Situational Leadership
ASSIGNMENT 1
(a) “Although leadership is situational, some traits, skills and characteristics contribute to leadership effectiveness in many situations,” (Dubrin, 1992).
Analyse this statement giving examples of an organisation you are familiar with. (30)
INTRODUCTION
Leadership can be termed effective, whenever group or activities are required; the emergence of a leader becomes imminent. A group always works effectively when there is a leader to guide the members and keep them motivated on their way to success. A leader should possess leadership skills, traits and qualities that will be encompassed in the various types of leadership styles namely Democratic, Autocratic, Laissez-Faire and Participative.
DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
Leadership
Cole. G. A (1995:51) states that as a working definition leadership can be described as a dynamic process in a group whereby one individual influences the others to contribute voluntarily to the achievement of group tasks given a situation.
Stoner and Freeman (1998:470) define leadership as the process of directing and influencing the task related activities of group members.
Situational leadership
Hersey and Blanchard (1988) suggest that leadership style should vary according to the readiness and skills of followers to direct their own actions. (Derek Rollin son 2002: 387)
Trait Theory
Refers to the assumption that certain people have inherent characteristics which enable them to be leaders. (Derek Rollin son 2002:365).
Traits
Traits are distinguishing qualities or characteristics of a person, while character is the sum total of these traits. There are hundreds of personality traits, far too many to be discussed. The more of these you display as a leader, the more followers will believe and trust in you.
Skills
These are the knowledge and abilities that a person gains throughout life. The ability to learn new skills varies with each individual. Some skills come almost naturally,
(a) “Although leadership is situational, some traits, skills and characteristics contribute to leadership effectiveness in many situations,” (Dubrin, 1992).
Analyse this statement giving examples of an organisation you are familiar with. (30)
INTRODUCTION
Leadership can be termed effective, whenever group or activities are required; the emergence of a leader becomes imminent. A group always works effectively when there is a leader to guide the members and keep them motivated on their way to success. A leader should possess leadership skills, traits and qualities that will be encompassed in the various types of leadership styles namely Democratic, Autocratic, Laissez-Faire and Participative.
DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
Leadership
Cole. G. A (1995:51) states that as a working definition leadership can be described as a dynamic process in a group whereby one individual influences the others to contribute voluntarily to the achievement of group tasks given a situation.
Stoner and Freeman (1998:470) define leadership as the process of directing and influencing the task related activities of group members.
Situational leadership
Hersey and Blanchard (1988) suggest that leadership style should vary according to the readiness and skills of followers to direct their own actions. (Derek Rollin son 2002: 387)
Trait Theory
Refers to the assumption that certain people have inherent characteristics which enable them to be leaders. (Derek Rollin son 2002:365).
Traits
Traits are distinguishing qualities or characteristics of a person, while character is the sum total of these traits. There are hundreds of personality traits, far too many to be discussed. The more of these you display as a leader, the more followers will believe and trust in you.
Skills
These are the knowledge and abilities that a person gains throughout life. The ability to learn new skills varies with each individual. Some skills come almost naturally,
References: 1. Griffin.W.R (2007), Fundamentals of Management 5th Edition, Cengage Learning. 2. Cole.A.G (1996), Management Theory and Practice 5th Edition, Ashford Colour Press, Gosport, London. 3. Griffins.W.R and Moorhead (2009) Organizational Behaviour: Managing People and Organizations, Cengage Learning. 4. Stoner.A.F.J, Freeman.E.R and Gilbert, Jr R.D (2000), Management 6th Edition, Prentice-Hall of India Products. 5. CACC Learning Zimbabwe Module. Principles of Management 30211/BUSN 416, Cacc, Harare