Leadership Theory and Competency Frameworks - Essay Example

Human behavior and personality traits have increasingly been of interest to determine its impact on behavior processes such as leadership. The earliest leadership theories identified certain traits that differentiated leaders from others (Web-books, 2009). This theory revolved around the idea that certain leaders and non-leaders have distinctly different qualities and characteristics. This suggests that a leader is born; leadership is innate (As-Sadeq & Khoury, 2006). This also implies that an individual is born either as a leader or as a follower. Certain traits have been considered t be effective characteristics of a leader. These include intelligence, knowledge, dominance, initiation, achievement, responsibility, participation, self-confidence, energy, emotional maturity, stress tolerance, pragmatism, result-orientation, ambition, honesty, and integrity. However, this theory of personality traits being able to predict leadership abilities has limitations. Initially the trait approach was adopted as it helped identify the key characteristics of a leader. This was based on the assumption that leaders could be segregated based on these traits and it would be easier to select and install them in leadership positions (Bolden, Gosling, Marturano & Dennison, 2003). This was an approach associated with the military but even after several years of studies, particular traits that could be associated with a leader were not identified. Some traits were common to several studies but no conclusion could be reached. Some leaders did posses certain traits but this does not imply that if the traits are absent, the person could not be a leader. Some studies did, however, find certain personality traits appeared more often that did other traits. These include technical skill, friendliness, task motivation, application to task, group task supportiveness, social skill, emotional control, administrative skill, general charisma, and intelligence. Leaders possess certain innate qualities. Some leaders have the ability to express themselves fully. They are also confident and hence they know what they want and why they want it. They are also able to communicate and get the support of others to get what they want (Doyle & Smith, 2001). In short, they know how to achieve their goal. However, people without the qualities as mentioned above can also achieve their goals, contend Doyle and Smith. Hence, if one has to go by the definition of leadership and the defined characteristics essential for leadership, they may not be termed as leaders. Besides, both followers and leaders have these characteristics and hence what is the difference between the leader and the follower? What can be assumed is that a person who possesses these characteristics will be able to lead different situations. This is where the difficulty arose. The same personality traits that are supposed to make a leader cannot work equally in a staff room setting in a school and on a battlefield. Stogdill had studied 124 studies on traits and leadership and concluded that these were weak and inclusive (As-Sadeq & Khoury, 2006). He, however, did find that leaders did posses more of these traits that others. Thus, it suggests that leadership cannot be defined merely based on the personality traits. Much depends upon the situation and by virtue of possessing some traits does not make one a leader. Theorists are of the opinion that while many may have the same personality traits only some emerge as a leader. This could be because of the situational effects or due to the interaction of traits and situation (Farlex, 2010). Moreover, very few demonstrate consistent traits under all conditions. Several studies have brought out certain core traits that can be found in leaders but these are not responsible to identify or determine success as a leader. It can only be stated that these people are endowed with leadership potential. These core personality traits include leadership motivation, self-confidence, emotional maturity, achievement drive, cognitive ability, honesty and integrity, knowledge of business, charisma, creativity and flexibility (Management Study Guide, 2009). One may possess these traits and qualities but its application at the right moment is what makes a true leader. The trait theory does not take into account the education level of each individual. There could be varying degrees of each trait in different individual but the trait theory implies that leaders cannot be trained. A person’s emerging as a leader with the group is associated with high Intelligence Quotient (IQ) (Web-Books, 2009). Those having high mental abilities may also be considered to be leaders in their environment but intelligence as a predictor of leadership carries more weight. People with high Emotional Intelligence (EQ) usually have been found to be effective leaders which demonstrate that they have a high level of self-awareness; they are generally motivated, empathetic and have social skills. However, according to Goleman, the psychologist who is responsible for the term Emotional Intelligence is of the opinion that the importance of IQ is relevant only up to the entry- to high-level management jobs. Once an individual reaches there, IQ does not help leaders. The ability to control one’s emotions, the ability to understand the emotions of others, the ability to understand what motivates them, and their social skills, are the qualities that differentiate a leader from a non-leader. Carly Fiorina, the CEO of HP, had high IQ but low levels of empathy for people around her. This does not make her a good leader. Psychologists have been attempting to determine the characteristics that make a unique personality and the Big Five model is widely used which rates the individual based on openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and Neuroticism (Web-Books, 2009). One can be an emergent leader or an effective leader. An emergent leader is one who is viewed as a leader by others around. According to Leung and Bozionelos (2004) each group has its prototypical notions of effective leaders’ traits and behaviors, and emergent leaders match these criteria. However, these typical notions of leadership differ across cultures and there could also be differences within the same geopolitical region. Therefore, personality traits identified as characteristics of an effective leader is an important step. Leung and Bozionelos found that high levels of openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and Neuroticism are associated with effective leaders. Extraversion is a trait that is normally found in effective leaders and this trait is also associated with transformational leadership. Of all the five traits, extraversion has the strongest relationship to leadership emergence and effective leaders. Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft, is an extraverted leader. He is sociable, energetic and assertive. The CEO of Craigslist, Jim Buckmaster, is an introvert, but an effective leader (Web-Books, 2009). This suggests that introverts can also be leaders and not all extroverts would become leaders. Conscientious people tend to be effective leaders as they possess the qualities of being more organized, they can take initiative, and they are persistent in their efforts. The personality traits identified by Stogdill map into the Big Five model of personality structure. If one is able to control one’s expressive behaviors it is associated with leadership emergence. One is also perceived as a leader in a group if he scores high on other traits such as surgency, agreeableness and emotional stability. According to Hogan, Curphy and Hogan (1994), on the basis of the elements of the Big Five model the leadership potential that the strangers may have, can also be predicted. However, the Implicit Leadership Theory suggests that people are seen as leaders when an individual’s personality traits match people’s preconceived notions on what a leader should be. This does not take into account the varying degrees of different traits that may be present in different individuals. There are certain traits that do not fall under the Big Five model but are essential aspects of one’s personality. Self-esteem is an important criterion and it has been found that leaders that have high self-esteem tend to support their subordinates more (Web-Books, 2009). At the same time, modest and good-natured people who prefer to avoid conflicts are assumed not capable of bring effective leaders. There is a definite relationship between personality and leadership but it is difficult to assess a stranger with leadership qualities merely by assessing his personality. Much would depend on individual performance when faced with a situation or an environment. All traits may not be equally effective in predicting leadership abilities. Traits can be innate or developed which also suggests that leaders can be trained and it is not necessary that one is born as a leader. A combination of traits may be suitable for a particular situation. However, people with similar traits may respond to the same situation in a different manner as this would be influenced by their individual cultures. It may be possible to segregate individuals based on the perceived leadership traits but it cannot be assumed that they would make successful leaders. Absence of certain traits does not imply that one cannot be a leader just as traits that are not part of the Big Five model have been identified as essential traits to be a leader. People with high IQ may not be empathetic towards others and being conscientious is a virtue that makes a god leader. It can be said that leaders do posses certain traits more than non-leaders but this can only be taken as an indication. Leaders cannot be selected based on the external projections of traits because introverts like Jim Buckmaster also make good leaders. References As-Sadeq, HA & Khoury, GC 2006, Leadership styles in the Palestinian large-scale industrial enterprises, Journal of Management Development, vol. 25, no. 9, pp. 832-849 Bolden, BR Gosling, J Marturano, A & Dennison, P 2003, A REVIEW OF LEADERSHIP THEORY AND COMPETENCY FRAMEWORKS, CENTRE FOR LEADERSHIP STUDIES, University of Exeter. Available from http://www.leadership-studies.com/documents/mgmt_standards.pdf (accessed 09 December 2010). Doyle, ME & Smith, MK 2001, Classical leadership, Available from http://www.infed.org/leadership/traditional_leadership.htm; (accessed 09 December 2010) Farlex 2010, Major approaches to the study of leadership, Available from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Major+approaches+to+the+study+of+leadership-a0136071081 (accessed 09 December 2010) Hogan, R Curphy, GC & Hogan, J 1994, What we know about leadership: effectiveness and personality, American Psychologist, June 1994 Leung, SL & Bozionelos, N 2004, Five-factor model traits and the prototypical image of the effective leader in the Confucian culture, Employee Relations, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 62-71 Management Study Guide 2009, Trait Theory of Leadership, Available from http://www.managementstudyguide.com/trait-theory-of-leadership.htm (accessed 09 December 2010) Web-Books 2009, Who Is a Leader? Trait Approaches to Leadership, Available from http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/ON/B0/B58/062MB58.html (accessed 09 December 2010) Read More