Leadership Theory Essays (Examples)

1000+ documents containing “leadership theory”.
Sort By:
By Keywords
Reset Filters

Example Essays

Essay
Leadership Theory in a Changing and Globalizing
Pages: 20 Words: 5806

Leadership Theory in a Changing and Globalizing Marketplace
Modern business practice is permeated by the complexities of a changing world. The impact of globalization on the cultural makeup of companies, the effects of the global recession on the conventions of daily business and the evolutionary shifts brought on by emergent technology all call for an orientation toward simultaneous stability and adaptability. Only under the stewardship of a qualified, communicative, flexible and respected leader can an organization hope to establish these capabilities. However, exactly what constitutes such a leader is subject to a great deal of variation, elaboration and even some disagreement. ith the interest of ultimately designing a personal plan for leadership development in my own career, there is a need to evaluate existing literature on the subject of modern business leadership with a focus on the theoretical constructs promoting best practices. These best practices will be evaluated relative the challenges…...

mla

Works Cited:

Astin, A. & Astin, H. (2001). Principles of Transformative Leadership. AAHE Bulletin.

Bass, B.M. & Bass, R.R. (2008). The Bass Handbook of Leadership. Simon and Schuster.

Bolden, R. & Gosling, J. (2006). Leadership Competencies: Time To Change the Tune? Leadership, 2(2), 147-163.

Carroll, B.; Levy, L. & Richmond, D. (2008). Leadership as Practice: Challenging the Competency Paradigm. Leadership, 4(4), 363-379.

Essay
Leadership Theory Has Undergone Significant
Pages: 8 Words: 2315

Organizational transformation, once seldom required, is now required frequently in many organizations. This places increased emphasis on the importance of leaders with transformational skills. The other way in which globalization has impacted leadership is the increased need for "soft" skills. The human element of leadership was virtually irrelevant during the early 20th century, as labor was viewed as little more than a commodity. However -- and in particular in knowledge-based industries -- globalization has increased the relevance of human-centered leadership. orkforces have become multicultural, as have circles of influence. A manager today may need to not only cultivate power and influence with local politicians but with politicians on the other side of the world as well. The likelihood of culture clash increases with globalization, so leaders must become more flexible and adopt increasingly flexible attitudes.
Gender is another dimension where leadership study and practice has been influenced. The incorporation of…...

mla

Works Cited:

Burke, W. & Litwin, G. (1992). A causal model of organizational performance and change. Journal of Management. Vol. 18 (3) 523-545.

Changing Minds.org (2010). Leadership theories. ChangingMinds.org. Retrieved August 9, 2010 from  http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/theories/leadership_theories.htm 

Nadler, D. & Tushman, M. (1990). Beyond the charismatic leader: Leadership and organizational change. California Management Review. Winter 1990.

Yukl, G. (1999). An evaluation of conceptual weaknesses in transformational and charismatic leadership theories. The Leadership Quarterly. Vol. 10 (2) 285-305.

Essay
Leadership Theory Every Organization Goes
Pages: 8 Words: 2680

Ethical leadership also entails role modeling through noticeable actions. Trustworthiness is seen as a result of ethical behavior rather than an attribute of ethical leaders themselves. Authentic leaders maintain that people have to act in concert with their deep personal and moral values and beliefs, but instead of centering on intrapersonal courses like self-awareness and self-regulation, the chase of ethical values on a normal basis is professed as morally authentic by followers (Tanner, Brugger, van Schie, & Lebherz, 2010).
Trust is made up of the acceptance of risk and susceptibility deriving from the action of others and anticipation that the other will not take advantage of this vulnerability. Trust can be usefully divided into competence trust and goodwill trust. Competence trust refers to trusting that the other person or organization has the ability to control risk by meeting their promises, whereas goodwill has an emotional recognition of the moral commitment…...

mla

References

Bauer, T. (n.d.). Organizational Behavior. Retrieved from http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/pub/1.0/organizational-behavior/45504#web-45504

Caldwell, C., & Hansen, M.H. (2010). Trustworthiness, governance, and wealth creation.

Journal of Business Ethics, 97(2), 173-173-188. doi:10.1007/s10551-010-0503-4

Caldwell, C., Hayes, L.A., & Long, D.T. (2010). Leadership, trustworthiness, and ethical stewardship. Journal of Business Ethics, 96(4), 497-497-512. doi:10.1007/s10551-010-

Essay
Leadership Theory in Action
Pages: 2 Words: 658

Leadership Theory in Action
Theory in Action: Transformational Leadership

Case Summary

Among the main principles of transformational leadership is that people who are true leaders work with their followers instead of simply ordering others around and expecting them to do what they are told (Bass & iggio, 2006). Followers work better when they can see a point to the work they are doing, and when they feel as though they are working for the common good of the company. This is what keeps them interested at companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and other tech giants. Because these companies are so focused on a flexible and unique approach to the work they do, they are much more likely to have transformational leaders as opposed to leaders who are transactional.

These companies are more open to working with people in interesting and different ways, which helps them see more success. Additionally, it helps the individual workers…...

mla

References

Bass, B.M., & Riggio, R.E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2nd. ed.). NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Northouse, P.G. (2012). Leadership: Theory and practice. NY: Sage.

Essay
Leadership Theory Application
Pages: 2 Words: 833

Leadership Theory Application
Situational leadership: A case study

Case summary

One of the principles of situational leadership is that there is no 'ideal' approach to management; rather good management is dependent upon particular situational variables. A good example of this is the case of employment at Google: Google is a company which is famous for its extremely flexible workplace environment for engineers. Engineers are considered the lifeblood of Google. Google even allows engineers to pursue their own projects on company time and allows workers great latitude in directing their daily routines. At Google, it is assumed that engineers 'want' to work: rather than creating a system of carrots and sticks to motivate them in a transactional format, instead the company seeks to hire employees who are extremely gifted and self-motivated.

Although this approach works for Google, situational leadership theory suggests that it would not necessarily work for all companies and all positions equally well.…...

mla

References

Edwards, J. (2013). Google employees confess the worst things about working at Google.

Business Insider. Retrieved:

 http://www.businessinsider.com/google-employees-confess-the-worst-things-about-working-at-google-2013-11#ixzz2ju1GoeDc 

Mediratta, B. (2007) The Google way: Give engineers room. The New York Times.

Essay
Leadership Theory and Practice
Pages: 2 Words: 545

Leadership
Northouse (2013) recognizes that leadership is a broad concept that is difficult to define, and that definitions of leadership vary from situation to situation and culture to culture. There are different ways of conceptualizing leadership, such as the relationship between people in power and their followers; the transformational processes that occur within groups and organizations; and the skills that leaders possess to effect positive change. For the purposes of the text Leadership: Theory and Practice, Northouse (2013) defines leadership as "a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal," (p. 5). A broad definition like this one is effective for highlighting the various aspects of leadership.

The author evaluates the different types of power inherent in leadership roles. For example, referent power is derived from being able to relate to the leader, whereas legitimate power is derived from a title or position. Expert power comes,…...

mla

References

Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Essay
Leadership Theory in Action
Pages: 3 Words: 1318

Leadership Applied
There are various modes of leadership that are applied and can work well within organizations depending on the kind of assignments to be handled as well as the employees and even the management that is in place. These are the major factors that dictate the kind of leadership that can b used from time to time. One of the most fundamental leadership styles that have been proven over time is the situational leadership style. This is a leadership style that calls for application and exemplification of good leadership qualities and capabilities depending on the situation that arises within the organization at a particular time. The situational leadership has been widely preferred by leaders and managers alike since it has a double benefit effect on the employees of any given organization. It leads to the appropriate leadership applied where and when needed, as well as enabling the development of…...

mla

References

Northouse, P.G. (2013).Leadership theory and practice, (6ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN 978-1-4522-0340-9

Safety Xchange, (2013). Training and Leadership: Part I-Scenario 2. http://www.safetyxchange.org/training-and-leadership/an-approach-in-three-scenarios-part-4-of-4

Essay
Leadership Theory and Process
Pages: 2 Words: 635

Sociology -- Human Services
Leadership Theory and Process

A good leadership theory that can be applied to the problem of domestic violence is that of transformational leadership. This is a kind of leadership approach that leads to constructive changes in those who utilize it. Transformational leaders are usually lively, passionate and fervent. Not only are these leaders worried about and caught up in the process; they are also centered on assisting every person in the group to succeed (Cherry, 2011).

There are four dissimilar workings of transformational leadership:

Intellectual motivation -- transformational leaders not only confront the status quo; they also persuade ingenuity among those involved. The leader persuades those involved to discover new manners of doing things and new occasions to learn.

Individualized deliberation -- transformational leadership also entails providing support and encouragement to the people involved. In order to promote compassionate associations, transformational leaders keep the lines of communication open so that those…...

mla

References

Cherry, K. (2011). Transformational Leadership. Retrieved from  http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/a/transformational.htm 

Haeseler, L.A. (2007). Contributions of meaning by service professionals to the phenomenon of the experience of coping for women in the spectrum of domestic violence abuse: A

leadership perspective. Duquesne University. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses,

Retrieved from  http://search.proquest.com/docview/304863919?accountid=28180

Essay
Managerial Video Insight to Leadership Theory
Pages: 3 Words: 981

Leadership Theory Analysis
Leadership is a word that represents a fairly vague and misunderstood concept. Leadership can refer to specific people, the actions or behaviors of a specific person or group of people, or any other conceivable combination. It's difficult for anyone to grasp a specific definition with an appropriate context because it can be applied in a plethora of scenarios. For example, a leader can still be a leader even though they are not currently in the state of leading. Or if that person is actively trying to lead a group and they are not performing well it could also be said that the person is void of leadership skills; thus the dilemma would be if that person was really a leader. However, the word is prevalent in the business community and any aspiring professional should have a deep understanding of the complexities relating to the notions of leadership.

One way…...

mla

References:

Acadia International Executive Insight Series (AIEIS), (2009), Management Interview Series

Video Database, http://courseware.acadiau.ca/aieis/keywordindex.jsp?keyword=266

Business Strategy Review, (2005). The real thing. An interview with Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones,  http://www.london.edu/assets/documents/publications/The_real_thing__The_art_of_authentic_leadership.pdf 

Haverstock Gina. (2009) Interview with Management Interview Series Video Database. Acadia University. http://courseware.acadiau.ca/aieis/interview.jsp?id=213&q=4496

Essay
Analyzing Leadership Theory Analysis and Application
Pages: 7 Words: 2320

Leadership Theory, Analysis and Applications
Leadership Theory Analysis and Application

A successful leader is an individual who influences his or her followers towards attaining the organization's aspirations. Thus, leadership is that process of influencing or convincing others to attain the organization's goals. There are three noteworthy points in this definition of leadership. The first is that the act of being a leader is a social influence one. One cannot be called a leader if he or she does not have followers. Secondly, a good leader elicits voluntary compliance from the followers. This is the best feature of leadership since voluntary complying followers will do a better job than those complying because of formal authority. Lastly, leadership elicits a purposeful and goal-oriented behavior from the followers (Lussier & Achua, 2013). Leadership is perhaps the most commonly discussed topic in organizational sciences. Thousands of studies and results have been published and many books have…...

mla

References

Avolio, B. J., & Luthans, F. (2006). The high impact leader: Moments matter in accelerating authentic leadership development. New York: McGraw Hill.

Evans, M.G. (1970). The effects of supervisory behavior on the path-goal relationship. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance. 5: 277-298.

Fielder, F. E. (1986). The contribution of cognitive resources to leadership performance. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, vol. 16. pp. 532-545.

Frankenberg, E., & Kotok, S. (2013). Demography and Educational Politics in the Suburban Marketplace. Peabody Journal of Education, 88(1), 112-126.

Essay
Best Leadership Theory for the Rapidly Changing World and Diverse Global Culture
Pages: 7 Words: 2448

Leadership Theory for the apidly Changing World and Diverse Global Culture
With the increased competitiveness in the international business world it has become very important for the businesses to be accommodating enough so that they could operate in a successful manner in places with different norms, ethics, attitudes and culture. Today it is very important for the business managers to have an accommodating attitude towards the various local cultures and try to take part in the events of the local community that their business is working in, in order to increase the successfulness of the business (Gannon, 2004).

An important thing in running and managing business on an international level requires the management of multi-cultural workforce in a successful manner, along with this it also requires for the managers to bring variety to the services being provided by them according to the needs and wants of the people of that area…...

mla

References

Gannon, M. (2004). Understanding Global Cultures: Metaphorical Journeys Through 28 Nations, Clusters of Nations, and Continents. Thousand Oaks Sage.

House, R.J. And Javidan, M. (2004). Overview of GLOBE. Culture, Leadership, and Organization. The GLOBE Study of 62 Societies.

Javidan, M., P.W. Dorfman, M. Sully de Luque and R.J. House. (2006). In the Eye of the Beholder: Cross Cultural Lessons in Leadership from Project GLOBE', Academy of Management Perspectives 20, 67 -- 90.

Korver, C.D. (2008). Models Ethical Leaders. They model excellence. Harvard Business Press.

Essay
Applying Leadership Theory to Leadership Practice
Pages: 22 Words: 7873

Applying Leadeship Theoy to Leadeship Pactice
In this pape the wite eseaches and wites a liteatue eview on a Applying Leadeship Theoy to Leadeship Pactice. The eseach pape is a compehensive thematic eview of the scholaly liteatue elated to the topic. The leadeship theoies to focus on ae: Path-Goal Theoy; Leade-Membe Exchange (LMX) Theoy; Psychodynamic Appoach Theoy; outcome and situational leadeship; Leadeship focused on effectiveness and poductivity; Leadeship and Body language; and lastly, the Synegistic Leadeship Theoy.

The mechanisms though which leadeship and powe may be put into effect and "tavel" within a goup of people: bottom-up; Top-down; lateal (temed as shaed leadeship); and integated (a combination of top-down, bottom-up, and lateal leadeship), can be descibed using the leadeship models explained in this pape. The top-down model; is a seductive sien song associated to the eal-life pefomance of leadeship in oganizations. Thus many eseach and pactitiones believe that leadeship is concentated on…...

mla

references. The interplay between the two systems of thought determines whether the individual is able to detect and override the illusions of intuition. The significance of both these systems is critical in the leadership theory being discussed in this study.

Payette, D.L. And Libertella, A.F. (2011). Nascent Leadership Behaviors. American Journal of Business Education, 4; 6.

Payette and Libertella's study is critical as the material presented in this paper is oriented towards practical and actionable steps that the aspiring leader can decide to apply.

Dennis Payette, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Management, Marketing & Decision Sciences in the School of Business at Adelphi University. His research interests have focused on pedagogical research related to use of modem teaching methods and technologies. In addition to teaching and research, Dr. Payefte's background includes service as a senior administrator at Long Island University and Dowling College. Similarly, Anthony Libertella, Ph.D.J.D. is a Professor of Management and Law in the School of Business at Adelphi University. He has served in a number of senior academic positions at various colleges ranging from Executive Vice President / Provost to Deanships. He was also a practicing attorney specializing in corporate and franchise law. Dr. Libertella's research interests are in strategic management, leadership, and law.

Schyns, B. And Mohr, G. (2004). Nonverbal Elements of Leadership Behaviour. German Journal of Human Resource Research; 18, 3.

Essay
Major Theories in Peter Northouse's Leadership Theory and Practice
Pages: 5 Words: 1491

Peter Northouse's Leadership: Theory and Practice takes on a number of salient theories regarding the formal academic and professional discipline of leadership. As such, the reader is given a comprehensive overview of some of the most meaningful and widely used approaches to leadership of contemporary and even historical times. On the whole, the book is well written and succinct. It may have benefitted from a greater usage of empirical evidence, although it is beneficial that there are several different authors and points of expertise utilized within this manuscript.
Most people would assume that the traits based approach to leadership is one which is largely immutable. On certain levels it is, as certain characteristic traits are endemic to individuals and are with them from early on in life. The best description of the traits based approach to leadership is that leaders use their natural attributes and aspects of their personality as the…...

mla

References

Northouse, P. (2010). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Essay
Limitations of Charismatic Leadership Theory
Pages: 2 Words: 881

A business cannot survive if its operations are dubious and suspect. Ethics of the company can be seen in the everyday business conduct. The ethical behavior and leadership effectiveness go hand in hand and this results in better position of the company. Big businesses that do not have ethical leaders have ultimately been exposed and the public have condemned them like Enron. The company became corrupt because the top executives and even its auditors were corrupt. The result was that some of the executives who followed the unethical practices went to jail and some face a very difficult life ahead in penury. Unethical leaders spread the corruption to the rank and file. Therefore ethical behavior has to come from the leader and the company must have ethical rules of operation that must be made inviolable. Thus any business cannot do without value and ethics and in the long run…...

mla

References

Lussier, Robert N; Achua, Christopher F. (2003) "Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill

Development" South-Western College.

Essay
Path Goal Leadership Theory
Pages: 8 Words: 2422

Introduction
Leadership theory is important for any discipline and industry, as it provides the framework by which understanding and perspective are obtained. Using these perspectives, theories of leadership serve as guideposts for individuals looking to be effective leaders in their respective workplace environments, fields, families or communities. In the field of criminal justice, leadership theory is essential because it helps the individual to hold himself accountable and helps to empower others to do so as well (Brooks & Grint, 2010). This paper will focus mainly on path-goal theory and functional leadership to show how leadership occurs and how setting goals can be an effective way to organize.
Path-Goal Theory
Path-goal theory focuses on organizing by way of identifying goals and the removal of obstacles in order to facilitate the accomplishment of those goals (Northouse, 2016). As the name of the theory implies it is about clearing the path for a team or an…...

mla

References

Abramson, N. R. (2007). The leadership archetype: A Jungian analysis of similarities between modern leadership theory and the Abraham myth in the Judaic–Christian tradition. Journal of Business ethics, 72(2), 115-129.

Bandura, A. (2018). Toward a psychology of human agency: Pathways and reflections.  Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(2), 130-136.

Brookes, S., & Grint, K. (2010). A new public leadership challenge?. In The new public leadership challenge (pp. 1-15). Palgrave Macmillan, London.

Evans, M. G. (1970). The effects of supervisory behavior on the path-goal relationship. Organizational behavior and human performance, 5(3), 277-298.

Hirst, G., & Mann, L. (2004). A model of R&D leadership and team communication: The relationship with project performance. R&D Management, 34(2), 147-160.

House, R. J. (1996). Path-goal theory of leadership: Lessons, legacy, and a reformulated theory. The Leadership Quarterly, 7(3), 323-352.

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370.

Morgeson, F. P., DeRue, D. S., & Karam, E. P. (2010). Leadership in teams: A functional approach to understanding leadership structures and processes. Journal of management, 36(1), 5-39.

Q/A
How can a leader\'s effectiveness be measured and improved through applying leadership theories in real-world scenarios?
Words: 516

Measuring a leader's effectiveness can be achieved through various methods, such as using key performance indicators (KPIs), conducting 360-degree feedback assessments, employee engagement surveys, and tracking team or organizational outcomes. By applying leadership theories in real-world scenarios, a leader can improve their effectiveness by:

1. Understanding and applying different leadership styles: Leaders can assess their natural leadership style and adjust it based on the situation and the needs of their team. For example, a leader may need to be more participative in decision-making during times of change or uncertainty.

2. Developing emotional intelligence: By understanding and managing their own emotions, as well....

Q/A
How can a leader\'s effectiveness be measured and improved through applying leadership theories in real-world scenarios?
Words: 566

Measuring Leadership Effectiveness

Quantitative Metrics:

Performance Reviews: Objective assessments of team performance, productivity, and goal achievement, often based on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Employee Satisfaction Surveys: Feedback from employees on leadership style, communication, and support, providing insights into employee morale and engagement.
Financial Data: Measurable financial outcomes, such as revenue growth, profitability, and cost reductions, can indicate the impact of leadership on organizational success.

Qualitative Metrics:

360-Degree Feedback: Comprehensive assessments from superiors, peers, and subordinates, providing a holistic view of leadership strengths and areas for improvement.
Observational Studies: Direct observation of leaders in action, focusing on communication, decision-making, and interactions with others.
....

Q/A
How does contingency theory explain the importance of adapting leadership styles to fit different situational factors?
Words: 488

Contingency Theory of Leadership

Contingency theory is a leadership theory that emphasizes the importance of adapting leadership styles to fit different situational factors. The theory was first proposed by Fred Fiedler in 1967, and it has since been widely studied and applied in the field of leadership.

Contingency theory proposes that there is no one best leadership style. Instead, the effectiveness of a leader depends on the interaction between the leader's style and the situation in which they are leading. The contingency theory identifies three main situational factors that affect leadership effectiveness:

Leader-member relations: The quality of the relationship between the leader....

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now