Leadership Theories

“Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (Northouse, 2012). The learner had to identify and compare four theories of leadership. The theories selected to analyze by the learner are contingency, behavioral, transformation, and transactional. For a better understanding of how these theories will fit into her desired line of work, these theories must first be defined. According to Northouse (2012), “Contingency Theory is a leader-matched theory that tries to match leaders to appropriate situations to fit the leader’s context (as cited by Fiedler and Chemers, 1974). Contingency theory depends on the idea that a leader ability to solve a situation depends on certain given factors. There is not one specific leadership style that a leader can apply to every situation. Whenever a factor is presented, the leader must change his leadership style. Dependent upon the situation, a leader may succeed or fail. Behavioral theory assumes that leaders are made and not born and focuses on the certain behaviors of leaders. Behavioral theorists believe that successful leadership can be learned and defined by the leader’s actions. Leaders usually have a specific response to a specific situation and this is because people believe that a leader can be conditioned or taught how to react. For example, the President of the United States cannot act out violently towards a person that may have been murdered in his immediate family. He would have to learn how to control himself in the eyes of the public. Thoughts of retaliation and foul language in front of peers would not be tolerated. “Transformational leadership theory is a process that changes and transforms people” (Northouse, 2012). It deals with the leader’s emotions that motivates their followers to act with those same feelings and work toward a common goal. Leaders get their followers involved by putting them in the forefront with them to excel