Comparing Leadership Theories
Assignment Content
Create a chart comparing at least 3 leadership theories presented in this week’s reading.
1. Leadership contingency theory
2. Leadership behavior theory
3. Leadership trait theory
Submit your chart.
| Comparison Elements | Leadership Contingency Theory | Leadership Behavior Theory | Leadership Trait Theory | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Definition
(Nawaz, 2016) |
Expounds that there is no particular or specific leadership approach to lead, as it is dependent on different situations | Expounds that specific behaviors in an individual differentiate them as leaders from non-leaders
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Expounds that people have specific innate qualities and abilities such as intellectual abilities and personality that motivate them to assume leadership roles.
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| Assumptions
(Nawaz, 2016) |
Argues that a leader’s effectiveness and efficiency are situation-dependent and how well their leadership style fits the situation at hand
No specific leadership style is the best for all situations |
Argues that leaders are made and developed but not born
Leadership capabilities can be learned or developed but not being inherent |
Claims that leaders are born with intrinsic traits | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leadership Characteristics
(Nawaz, 2016) |
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| Strengths
(Uslu, 2019) |
1. Tested and validated by many researchers, making it more reliable in explaining leadership effectiveness
2. Considers situational impacts among leaders 3. Identifies the relationship between a style of leadership and situational demands |
1. Promotes the value of leadership as it includes people’s concern
2. Expounds on the trait-based approach 3. Helps leaders find balance in response to different situations and styles of leadership 4. Helps leaders decide to behave as leaders depending on people’s concerns for productivity |
1. Explains that leaders are distinctive
2. Is leader-centric hence thoroughly analyses an individual 3. Provides for a platform and benchmark when looking for leaders |
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| Weaknesses
(Uslu, 2019)
|
1. Limited. May not apply well and effectively in all situations in the 21st century
2. It does not explain exhaustively on measurement factors that organizations can use when analyzing situations and its effectiveness, thus requires caution |
1. The theory is not linked with desirable outcomes
2. A lack of universally, successful, and acceptable behavior makes it limited 3. Provides susceptibility to poor team management |
1. Leader-centric focusing only on leaders and not followers or situations
2. Ambiguity and subjectivity of findings, maximizing uncertainty in its validity 3. Traits are innate, meaning training and development are eliminated, yet important aspects as leaders can be made. |
Leadership characteristics used in the comparison of these leadership theories include; Change Resistance (1), Decisiveness (2), Communicable (3), Motivational (4), Supervision (5), Authentic (6), Charisma (7), Influential (8), and Directedness (9) (Nawaz, 2016).
References
Nawaz, I. U. (2016). A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF LEADERSHIP THEORIES: A REVIEW. Gomal University Journal of Research [GUJR], Vol 34, pp; 21-31.
Uslu, O. A. (2019). General Overview to Leadership Theories from a Critical Perspective. Marketing and Management of Innovations, Vol 1, pp; 161-172.
