Chapter 12: leading people within organizations
Big 5 Personality Traits (OCEAN)
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
The Milgram Studies
The experimenter (E) convinces the subject ("Teacher" T) to give what are believed to be painful electric shocks to another subject, who is actually an actor ("Learner" L). Many subjects continued to give shocks despite pleas of mercy from the actors.
Transformational Leaders
Lead employees by aligning employee goals with the leader's goals. Employees working for transformational leaders start focusing on the company's well-being rather than on what is best for them as individual employees
Behavioral approaches, similar to trait approaches, fell out of favor because they neglected the __________________ in which behaviors are demonstrated.
environment
The Asch Studies
found that individuals could be influenced to say that two lines were the same length when one was clearly shorter than the other
Participative leaders
make sure that employees are involved in the making of important decisions. more effective when employees have high levels of ability, and when the decisions to be made are personally relevant to them.
Impression management
means actively shaping the way you are perceived by others. You can do this through your choice of clothing, the avatars or photos you use to represent yourself online, the descriptions of yourself on a résumé or in an online profile, and so forth.
Different people can be effective in different situations. The LPC score is akin to a personality trait and is
not likely to change.
Supportive leaders
provide emotional support to employees. They treat employees well, care about them on a personal level, and they are encouraging
Conformity
refers to people's tendencies to behave consistently with social norms.
Integrity
research also shows that people who are effective as leaders tend to have a moral compass and demonstrate honesty and integrity
Achievement-oriented leaders
set goals for employees and encourage them to reach their goals. effective when employees have both high levels of ability and high levels of achievement motivation
Leadership
the act of influencing others to work towards a goal
In small, entrepreneurial organizations where leaders have a lot of leeway to determine their own behavior,
the type of traits leaders have may make a difference in leadership potential TRAITS MATTER
Informal Leaders
without a formal position of authority within the organization but demonstrate leadership by influencing others through personal forms of power
Situational Leadership
Argues that leaders must use different leadership styles depending on their followers' development level Employee readiness (defined as a combination of their competence and commitment levels) is the key factor determining the proper leadership style
High Competence High Commitment
Delegating behavior
When situational favorableness is _______, a high LPC leader—one who is able to personally like coworkers who are difficult to work with—is more likely to succeed.
MEDIUM
Conscientiousness
being organized, systematic, punctual, achievement oriented, dependable
Extraversion
being outgoing, talkative, sociable, enjoying social situations
Laissez-faire
leave employees alone to make the decision. The leader provides minimum guidance and involvement in the decision.
Three types of decision-making styles
1) autocratic 2) democratic 3) laissez-faire
Low competence Low commitment
Coaching behavior
Figure 12.10 An Overview of Fiedler's Contingency Theory
12-4 Look at book
Figure 12.13 Predictions of the Path-Goal Theory Approach to Leadership
12.4
Expectancy theory also makes specific predictions about what type of leader behavior will be effective under which circumstances.
4 Leadership Styles
Decision-Making Styles
Decide. The leader makes the decision alone using available information. Consult Individually. The leader obtains additional information from individual members before making the decision alone. Consult as a group. The leader shares the problem with the entire group and asks for their opinion. The leader makes the final decision alone. Facilitate. The leader shares information about the problem with group members collectively, and acts as a facilitator. The leader sets the parameters of the decision. Delegate. The leader lets the team make the decision.
Democratic decision making
Employees participate in the making of the decision.
Transactional leaders
Ensure that employees demonstrate the right behaviors and provide resources in exchange.
Difference between Fiedler's contingency theory and house's path-goal theory
Fiedler's - leader's style is fixed and only the environment can be changed House's path-goal theory underlines the importance of varying one's style depending on the situation
Formal Leaders
Hold a position of authority and may utilize the power that comes from their position, as well as their personal power to influence others
research shows that people tend to follow leaders or other authority figures even when doing so can put others at risk. The famous Milgram experiments support this point. Milgram conducted experiments in which experimental subjects were greeted by someone in a lab coat and asked to administer electric shocks to other people who gave the wrong answer in a learning task.
In fact, the shocks were not real and the learners were actors who expressed pain when shocks were administered. Around two-thirds of the experimental subjects went along with the requests and administered the shocks even after they reached what the subjects thought were dangerous levels. In other words, people in positions of authority are influential in driving others to ethical or unethical behaviors
Traits that show relatively strong relations with leadership
Intelligence Extraversion Conscientiousness Openness to experience: those who demonstrate originality, creativity, and are open to trying new things—tend to emerge as leaders and also be quite effective. Agreeable- modest, good natured, and avoid conflict are less likely to be perceived as leaders as they may be perceived as naïve or submissive. Big 5 Personality Traits Self-Esteem Integrity
Task-oriented leader behaviors (initiating structure)
Involve structuring the roles of subordinates, providing them with instructions, and behaving in ways that will increase the performance of the group directives given to employees to get things done and to ensure that organizational goals are met. task-oriented behaviors were found to be more effective than in large companies
Theory predicts that in "favorable" and "unfavorable" situations, a _____ LPC leader—one who has feelings of dislike for coworkers who are difficult to work with—would be successful.
LOW
Theory Y
Paints a much more positive view of employees' attitudes and behaviors Employees are not lazy, can enjoy work, and will put effort into furthering organizational goals. Because these managers can assume that employees will act in the best interests of the organization given the chance, Theory Y managers allow employees autonomy and help them become committed to particular goals. They tend to adopt a more supportive role, often focusing on maintaining a work environment in which employees can be innovative and prosperous within their roles.
Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory
Proposes that the type of relationship leaders have with their followers (members of the organization) is the key to understanding how leaders influence employees.
Directive Leaders
Provide specific directions to their employees They lead employees by clarifying role expectations, setting schedules, and making sure that employees know what to do on a given work day. For role ambiguity only, not those w/high expertise
Follower Readiness Level LOW competence HIGH commitment
Recommended Leader style: DIRECTING BEHAVIOR
The Zimbardo Study
Researchers randomly assigned eighteen individuals to the role of prisoner or guard. Those assigned the role of "prisoners" were surprised when they were picked up by actual police officers and then transferred to a prison that had been created in the basement of the Stanford psychology building. The guards in the experiment were told to keep order but received no training. Zimbardo was shocked with how quickly the expected roles emerged. Prisoners began to feel depressed and helpless. Guards began to be aggressive and abusive
Responses to influence attempts include resistance, compliance, or commitment
Resistance occurs when the influence target does not wish to comply with the request and either passively or actively repels the influence attempt. Compliance occurs when the target does not necessarily want to obey, but they do. Commitment occurs when the target not only agrees to the request but also actively supports it as well.
People-oriented leader behaviors
Showing concern for employee feelings and treating employees with respect. People-oriented leaders genuinely care about the well-being of their employees, and they demonstrate their concern in their actions and decisions.
Theory X
Some managers think employees are lazy, do not enjoy working, and will avoid expending energy on work whenever
Moderate-High Competence Variable Commitment
Supporting Behavior
2 Leadership Behaviors
Task-oriented leader behaviors (initiating structure) People-oriented leader behaviors (consideration)
Person you hated working with was also someone you did not like on a personal level, you would have a low LPC score
To you, being unable to work with someone would mean that you also dislike that person. In other words, you are a task-oriented person.
If you can say that the person you hated working with was still a nice person, you would have a high LPC score
You have a people-oriented personality, and you can separate your liking of a person from your ability to work with that person
In large, bureaucratic, and rule-bound organizations such as the government and the military,
a leader's traits may have less to do with how the person behaves and *whether the person is a successful leader* TRAITS DONT MATTER
power is the
ability to influence the behavior of others to get what you want.
Upward influence
ability to influence your boss and others in positions higher than yours. Upward influence may include appealing to a higher authority or citing the firm's goals as an overarching reason for others to follow your cause.
Vroom and Yetton's Normative Decision Model
developed a decision-making tool to help leaders determine how much involvement they should seek when making decisions having leaders answer several key questions and working their way through a decision tree based on their responses
Servant leadership
is a leadership approach that defines the leader's role as serving the needs of others. primary mission of the leader is to develop employees and help them reach their goals servant leaders feel an obligation to their employees, customers, and the external community Employee happiness is seen as an end in itself, and servant leaders sometimes sacrifice their own well-being to help employees succeed
Path-Goal Theory of Leadership
is based on the expectancy theory of motivation
Downward influence
is the ability to influence employees lower than you. This is best achieved through an inspiring vision.
The track record of the laissez-faire decision-making style is more problematic. Research shows that this style is negatively related to employee satisfaction with...
leaders and leader effectiveness.
Trust
the belief that the leader will show integrity, fairness, and predictability in his or her dealings with others when leaders demonstrate transformational leadership behaviors, followers are more likely to trust the leader tendency to trust in transactional leaders is substantially lower
High-quality LMX relationships
the leader forms a trust-based relationship with the member the leader and member like each other, help each other when needed, and respect each other. In these relationships, the leader and the member are each ready to go above and beyond their job descriptions to promote the other's ability to succeed
The authentic leadership approach embraces this value: Its key advice is
"be yourself." One key characteristic of authentic leaders is that they are self aware. They are introspective, understand where they are coming from, and have a thorough understanding of their own values and priorities. Secondly, they are not afraid to act the way they are. In other words, they have high levels of personal integrity
Expectancy theory of motivation suggests that employees are motivated when they believe—or expect—that
(a) their effort will lead to high performance (b) their high performance will be rewarded, and (c) the rewards they will receive are valuable to them. Leader's main job is to make sure that all three of these conditions exist.
Fiedler's Contingency Theory
- A leader's style is measured by a scale called Least Preferred Coworker scale (LPC) - People who are filling out this survey are asked to think of a person who is their least preferred coworker - Then, they rate this person in terms of how friendly, nice, and cooperative this person is
Self-Esteem
-> The degree to which a person is at peace with oneself and has an overall positive assessment of one's self worth and capabilities seem to be relevant to whether someone is viewed as a leader. -> support their subordinates more and, when punishment is administered, they punish more effectively. -> Self-esteem may also explain the relationship between some physical attributes and leader emergence. For example, research shows a strong relationship between being tall and being viewed as a leader (as well as one's career success over life)
Contingency Approaches to Leadership
-Fiedler's Contingency Theory -Situational Leadership -Path-Goal Theory of Leadership
Intelligence
-General mental ability -g -IQ -effective leaders tend to have high emotional intelligence (EQ) What differentiates effective leaders from ineffective ones becomes their ability to control their own emotions and understand other people's emotions, their internal motivation, and their social skills
Steps of Vroom and Yetton's Normative Decision Model
1) Decision significance 2) importance of commitment 3) leader expertise 4) likelihood of commitment 5) Goal alignment 6) group expertise 7) team competence
Transformational leaders have four tools in their possession
1. Charisma refers to behaviors leaders demonstrate that create confidence in, commitment to, and admiration for the leader 2. Inspirational motivation, or come up with a vision that is inspiring to others 3. Intellectual stimulation, which means that they challenge organizational norms and status quo, and they encourage employees to think creatively and work harder 4. Individualized consideration, which means that they show personal care and concern for the well-being of their followers. powerful influence over leader effectiveness as well as employee satisfaction increase the intrinsic motivation of their followers, build more effective relationships with employees, increase performance and creativity of their followers, increase team performance, and create higher levels of commitment to organizational change efforts.
Transactional leaders use three different methods
1. Contingent rewards mean rewarding employees for their accomplishments 2. Active management by exception involves leaving employees to do their jobs without interference, but at the same time proactively predicting potential problems and preventing them from occurring 3. Passive management by exception is similar in that it involves leaving employees alone, but in this method the manager waits until something goes wrong before coming to the rescue. also effective, and they also have positive influences over leader performance as well as employee attitudes.
Researchers identified six sources of power, which include legitimate, reward, coercive, expert, information, and referent.
1. Legitimate power is power that comes from one's organizational role or position. 2. Reward power is the ability to grant a reward, such as an increase in pay, a perk, or an attractive job assignment. Reward power tends to accompany legitimate power and is highest when the reward is scarce. 3. Coercive power is the ability to take something away or punish someone for noncompliance. Coercive power often works through fear, and it forces people to do something that ordinarily they would not choose to do 4. Expert power comes from knowledge and skill. 5. Information power is similar to expert power but differs in its source. distinguished by access to specific information. 6. Referent power stems from the personal characteristics of the person such as the degree to which we like, respect, and want to be like them. Referent power is often called charisma—the ability to attract others, win their admiration, and hold them spellbound.
Ideas for Improving Your Relationship With Your Manager
Create interaction opportunities with your manager. People are more attracted to those who are similar to them. Utilize impression management tactics, but be tactful Be a reliable employee. Be aware that relationships develop early
Commonly Used Influence Tactics
Rational persuasion includes using facts, data, and logical arguments to try to convince others that your point of view is the best alternative. Inspirational appeals seek to tap into our values, emotions, and beliefs to gain support for a request or course of action. Consultation refers to the influence agent's asking others for help in directly influencing or planning to influence another person or group. Ingratiation refers to different forms of making others feel good about themselves. Ingratiation includes any form of flattery done either before or during the influence attempt. Personal appeal refers to helping another person because you like them and they asked for your help. Exchange refers to give-and-take in which someone does something for you, and you do something for them in return. Coalition tactics refer to a group of individuals working together toward a common goal to influence others. Common examples of coalitions within organizations are unions that may threaten to strike if their demands are not met. Pressure refers to exerting undue influence on someone to do what you want or else something undesirable will occur. Legitimating tactics occur when the appeal is based on legitimate or position power. "By the power vested in me...": This tactic relies upon compliance with rules, laws, and regulations. It is not intended to motivate people but to align them behind a direction.
Agreeableness
being affable, tolerant, sensitive, trusting, kind, warm
Neuroticism
being anxious, irritable, temperamental, moody
Openness
being curious, original, intellectual, creative, open to new ideas
Other-focused impression management
includes complimenting or praising the other party, doing favors to them, or conforming to their opinions to make oneself more attractive and likeable to the other party. Statements such as "I fully agree with you—it is important for a salesperson to be proactive" or "You must really have excellent time management skills; I have a lot to learn from you" are examples of other-focused impression management tactics.
Self-focused impression management
includes promoting and enhancing one's qualities to create a specific image in the eyes of the other person regarding one's qualities. A statement such as "I am a hard worker" or "I really enjoy customer interaction" are examples of self-focused impression management in a job interview context.
Nonverbal impression management
includes the clothes you choose to wear and your demeanor. Your smile, posture, and body language are important aspects of your nonverbal impression management. Another example of a nonverbal signal is body art, including piercings and tattoos.
Instead, placing the right people in the right situation or changing the situation to suit an individual is important to
increase a leader's effectiveness.
Low-quality LMX relationships
leader and the member have lower levels of trust, liking, and respect toward each other These relationships do not have to involve actively disliking each other, but the leader and member do not go beyond their formal job descriptions in their exchanges. In other words, the member does his job, the leader provides rewards and punishments, and the relationship does not involve high levels of loyalty or obligation toward each other
Autocratic decision making
leaders make the decision alone without necessarily involving employees in the decision-making process.
