, the leader might adopt a participative style.

(iv) Nature of the Environment: The structure of the organization may determine the kind of leadership to be adopted. For instance, some organizations may put heavy emphasis on the leader’s ability to work effectively with people. At other times, the social, economic and political pressures that an organization faces prompt certain styles of leadership to be followed.

A successful leader is sensitive to the influences in various situations and is in a position to determine the right style of leadership to be followed in handling various situations.

Leadership Qualities and Characteristics

The basic qualities that a leader should possess, in influencing her/his people towards organizational goals, act as a benchmark in accepting her/his leadership and conferring leadership upon a leader. In general, a leader needs to exhibit qualities or behaviour that followers find credible, useful and appropriate. Some scholars, in fact, enumerate a list of leadership qualities. According to Chester Barnard, six qualities are essential for a leader and such qualities, as per his order of importance, include (Fadia & Fadia, 2006):

 Vitality and Endurance
 Decisiveness
 Persuasiveness
 Stability in Behaviour
 Intellectual Ability
 Knowledge

The leadership qualities as suggested by Millet include:

 Good health
 Sense of mission
 Interest in other people
 Intelligence
 Integrity
 Persuasiveness
 Judgement
 Loyalty

Terry’s list of leadership qualities includes (Fadia & Fadia, 2006):

 Energy
 Emotional stability
 Knowledge of human relations
 Empathy
 Objectivity
 Personal motivation
 Communicative skills
 Teaching ability
 Social skill
 Technical Competence

In crux, a leader must display proper behaviour, be considerate and human-hearted, respect the dignity of subordinates, and lead through moral character. When such qualities are displayed by leaders, along with the needed styles of leadership, a leader is said to play an effective role.