Theory Of Leadership - What Is It?Over the years, the interest in how leadership helps in the running of a business has steadily increased, and there are many theories abounding as to what exactly leadership is. Also, the theory of leadership will help a person to distinguish those qualities which make a person either a leader or a follower. Today you will find that there are around 8 different types of leadership theories that have emerged. 1. Great Man This particular theory assumes that the capacity for a person to lead is inherent within them. In fact, it is believed that great leaders are not made but are born. This particular theory is often associated with the military. 2. Trait Although similar to the great man theory, it also assumes that a person will inherit certain traits and qualities which will make them better suited to being a leader than others. It will often identify certain personality or character traits that have been shared by leaders before. 3. Contingency This theory will focus on certain variables that relate to a person's environment and which will determine the style of leadership in relation to a certain situation. In fact, this theory suggests that success can only be produced through the style of the person's leadership, the quality of the people they are leading and certain parts of the situation in which they are working. 4. Situational This particular theory actually proposes that the course of action a person takes as a leader will be based on various variables relating to the situation at hand. 5. Behavioral Where as the great man theory believes that leaders are born, with behavioral theory it's believed that great leaders are made. It is believed that a person learns how to lead through observation and being taught. 6. Participative This particular theory of leadership is one which takes into account the input from others, and so, such leaders will encourage those around them to participate and contribute in the decision making process. But with this theory, it is still the leader who will have the final decision on whether they allow what the others have input or not. 7. Management (Transactional) This theory focuses on the role of a leader to supervise a group and how they perform. This particular theory of leadership is the most common to be found in the business workplace. Often, when an employee is successful they will be rewarded for their efforts and if they should fail then they may well find themselves being reprimanded by their leader. Above we have taken a quick look at the various types of theories of leadership that have come about in today's modern society. Many of these are now being used in order for a company to evaluate their staff to ensure that they have the right balance of leaders and followers. It is also important that the leaders they do choose have the respect of those that they are leading, or else this will result in poor productivity levels for the company. |