Leadership trait theory versus skills-based leadership models

Leadership Trait Theory vs. Skill Leadership Theory

Research Question, Populations, and Purpose

One definitional view of leadership is that it simply involves the ability to influence others. The definition is that leaders exercise influence, taking actions that, in one way or another, shape the behavior of people (Mumford, Zaccaro, Harding, Jacobs, & Fleishman, 2000). However, the researchers want to investigate the results of this influence and how the resulting performance affects the overall outcome. For example, no one would dispute the fact that Stalin was able to exert a great deal of influence over other people, yet it is slightly less clear whether or not he was an effective leader. This research paper proposes a new framework for thinking about leadership and does not have a population in the study. The purpose of this article is to attempt to create a framework that presents a skills-based model that is directed at solving complex social problems. It is argued that leaders not only exert influence, but they should use their skills to do so judiciously by tackling the right problems -- it shifts to the concept of leadership to a problem-focused theory.

Another theory of leadership looks at the leader as a composition of various traits. This trait based theory would predict that those with certain traits would be more effective leaders than others that possessed traits that are inconsistent with leadership. However, there has been much debate in the literature about whether a trait analysis was useful at predicting leadership. This study surveys a sample of 53 project managers worldwide who were asked to take a Briggs-Myers personality test (Gehring, 2007). The study conducted an extensive literature review to determine which traits in this model were most suited to the ideal project manager. The purpose was to determine if there were any traits that could predict a greater likelihood of a project manager being successful when leading a project.

Importance and Results

In the first study, the researchers feel that constructing a leadership model based more on a problem-based approach is important because it creates a model in which the desirability of leadership to move an organization towards certain ends is considered in the model. This study is more theoretical in nature while the next study is based more on a pragmatic approach to understanding specific leadership traits. The researchers in this study believed that if they could identify the most ideal traits associated with project management, then they could create a baseline personality profile that could be used to compare an actual project manager's personality makeup to the ideal one. Through such a comparison a project manager could gain insights into which areas of their personality that they should try to be aware of or compensate for to give them better odds of success which has real world applicability.

Each article was successful in its own right. The first study was able to lay the groundwork for a new theoretical model that grounded leadership into a context that included the "real world" and went beyond the traditional study of simply how a leader interacts with its followers. This model adds another dimension to leadership that is problem-based and requires certain skills to solve these complex problems. The second article was successful because it was able to identify a set of personality traits from the literature that have been associated with best practices in project management. They further created an ideal personality type that project managers, or aspiring project managers, can use to determine their natural abilities or natural limitations.

Limitations, Conclusions, and Topics for Future Study

The limitations of the first research at stated as the fact that as responsibility for various leadership activities can be more complex the higher a person is in the organization. Some leadership tasks require complex skill sets that can require significant amounts of time to develop. Furthermore, different individuals may develop these skill sets at different paces which can make the models predictive capability rather diminished. The authors conclude that there inclusion of the skills-based perspective in leadership can be thought of along the lines of different skill sets; problem-solving skills, social judgement skills, and social skills. Furthermore, effective leaders will know when to employ these skills and to what end. Future research could focus on providing systematic evidence for the knowledge and skills necessary to underlie a leader's performance in certain theoretical systems.