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Theories of Leadership

There are almost as many theories of leadership as there are definitions of leadership. Although the theories can be subsumed in several categories, there are numerous variations of each type of leadership theory. There is also little agreement on the exact definition of leadership itself, although most people agree that leadership is an influence process (Robbins, 1996). There is debate about whether leadership must be seen as separate from management, however (Zaleznik, 1986). The intent in this analysis is to explore the different categories of leadership theories and then attempt to synthesize useful elements of these theories for a future approach to 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 identify those characteristics that were associated with leadership, assuming that this would help them choose the best leaders. For the most part, they failed to accomplish this task.

For example, Geier (1967) reviewed a number of those early studies to find if they had identified the same, or similar traits as characteristic of leaders. He worked with 20 separate studies which identified a total of 80 different leadership traits from their research. When Geier looked at these studies, he found that only five of the traits were...

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Theories of Leadership. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 14:17, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1690972.html