Introduction: Leadership by its definition means to lead or guide a group of people. Even the ability to do so is also defined under the same word ‘Leadership’. This term is related to Philosophy of politics. But is Leadership necessary and do we need specific qualities to be a Leader? We come across the term leadership in many instances, like in ruling a country, to manage a system(college, institute or any).
DOES LEADERSHIP MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THE ORGANISATIONAL PERFORMANCE? “Leadership is a process by which an executive imaginatively directs guides and influences the work of others in choosing and attaining specified goals by mediating between the individuals and the organization in such a manner that both will obtain maximum satisfaction.” -Theo Haimann Leadership is an extensive subject of research for various organizations. It is sometimes closely related to management. However, management and leadership are very different from each other. Management works IN a system, leadership works ON the system.
There are following main differences between leadership and management 1. Leadership is largely an inherent trait, by which a person leads individual or group of individuals towards a particular direction, whereas management is a systematic approach to manage people in an organizational setup. 2. Leadership relies on building trust and confidence in people, whereas management is largely based on
To many, leaders are not born, but made. It is increasingly accepted, however, that in order to be a good leader, one must have the experience, knowledge, commitment, patience, and most importantly the skill to negotiate and work with others to achieve goals. Good leaders are thus made, not born. Good leadership is developed through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and the accumulation of relevant experience (Bass & Bass, 2009). The basis of a good leadership is strong character and selfless devotion to an organization; from the perspective of employees, leadership is comprised of everything a leader does that affects the achievement of objectives and the well-being of employees and the organization.
Lot of theories have been developed and introduced in terms of leadership. Popular theories are Trait theory and Contingency theory. Trait theory focuses on the characteristics and traits of leaders such as emotional intelligence, drive, motivation, self-confidence, cognitive ability, vision and dedication, Contingency theory states the leaders’ ability to lead upon various situational factors. It states that successful leader of one organization cannot be successful in other organization as various situational factors takes on place. Leader should apply different leadership style as per the need of situations.
Transformational leadership refers to the leader moving the follower beyond immediate self-interests through idealized influence (charisma), inspiration, intellectual stimulation, or individualized consideration. It elevates the follower’s level of maturity and ideals as well as concerns for achievement, self-actualization, and the well-being of others, the organization, and society suggested by (Bass, 1999) Situational theory suggests that no single leadership style is "best." Instead, it all depends on the situation and leaders need to be decide which type of leadership and strategies are best-suited to the task depends on different situation. According to this theory, the most effective leaders are those that are able to adapt their style to the situation and look at cues such as the type of task, the nature of the group, and other factors that
1.2.4. Relational-based theories Relational-Based theories provided the most recent contributions to leadership literature. Set in the social-exchange framework, this approach is based on the assumption that both leader and followers commit to work together as long as they find their relationship mutually satisfying (Cleveland, Stockdale & Murphy, 2000). Within this context, several researches have examined the theme of leadership focusing on the reason behind the choice of following a leader. This implies that leadership is more than something established by command: individuals can follow a leader who is not designated by formal authorities as well as they can dishearten a guide who has power for his/her position.
Leadership Theories. Trait theories presume that most of the bodily, social and personal characteristics which require for the management are inherent (Yasin, 2011, p.32). The Great man theorieshave a huge similarity which anticipate that the capacity for management is innate, that super leaders are born now, not made. Those theories regularly constitute leaders as courageous, organized and destined to rise to management when wanted (Bolden, Marturano, & Dennison,2003).As per Kirkpatick& Locke (1991),though the traits are essential aspect to be a successful leader, aperson does not become a leader by high caliber of the possession of some combination of traits, confirmingto facilitate, no traits were universally associated with effective leadership but many other factors do manipulate. By having the same opinion,Amanchukwu, Stanley &Ololube (2015) stated that as in the behavioural theories, great leaders are made, not born.
Individuals need only work hard to develop the skills of a good leader to be effective. This is encouraging for people who are interested in excelling but do not have the traits or innate abilities proposed in other leadership theories. A skills-based leadership theory also makes it easy to select a leader by taking inventory of each potential leader's skills in the important areas. Limitations The skills model has a fuzzy line with other leadership models, such as the trait model. The development of many of the skills is heavily influenced by personal traits.
Unfortunately, leadership doesn't have a one-size-fits-all definition. We all have our own ideas about what it means to be a good leader. For example, some people think leadership means guiding others to complete a particular task, while others believe it means motivating the members of your team to be their best selves. But while the definitions may vary, the general sentiments remain the same: leaders are people who know how to achieve goals