From a scholarly perspective, leadership is defined as the process of directing and influencing the task-related activities of group members (Stoner and Wankel, 1986). By their willingness to accept directions, group members help to define the status of leaders and to facilitate the leadership process. Implicit in the concept of leadership is the notion of power and the conjoint idea of influence, as leaders must be able to employ power in order to exercise influence over the behaviors of their subordinates (Stoner and Wankel, 1986). Leadership is regarded by most management theorists as a key ingredient in the success of failure of any corporate or group venture; it may well be the key factor in group cohesion and integrity, as well as goal and objective achievement (Cribbin, 1982). Given these views of leadership, this report will describe several alternative theories of leadership styles and their strengths and weaknesses.
Effective leaders have been described as individuals who are capable of renewing the organizations which they lead, effectively communicating organizational goals and objectives, and possessed of the competencies members perceive as necessary to lead the organization to the heights of its vision (Beatty & Ulrich, 2000). Leaders must be credible and the members of their organization must be able to trust in the word of their leaders. If leaders to not inspire or maintain trust, members will be unwilling to accept the leader's vision or values and unwilling to marshal the level of energy necessary to accomplish higher and higher levels of performance. Further, leaders must have the courage to make difficult decisions fairly and boldly and to take risks when needed (Beatty & Ulrich, 2000).
One widely respected theory of leadership is known as "situational" or "contingency" leadership. Situational leadership theory was first proposed and articulated by Fred Edward Fiedler and is variously known as Contingen...