Definitions
- Is leadership psychological or sociological? (Pierce & Newstrom, p. 4)
- Leadership is a function of the situation and does not lie within one specific person
- L=f[(person)(followers)(context)]
- Leaders assign meaning to events for others (Pierce & Newstrom, 2011, p. 4; Smircich & Morgan, 1982)
- “Leadership is an interaction between two or more members of a group that often involves a structuring or restructuring of the situation and the perceptions and expectations of the members” (Bass, 1990, p. 19; Pierce & Newstrom, 2011, p. 9).
- “Leaders are agents of change,” “persons whose acts affect other people more than other people’s acts affect them,” and “leadership occurs when one group member modifies the motivation or competencies of others in the group” (Bass, 1990, p. 19-20; Pierce & Newstrom, 2011, p. 9).
- “Leadership is a relationship, a group phenomenon involving two or more people encompassing the exercise of influence in goal pursuit” (Pierce & Newstrom, 2011, p. 10).
- “Groups do not act because they have leaders, but they secure leaders to help them act” (Murphy, 1942; Pierce & Newstrom, 2011, p. 12).
- Behaviors vs Traits (Murphy, 1942; Pierce & Newstrom, 2011, p. 13)
- “He gets work done” –> Efficiency
- “He explains things and doesn’t yell” –> Reasonableness
- “He treats all men alike” –> Justice
- “He won’t let people step all over him” –> Strictness
- “He looks out for the safety of others” –> Carefulness
Resources
Bass, B.M. (1990). Concepts of leadership (Chapter 1). Bass & Stogdill’s Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, & Managerial Applications (3rd Ed.). New York, NY: Free Press.
Murphy, A.J. (1941). A Study of the Leadership Process. American Sociological Review 6. 674-87.
Pierce, J.L. & Newstrom, J.W. (2011). Leaders and the Leadership Process: Readings, Self-Assessments and Applications (6th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Smircich, L. & Morgan, G. (1982). Leadership: The management of meaning. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. 18(3), 257-73.
ALEC 801 