Chapter 12: Leaders and leadership

Which of the following principles would most strongly justify the Leadership​ Consultant's argument?

D. A leader must be able to persuade people to do things that they are not required to do.

Which of the following ensures that a leader knows what has to be​ done, how it should be​ done, and what resources are required for a group and organization to achieve its​ goals?

task-relevant knowledge

The extent to which leaders should involve their subordinates in decision making is the key component to​ ________ theory of leadership.

the Vroom and Yetton

position power

the amount of formal authority a leader has

leadership

the exercise of influence by one member of a group or organization over other members to help the group or organization achieve its goals

Task structure

the extent to which the work to be performed by a group is clearly defined

leader-member relations

the relationships between a leader and his or her followers

contingency theory of leadership

the theory that leader effectiveness is determined by both the personal characteristics of leaders and by the situations in which leaders find themselves

trust

the willingness of one person or group to have faith or confidence in the goodwill of another person, even though this puts them at risk

Manager: Our​ company's Employee Handbook makes it clear that the​ company's performance depends on effective​ leadership, and that all leaders at our company have managerial authority. Since my position as a manager in the Quality Control Division clearly gives me managerial​ authority, I must be a leader in this​ company, and my leadership will guarantee the​ company's strong performance. The​ Manager's argument assumes all of the following​ EXCEPT:

E. The Manager was chosen for his position because of his leadership skills.

Manager: Here at​ ACME, Inc., we endorse an inclusive definition of leadership. We believe that leadership is the ability to influence others to help the organization achieve its goals and that any person in our organization can be a​ leader, even​ entry-level personnel. Because of this view we have built a culture in which every employee has an equal opportunity to lead. The​ Manager's reasoning is vulnerable to criticism because it​ _______.

E. ignores the effect that managerial authority has on​ one's ability to influence others

Which of the following best characterizes Fred​ Fiedler's thoughts on​ leaders?

He considers leadership styles to be relatively fixed or enduring.

Which of the following best describes developmental​ consideration?

a leader who shows concern for the​ well-being and future success of subordinates

leader punishing behavior

a leader's negative response to subordinates' undesired behavior

leader reward behavior

a leader's positive reinforcement of subordinates' desirable behavior

formal leaders

a member of an organization who is given authority by the organization to influence other organizational members to achieve organizational goals

Vroom and Yetton model

a model that describes the different ways in which leaders can make decisions and guides leaders in determining the extent to which subordinates should participate in decision making

least preferred co-employee scale

a questionaire that measures leader style by scoring leaders' responses to questions about the co-employee with whom they have the most difficulty working

charismatic leaders

a self-confident, enthusiastic leader able to win followers' respect and support for his or her vision of how good things could be

path-goal theory

a theory that describes how leaders can motivate their followers to achieve group and organizational goals and the kinds of behaviors leaders can engage in to motivate followers

leader-member exchange theory

a theory that describes the different kinds of relationships that may develop between a leader and a follower and what the leader and the follower give to and receive back from the relationship

Which type of leader exerts influence over members of a group or​ organization?

all types of leaders

leader

an individual able to influence group or organizational members to help the group or organization acheive its goals

informal leaders

an organizational member with no formal authority to influence others who nevertheless is able to exert considerable influence because of special skills or talents

Only formal leaders​ ________.

are given legal authority to influence other members in the organization

developmental consideration

behavior by a leader that is supportive and encouraging toward followers and gives them opportunities to develop and grow on the job, such as acquiring new skills and capabilities

consideration

behavior indicating that a leader trusts, respects, and values good relationships with his or her followers

initiating structure

behaviors that a leader engages in to make sure that work gets done and subordinates perform their jobs acceptably

Which type of leader is most likely to have a vision of how good things could be in an organization in contrast to how things currently are​?

charismatic leader

leadership substitute

something that acts in place of a formal leader and makes leadership unnecessary

leadership neutralizer

something that prevents a leader from having any influence and negates a leader's efforts

Which of the following is the best example of a leadership​ neutralizer?

A leader and subordinates work in distant​ locations, leading to little direct contact between them and resulting in a lack of overall productivity.

J. C.​ Kahn-Tinn's argument assumes which of the​ following?

A. It is possible to identify the leadership approach that would be effective in a given context before leadership action is required.

Which of the following would be a leader according to​ Bentham's definition of leadership but would NOT be a leader according to​ Cooke's definition of​ leadership?

A. an executive who influences other employees to reject their​ company's vision of social responsibility

Leadership​ Consultant: Definitions of leadership tend to focus on the ability to influence others. Some definitions believe that managerial authority is​ necessary, and others believe that the influence leaders exercise must advance their​ organization's goals. All of these​ definitions, however, leave out the central issue of consent. Someone cannot fairly be called a leader if he or she influences people only through threats and fear. The Leadership​ Consultant's criticism of other definitions of leadership is based on the fact that the Leadership Consultant has a different definition of​ _______.

A. ​"influence"

Which of the​ following, if​ true, would strengthen the​ Manager's argument?

B. ​ACME's cross-functional team structure allows individuals to influence other people despite a lack of direct authority.

Based on the descriptions​ above, Tim Raitt and J. C.​ Kahn-Tinn would most likely disagree about the answer to which of the following​ questions?

C. Could having a personality type be an advantage in one leadership context and a disadvantage in​ another?

Tim​ Raitt: We all agree that effective leadership is​ important, but that​ doesn't tell us how to make sure that the people we put in leadership positions are actually leaders. In my​ view, the most effective way to accomplish this goal is to identify the characteristics of effective leaders and make sure that the people in leadership positions have those qualities. Bonnie​ Haffior: You're on the right​ track, but effective leadership is less an issue of the characteristics that effective leaders have and more of an issue of what effective leaders do. If we can learn the most effective leadership​ behaviors, then we can identify future leaders and improve the performance of those currently in leadership positions. J. C.​ Kahn-Tinn: Your theories would be wonderful if they​ worked, but in reality they​ don't. People who are effective leaders in one context can be ineffective in another. Leadership approaches are not simply right or wrong. The most effective approach is to consider the context of the situation and then identify the leadership approach that is most appropriate to that situation. Suppose that an executive who was an effective leader in organization X took a position with organization Y and was ineffective there. Which of the​ following, if​ true, would support Bonnie​ Haffior's likely explanation for the difference in​ performance?

C. The​ executive's actions at organization X were significantly different from those the executive took at organization Y.

Some say there are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are people who have tried to define the concept. Although different definitions sound​ similar, they have important differences. Compare and contrast these​ definitions, for​ example: ​Alistair: A leader is someone who can influence others and who has managerial authority. ​Bentham: Leaders have the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals. ​Cooke: Leaders exercise influence and control over other members to help a group or organization achieve the​ organization's goals. Which of the following would be a leader according to​ Bentham's definition of leadership but would NOT be a leader according to​ Alistair's definition of​ leadership?

C. a blogger with a wide audience who is effective at convincing others to adopt her political opinions

Jim, a​ leader, is always quick to recognize good work by his subordinates with praise​ and, occasionally, with pay bonuses. Which type of leadership behavior is Jim engaging​ in?

leader reward behavior

Something that replaces the need for a formal leader and makes leadership unnecessary is​ a(n) ________.

leadership substitute

transformational leadership

leadership that inspires followers to trust the leader, perform behaviors that contribute to the achievement of organizational goals, and perform at high levels

transactional leadership

leadership that motivates followers by exchanging rewards for high performance and noticing and reprimanding subordinates for mistakes and substandard performance