It is universally accepted that leadership is a vital factor that influences an organization’s success. However, it is very difficult to lay down general rules for effective leadership to fit all situations.
Required:
i) Explain the term Leadership. (2 marks)
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Leadership can be defined as the ability to influence the behavior of others. It refers to the capacity of the leader to exert influence within a working group in order that the group may achieve group tasks or objectives. Followers perform willingly to the best of their abilities without any form of coercion by the leader.
ii) Explain the following Theories of Leadership: (9 marks)
- Trait
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The Trait theory of leadership assumes that an effective leader possesses some innate characteristics. These qualities include intelligence, initiative, self-assurance, courage and decisiveness, among others. Thus, the crux of this theory is that any person without these qualities cannot be an effective leader. A major criticism of the theory is that it ignores the situation in which leadership is exercised.
- Style
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Style theory of leadership concentrates on the behavior or style of the leader rather than his personal attributes. That is, it concentrates on how the leader manages his followers. The assumption underlying this theory is that the employee will work harder for managers who employ a particular style than they will for those managers who use other styles.
- Contingency
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The Contingency theory of leadership takes the view that leadership effectiveness depends on a range of factors, particularly the task to be accomplished, the work group and the position of the leader within the work group. Proponents of this theory believe that group performance depends on the manager adopting a style appropriate to the situation in which he finds himself.