This paper investigates the factors that lead to emergence of a leader in a group. Ability to solve a problem has been identified as an important factor that could lead to an emergence of a leader in a group. A group member who is able to assist a group to achieve a higher performance is likely to emerge as a group leader.
Emergence of leadership in a Group with no
Common History
Work groups are critical to a survival of an organization, and have been identified as the building blocks to enhancing organizational effectiveness. Groups are the broadest category of social aggregate involving in mutual interaction and mutual awareness. However, a leadership role must be filled within a group to solve a problem within a group. While a group is critical for organization, however, an effective matching leader is critical to deliver a problem-solving solution as well as mentoring, coach and serve the role of a facilitator to enhance effectiveness of a group. Leadership is the process of social influence where an individual uses his or her social influence to enlist the support of others to accomplish a common task. Leadership theory reveals traits, which include situational interaction, behavior, power, value, charisma, vision and intelligence. Leadership is an evolved traits target to assist a group to function effectively. In a setting where a group of people interact, a leader always emerges. Within the academic circle, a question remains unanswered: How a leader emerges within a group that has no common history?
Fundamental objective of this paper is to investigate how a leader emerges within a group.
How a leader Emerge Within a Group having no Common History
One of the fundamental methods that influence an emergence of leader in a group with no common history comes from the evaluation of individual ability as well as commitment assigned to group goals. An emergent leader from a group is an individual having a significant influence on other member of the group. However, an emergent leader does not have any formal authority compared to a formal leader. A leader could derive legitimacy through the group members' perception.
Task competence is an important factor that influences an emergent of a leader within a group. Typically, a group is formed to solve a problem, and a group member who has a competent to solve a problem is likely to emerge as a group leader. A task competence encompasses a set of characteristics that requires a group to achieve its desire goal. For example, an individual with higher mechanical ability is likely to emerge as a leader within a group performing mechanical tasks. Typically, task ability largely contributes to a leader's emergence.
Goal commitment is another factor leading to an emergent of a leader within a group. A group member who determines to accomplish a goal and unwillingness to lower or abandon that goal is likely to emerge as a leader. Thus, a group member needs to be sufficiently involved in the group tasks to be emerged as a leader. Thus, a leader must show a greater concern to a group goal than other member of the group.
Other antecedents are also identified which include seniority, personality traits, gender, verbal participation rate and approval from the group members. A leader will be able to emerge from a group if a group member outperforms other member of the group. In many organizations, emergent leadership has been shown to be beneficial than formal appointed leadership. Typically, characteristics of emergent leaders have been associated with intelligence, trait, ability, masculinity, and dominance. Moreover, a leader will be able to emerge in a group if the person has been able to provide rewarding interaction to a group member. For example, a leader will emerge if an individual within a group is able to express more positively than other group member. (Souza, & Klein, 1995).
More importantly, a leader is likely to emerge within a group if a leader is able to have a strong influence on group norm, process and outcomes. Typically, emergent leaders always have strong influence on group goals, which subsequently influence the group performances. An emergent leader is also the person who has ability to influence the efficacy of a group, which consequently influences the group goals and performances. (Pescosolido, 2001).
Moreover, an emergent leader should also have a strong influence on group performance. The rational behind this notion is that group members expect high expectation from an emergent leader and believe that an emergent leader could deliver a higher outcome to the group. Thus, the best method a leader should use to provide higher outcome for a group is to facilitate the group performances. Thus, a group member is likely to elect a group leader who is able to facilitate effective and prompt group performances.
One of the examples of a case where a leader was emerged from a group was a group assignment that I participated when I was working with my former employer. I was one of the group members assigned to complete a project. However, one of the members of our group was very focal and is quick to provide a solution to the problem. More importantly, he was always very active. Along the line, the entire group member collectively agreed that this member of the group should become a group leader.
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