Theories of Leadership

In looking at modern organizational or administrative theory development, there is a chronological progression that begins with the trait, or "great man" theories of leadership. These theories are exactly what they sound like. Trait theories postulated that there were certain characteristics that made an individual a leader. In looking at history, or organizations, they focused on the great men who seemed to be at the center of action. These were the people they deemed to be leaders, and they sought to understand leadership by looking at the traits that these great men, and other leaders, had in common.

However, it proved difficult to identify traits that all, or even most, leaders had in common. The researchers attempted to i

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ut the characteristics or behaviors of leaders or which style fits which situation. Instead, it prescribes how leaders should behave. Fundamentally, Bolman and Deal assert that leadership should be about helping people create meaning in life, including oneself as the leader. Leadership is a spiritual quest, and the quest is toward wholeness, connection, and greater love. Rather than looking at the characteristics of leadership, they talk in terms of the gifts of leadership. According to them, the essence of leadership is offering oneself and one's spirit to the community as a whole. It is an ethic, and a call, rather than a career. For them, compassion and justice are the foundation of all meaningful leadership. This is a completely different way of thinking about leadership. The focus is not on outcomes, but on inputs. The emphasis is not on successful leadership in terms of employee productivity and employee satisfaction, but on success as measured by a sense of meaning. Thus, this theory, and others like it, represent a complete break from earlier leadership theory. Leadership has a new agenda. The State of Leadership Theory Yet most leadership theory still builds upon more traditional formulations that emphasize o
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Approximate Word count = 4138
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page)

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