Leadership from the Organisational Behaviour area of study - Essay Example

Over the decades, numerous theories on the subject of organizational leadership have been suggested and deliberated over. These include, but are not limited to, Transactional Leadership, Trait Theory, Behavioural Theories, which constitute The Managerial Grid and Theory X and Theory Y, Situational Leadership, Participative Leadership, which comprises the infamous Lewin’s leadership styles, Contingency Theory, and Transformational Leadership (Time-Life Books 1994, p.453). Trait or Great Man theory places a leader at a different level in terms of thinking, dreams, ambitions and general intelligence as compared to the normal person.

The major assumptions made in this theory include; some habits are specifically suited for leadership, individuals who make the best leaders have the perfect blend of leadership traits and the individuals inherently acquire those traits. Extensive research into successful leaders has been carried out in an attempt to discover some of these traits and if when applied to other individuals, they may also make good leaders. Some of these behaviours include intelligence, assertiveness, decisiveness, innovativeness, flexibility, conceptually skilled, team player, diplomacy, sensitivity to the social environment, dreamer, reliable, good orator, charismatic, dominance, persuasiveness and persistence (Burns 1978, p.654). Behavioural theories assume that leaders are not born, but made and that the best leadership is based on principles that can be practiced over time.

These theories approach is not to focus on the inherent characteristics of an individual, but rather those habits that they have picked up over the years that have shaped and nurtured their leadership skills. There are two types of behaviour under this theory that each leader possess as a result of training. These include general concern