Kim Woods Only (501 signature assignment)
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OLCU501WK7LiteratureReviewDraft.docRunning Head: LITERATURE REVIEW ON LEADERSHIP 1
LITERATURE REVIEW ON LEADERSHIP 4
Leadership
Brandman University
Chad Hurt
OCLU 501: Organizational Research
21 November 2017
Abstract
Knowledge does not exist in a vacuum; it has to be obtained from somewhere. Therefore a given work becomes only useful in comparison with other people’s work. This calls for the establishment of what the research study published in connection with the works of other researchers to analyze the development of the subject matter. This paper will present a critical review of the literature that was done in regard to the research questions about leadership. The objective of this literature review is to define leadership and to explain the roles and qualities of good leaders as backed up by scholarly documentation.
Table of Contents
5 Research Question One: Defining who a leader is
6 Research Question Two: Stating what the Functions of Leaders are
7 Research Question Three: Stating what the qualities of good leaders are
CRITICAL REVIEW
The study will apply the deductive approach in critically reviewing the literature. The approach helps to identify theories and ideas to be used in testing and to develop a conceptual framework for testing the data.
According to James Macgregor (2003) leadership contribute quite much to civilization due to their transformative capabilities. Leaders are not just solvers of problems, but they are the people who can help the society move from one level to another through motivation and morality. Some documents on leadership have suggested that leaders are the people who not only ensure that they do things right but also they are seen doing the right thing. In this regard, which type of leaders would be perceived as doing what is right? This question could bring in some answers with a lot of variations in them, but one thing for sure that will be common is that leaders have one personality trait in them, a passion for leading, though different leaders use different styles to lead. There isn't a dearth of experts in the field of leadership or even sophistication of approaches, but still, there is no consensus on which leadership style is the most effective. As much as individual leadership styles do matter, leadership effectiveness is increasingly believed to be dependent on context and situational factors in which those particular leaders work. Research conducted on 160 CEOs justified that leadership is dependent not so much on what a person is like on the inside but by what the demands of the outside are. Considering temporal changes is essential in dynamics and patterns of leadership behaviors of the task they undertake when conceptualizing their styles effectiveness.
Research questions
The research will seek to answer the questions; who are a leader, what are the striking qualities of a good leader and what are their roles? The exploration of these questions will avail information that can be used to shape the general context of leadership and the roles that leadership has in making a difference in the society. This literature review will provide an extensive content that will provide the knowledge regarding the three fundamental research questions:
1.) Who is a leader?
2.) What qualities make up a good leader?
3.) What are the functions of leaders?
Research Question One: Defining who a leader is
This question can be answered through a review of leadership theories. According to the Greta man theory, by Carlyle (2013) leaders are born, and those men who have been bestowed with heroic capabilities could only become leaders. The perspective of Carlyle was expanded further by Sydney Hook as “(as cited in Dobbins and Platz, 1986),” by high; lighting the effect which could occur by the event making man and the eventful man. According to him, the eventful man remained sophisticated in a historic situation though he did not get to determine his course. The event making man, on the other hand, initiated actions which affected the course of events which could have been way different if he was not involved in the situation. However, it later turned out that this definition of a leader did not have a moral standing with the emergence of people like Hitler.
This perspective was challenged later, and leadership theory advanced from a dogma that leaders are destined by nature or born to be their role at a given time to a state of reflecting certain characteristics that envisage a capacity for leadership. The trait theory further stressed that born leaders posse certain traits both personality and physical traits which distinguished them from non-leaders. Two traits were identified, in particular, emergent traits (the ones that are dependent on heredity) including attractiveness, height, intelligence and self-confidence and traits of effectiveness those that are dependent on experience including charisma. Therefore I would define a leader as anyone who possesses such traits and not forgetting the moral standing; a leader, however, is not just a person who possess these critical traits, a leader must use these traits to role model, set goals and articulate visions.
Research Question Two: Stating what the Functions of Leaders are
The people who advocate for transformational kind leadership have shown some confidence that the frameworks of the past shouldn't in any way be a compass for the future. Such people believe that leaders who are successfully transformational create compelling, clear visions for the future. Leaders who are transformational concentrate their capabilities on long-term goals and vision changing and aligning systems and training and developing others. Such leaders depict transactional behavior as well (Avollino and Bass, 2004). According to Bass, great men were not made but born. But some people would argue that these roles of leadership are morally flawed. This is so because such perspectives could lead to authoritative leaders, thereby bringing in the issue of servant leadership.
The servant leader takes care of the needs of the follower and helps them to become freer, knowledgeable and autonomous. Therefore according to bass, I would second the fact that the critical roles of a leader are to induce followers to ensure that their needs are reordered by transcending the interest of self and strive for higher order needs.
Research Question Three: Stating what the qualities of good leaders are
According to transformational leadership, the qualities of a good leader are,
1.) Idealized influence
This is the attribute of a leader to be able to inspire the followers so that they can consider their leaders to be role models. Idealized influence can also be taken to mean charisma.
2.) The inspirational motivation which is the attribute of the leader to develop the consciousness of the followers so that they can be aligned towards the vision and mission of the organization.
3.) Intellectual stimulation
This is an attribute that enables leaders to stimulate the intellectual capacity of their followers, help them engender creativity and help them to accept challenges as part and parcel of their tasks.
Conclusion
Leadership is not just about influencing the masses and making them follow one's ideology. Leadership has some moral standing in it. It is not about influencing people to help one achieve some individual ambitions; it is about transforming the people by empowering them so that they can move from one level to another. It is about helping the followers to come up with ways of reordering their needs through striving for higher goals.
REFERENCES
Burns, J. M. (2003). Transforming leadership: A new pursuit of happiness (Vol. 213). Grove Press.
Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1997). Full range leadership development: Manual for the Multifactor
Dobbins, G. H., & Platz, S. J. (1986). Sex differences in leadership: how real are they?. Academy of Management review, 11(1), 118-127.
Leadership Questionnaire (pp. 43-44). Palo Alto, CA: Mind Garden.
Siegel, J. P. (Ed.). (2013). Thomas Carlyle: The Critical Heritage. Routledge.
