Leadership
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Leadership is a critical issue and can be understood in different perspectives and different contexts. It would be difficult to give leadership a general definition because many authors have tried without reaching a consensus.
“Our images of leadership are entirely personal” wrote Georgiades and Macdonell (1998).
In terms of management, Robbins and DeCenzo (2005) referred to leadership as influencing others and possessing managerial authority.
"Leadership is interpersonal influence, exercised in a situation, and directed, through the communication process, toward the attainment of a specified goal or goals.” Tannenbaum et al. (1961, p.24)
Mullins(2005) said “Today, leadership is increasingly associated not with command and control but with the concept of inspiration, of getting along with other people ands creating a vision with which others can identify.”
“Good leadership involves the effective process of delegation and empowerment. The leadership relationship is not limited to leader behaviour resulting in subordinate behaviour”. Mullins (2005, p.282)
Leadership is persuasion, not domination; persons who can require others to do their bidding because of their power are not leaders. Leadership only occurs when others willingly adopt, for a period of time, the goals of a group as their own. Thus, leadership concerns building cohesive and goal-oriented teams; there is a causal and definitional link between leadership and team performance.
There are countless definitions of leadership and still no general conclusion.
This work would not be focusing on definitions of leadership but rather would be taking a critical look at some of the different approaches and theories of leadership. More focus would be on the trait and behavioural approaches and how they have fared with reference to their relevance. (Hogan 1994)
The work would also explore the successful current views about good leadership and give and attempt to give an overall
Leadership is a critical issue and can be understood in different perspectives and different contexts. It would be difficult to give leadership a general definition because many authors have tried without reaching a consensus.
“Our images of leadership are entirely personal” wrote Georgiades and Macdonell (1998).
In terms of management, Robbins and DeCenzo (2005) referred to leadership as influencing others and possessing managerial authority.
"Leadership is interpersonal influence, exercised in a situation, and directed, through the communication process, toward the attainment of a specified goal or goals.” Tannenbaum et al. (1961, p.24)
Mullins(2005) said “Today, leadership is increasingly associated not with command and control but with the concept of inspiration, of getting along with other people ands creating a vision with which others can identify.”
“Good leadership involves the effective process of delegation and empowerment. The leadership relationship is not limited to leader behaviour resulting in subordinate behaviour”. Mullins (2005, p.282)
Leadership is persuasion, not domination; persons who can require others to do their bidding because of their power are not leaders. Leadership only occurs when others willingly adopt, for a period of time, the goals of a group as their own. Thus, leadership concerns building cohesive and goal-oriented teams; there is a causal and definitional link between leadership and team performance.
There are countless definitions of leadership and still no general conclusion.
This work would not be focusing on definitions of leadership but rather would be taking a critical look at some of the different approaches and theories of leadership. More focus would be on the trait and behavioural approaches and how they have fared with reference to their relevance. (Hogan 1994)
The work would also explore the successful current views about good leadership and give and attempt to give an overall