Trait and Style Theories of Leadership - Term Paper Example

?Compare and contrast trait theories of leadership with style theories. What are the strengths and weaknesses of both theories and how might you apply these theories in an organisational context? Table of Contents Introduction 3 Comparative Analysis of Trait Theory and Style Theory 4 Strength and Weaknesses of the Theories 7 Application in Organisational Context 8 Conclusion 8 References 10 Introduction The core function of the management in a company is to acquire the commitment of its workforce towards the aims and objectives of the company or organisation, which is also called exercising leadership. Leadership can be defined as a process by which a person influences others to get support and accomplish the task. An important characteristic of leadership is that, it persuades others to come under one roof in order to achieve a common goal (Daft and Lane, 2008, p.5). Leadership is not only tradition, opportunism, personality, or appointment, but it is related to the attitude and behaviour of an individual towards others. Leadership at organisation is a dynamic process in which the individual is responsible for the result of his team. The leader seeks the commitment and collaboration of the group members for achieving the group goals. Leaders are individuals who have specific qualities to lead and influence people. They have the capability to bring about change in the society and in people’s minds because they do not accept norms as they are, but judge them and decide whether to go with the flow or make their own path. Certain qualities such as self-confidence, determination and intelligence are always there in leaders, as it is a part of very leadership style. A dependable leader has the ability to develop the ethical atmosphere or environment in a company or organization through institutionalization of the ethical systems and the company compliances (Petrick & Quinn, 2000, 2001). Research scholars like Vardiman et al. (2006) have stated that capable leaders help the organization to innovate, address existing challenges, respond to changing dynamics of market and achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Popper and Lipshitz (1993) have defined leadership is a way to motivate people to perform with the help of non-coercive means while other research scholars like Alas et al. (2007) have stated that leadership depends on personal traits of a individual such as behaviour, relationship with subordinates, interaction pattern with subordinates, influencing capability, ability to motivate people to perform well, influence on culture of the organization etc. This study is based on the leadership theories and practices. It would be evaluating trait theories and style theories of leadership style, identify the strengths and weaknesses of these theories, and compare them in order to understand the differences. There are many theories of leadership such as trait theory, style theory, transformational theory, transactional theory, contingency theory, servant leadership theory, path-goal theory, situational theory, skill theory, relationship theory, and participative theory. However, in this study the focus would be mainly on a comparative analysis of trait and style theory of leadership (Daft, and Lane, 2008). A comparative introduction of trait theory and style theories has been stated below. Comparative Analysis of Trait Theory and Style Theory The term trait signifies the different attributes that an individual has or possess. This includes his personality, motives, needs, and values. The personality traits of a person determine the way he/she behaves in a particular situation. In the twentieth century it was believed that this trait of the leader that is the difference in the personality differentiated the leaders and the followers. It was also considered that a person does not only become a leader just by virtue, but because of having certain personal characteristics. These finding led to the advent of situational and contingency leadership approaches or styles (Northouse, 2009). Recent research on this theory proves the fact that the personal characteristics of a person hardly die out and this is what makes the leader an effective leader. Trait theory was developed with the conception that people are born with the qualities that assist them to succeed in the leadership roles. They have certain qualities that are either inherited, such as personality, ability or underlie effective leadership qualities which make them good leaders. The important leadership traits that are usually considered are intelligence, management skill, determination, etc. The trait theory is also known as great man theory because it depicts that men are born great and they cannot cultivate the habit of being great. There are several characteristics of leaders that can be associated with trait approaches, and these characteristics of the leaders differentiate them from the followers, these characteristics are: Stress tolerance ability and effectiveness, focused, controlled, achievement oriented, emotionally stable, confident, and integrity. Effective leaders have these characteristics in higher levels than the followers. Style in leadership signifies the behaviour of the leader. The style of leadership focuses mainly on the activities and the ways of approaching them. It includes not only the nature like the traits but also the actions of the leaders and their followers. Researchers have studied that there are various styles of leadership. The curiosity in human being at workplace which is encouraged by the researchers of HRM (human resource management), and adopted by social psychologists, guided rationally to an interest in the leadership as facet of actions at the workplace. Since 1950s, several leadership style theories have been put forward, such as authoritarian style, democratic style, Laissez-faire or free-rein style, transformational style, transactional style, charismatic style, bureaucratic style, task-oriented leadership style, relationship oriented style, etc (Scheerens, 2012). Researchers had analysed the psychological and physical traits such as the level of energy, aggressiveness, psychological traits, dominance, etc and identified different sets of qualities that successful leaders are born with. These lists of qualities were set as prerequisites to determine the individual’s leadership capabilities. Only those candidates possessing these traits were considered to be leaders. Many trait studies had been done between 1930s and 1940s to identify lists of traits or qualities. However, in the present times the trait theory is considered to be an over-generalized approach. It is true that there are many leaders who were born with certain qualities which revealed that those individuals would be great leaders, since their young age, such as Mahatma Gandhi. In recent times, the trait theory has been criticized on various grounds. It has been indicated that the management scientist has not identified specific traits or qualities that are absolutely essential for effective leadership (Yukl, 2009, p. 43-45). They have prepared an exhaustive list of personality traits, but not mentioned the significant ones. Moreover, the quality that identifies a leader or leadership is not well-defined (Howell and Costley 2001). The quality of these traits mentioned is also not quantifiable, so it becomes difficult for others to understand the amount of a particular quality a leader should possess in order to be an efficient leader. Apart from this, it was also evaluated that for being an effective leader, just quality or trait do not serve the purpose. The trait theory depicted that leaders are born and not made, so this depicts that the leaders are not adaptable or flexible to change, as they cannot adjust to the changing environment and cultivate new skills or cannot develop new expertise, or if they adapt to those situations, then they would not be a leader any more. This simply means that the trait theory is rigid and do not answer the questions that leaders face in present scenario (Morrison, Rha, and Helfman, 2003). In this regard, the style theories of leadership can be discussed because according to this theory the leadership style of an individual depends on his/ her approach of dealing with problems in an organisation and managing his/ her team or workforce. The approaches put forward in trait theory were not satisfactory, so a closer look at the duties that managers perform in the organisations was required. They categorised their study into two ways. One line of research was to examine the activities, functions or responsibilities that the managers do or perform to spend their time. They also examined the constraints they faced and strategies they applied to cope with those issues and manage their employees. Another line of research was dependent on the identification of the leadership behaviour. It does not deny the fact that leaders are born with certain skills or qualities, but on the same time it also validates the statement that leaders may learn, develop, cultivate or adopt different styles or qualities with changing situation or environment. The style theories provide the direction for implementing plans, and motivating people the leadership styles depends on different situations, so it depends on the leaders as to which style they adopt to deal with situations effectively (Steers Porter, and Bigley, 1996). The style theory suggests that leaders differ on the basis of the level of involvement that is allowed to the subordinates. On one hand the leaders direct the activity by taking the decisions themselves for the subordinates, is known as an autocratic leader, while there are other leaders who allow flexibility to the subordinates to contribute in the brainstorming session. These are called democratic leaders. Strength and Weaknesses of the Theories After analysing the core of trait theory and style theory, the strengths and weaknesses of the both the theories are explained below, in order to identify the shortcomings of the traditional theory and strengths of the new theories. This explanation would also include the applicability of such theories in the organisations. The basic difference between leadership trait and style is that trait cannot be developed or learnt, but a leader inherits or is born with such qualities or leadership skills, while leadership styles can be adopted by individuals. This concept of the trait theory can be considered its biggest weakness because it reveals lack of flexibility, while the discussed features of style theory represents its strength over the trait theory. A transformational leader or transactional leader can also reveal charismatic or democratic qualities of leadership. The difference between the trait theory and style theory of leadership is subtle, but significant. The style theory refers to certain styles in leadership which leaders adopt to manage their team members or workforce in the organisation. The methodologies and the theories that are utilised by the leaders to solve the issues and make significant decision are considered as the qualities of leadership styles. Leadership traits on the other hand are the personality traits or characteristics of the leaders. It generally involves the social influence of the leader, intellectual characteristics, and the physical and emotional balance of the leader, which he/ she has not cultivated but is born with (Sperry, 2002). Application in Organisational Context The competitive environment for business has changed drastically in last two decades due to various reasons like resource contingency, globalization, increase in buyer power etc. Academic scholars have pointed out that organizations need right form of leadership in order to survive in the changing competitive environment. Trait theory cannot be considered totally wrong because history reveals that there are many exemplary leaders who revealed their leadership qualities since childhood, but the when it comes to leadership in organisation, trait theories cannot be considered to be the appropriate measure for evaluating the leadership skills of individuals. Style theories depict ways which individuals cultivate or enhance their efficiency to manage people (Groves, 2007). Conclusion In the twentieth century the leadership theories were developed which were mainly focused on the qualities that differentiated the followers from the leaders. In the recent times the leadership theories are focusing on the variables like the skill levels and situational factors. The theories of leadership are generally grounded on three perspectives; firstly, leadership is a process or relationship, secondly, it is a combination of traits and personality characteristics, and thirdly, leadership is the skills or certain behavioural quality of the leader. Various research scholars such as Johnson (2000) and Howell & Costley (2001) have stated that organizations need to develop leadership skill among employees in order to provide direction, commitment and engagement to their work effort. Morrison et al. (2003) have stated that leadership is basically the ability of individuals to understand and implement contemporary management theories to real life problems. A comparative study of the limitation of trait theory and the advantages of style theory of leadership assist in analysing the fact that trait theory is tradition and it is not wrong, but it is not realistic too. Style theory on the other hand is practical and realistic. References Alas, R., Tafel, K. and Tuulik, K., 2007. Leadership Style during Transition in Society: Case of Estonia. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 5(1), p. 50-60. Daft, R. L. and Lane, P. G., 2008. The Leadership Experience. USA: Cengage Learning. Groves, K., 2007. Integrating leadership development and succession planning best practices. Journal of Management Psychology, 26(3), p. 239-60. Howell J. P. and Costley D. L., 2001. Understanding Behaviors for Effective Leadership. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Johnson, M., 2000. Reliability and Validity of the Leadership Self-Efficacy Scale. PA: Pennsylvania State University Morrison, J., Rha, J. and Helfman, A., 2003. Learning Awareness, Student Engagement, and Change: A Transformation in Leadership Development. Journal of Education for Business, 79(1), p. 11-17. Northouse, P. G., 2009. Leadership: Theory and Practice. USA: SAGE Petrick, J. A., and Quinn, J. F., 2000. The Integrity Capacity Construct and Moral Progress in Business. Journal of Business Ethics, 23, p. 3-18. Petrick, J. A., and Quinn, J. F., 2001. The Challenge of Leadership Accountability for Integrity Capacity as a Strategic Asset. Journal of Business Ethics, 34, p. 331-343. Popper, M. and Lipshitz, R., 1993. Putting Leadership Theory to Work: A Conceptual Framework for Theory-Based Leadership Development. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 14(7), p. 23-7. Scheerens, J., 2012. School Leadership Effects Revisited: Review and Meta-Analysis of Empirical Studies. USA: Springer. Sperry, L., 2002. Effective Leadership: Strategies for Maximizing Executive Productivity and Health. USA: Psychology Press. Steers R. M., Porter L. 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