theories which have had the greatest effect on management styles and which have been most widely adopted in the market will be considered here. In addition to presenting these theories, their significant advantages and drawbacks will also be considered.
Leadership can be defined in terms of individual traits, leader behavior, interaction patterns, role relationships, follower perceptions, influence over followers, influence on task goals and influence on organizational culture (Yukl, June 1989, p. 253). Most definitions of leadership involve an influence process, but numerous definitions of leadership have little else in common. Definitions differ in many respects, including who exerts influence, the purpose of influence attempts and the manner in which influence is exerted (Ross, May 1992, p. 46). These differences are not merely cases of minor differences among scholars, but sometimes represent deep disagreement about identification of leaders and the leadership process.
Even at this point, not all researchers consider that leadership is properly classified as a distinct phenomenon. Some theorists believe that leadership is no different from the social influence processes that occur among all members of a group, and these researchers see leadership as a collective process shared among the members (Biggart & Hamilton, November 1987, p. 430). The opposing view to this is that all groups have role specialization, including a specialized leadership role. This view takes the position that there is one person who has much more influence than other members, and who carries out leadership functions that cannot be shared without putting in jeopardy the success of the group's mission. While the second view has been popular in the past, recent trends have led to the increased popularity of the shared leadership position.
Some researchers hold that leadership should be limited by definition to influence that results in enthusias...