Leadership Theory – Web Listings

Articles, reports and source writings from theorists of the leadership school of management theory.

Web Listings
Leadership theories
Over time, a number of different theories of leadership have evolved.
http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/theories/leadership_theories.htm
Path-Goal Theory of Leadership
Path-Goal Theory of Leadership is to do with the leader ‘clearing the path’ for followers to take.
http://www.changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/styles/path_goal_leadership.htm
Leadership Theories – Eight Major Leadership Theories
Theories of leadership are generally [...]

Leadership Trait Theory

Leadership trait theory is the idea that people are born with certain character traits. Since certain traits are associated with proficient leadership, it assumes that if you could identify people with the correct traits you will be able to identify leaders.
Most of the time the traits are considered to be naturally part of a person’s [...]

TRAITS: The Journey from Will to Power to Will to Serve

KEY TO LINKS on this web page:
STORYLINE

The Myers-Briggs Trait Approach to Leadership

Machiavelli – Great man theory

Stogdill 1948

Stogdill 1974 Dialectic Critique of Trait theory

McGregor 1960 Theory X Y

McClelland 1965 Stories

Katz 1955 Skill Taxonomy

Yukl 1989

Flanagan 1951 Critical Incidents; Boyatzis 1982

Bennis 2000 – 10 traits of dynamic leaders

BACK [...]

LEADERSHIP THEORIES

Over time, a number of theories of leadership have been proposed. Here are some of the main ideas.

Great Man Theory
Trait Theory
Behavioral Theories

Role Theory
The Managerial Grid

Participative Leadership

Lewin’s leadership styles
Likert’s leadership styles

Situational Leadership

Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership
Vroom and Yetton’s Normative Model
House’s Path-Goal Theory of Leadership

Contingency Theories

Fiedler’s Least Preferred Co-worker (LPC) Theory
Cognitive Resource Theory
Strategic Contingencies Theory

Transactional Leadership

Leader-Member Exchange [...]

Trait Theory

Assumptions
People are born with inherited traits.
Some traits are particularly suited to leadership.
People who make good leaders have the right (or sufficient) combination of traits. click click to continue

Leadership: An Overview

Introduction
While there is vast disagreement over what exactly leadership is, most of us agree that whatever it is, it seems to make a substantial difference to organizations. Leadership is typically offered as a solution for most of the problems we have. Our schools (or government, or companies, etc) would be better if only we had [...]

Leadership Questions and Answers

As part of our commitment to leadership development, we’ve created a comprehensive encyclopedia of questions and answers on all aspects of leadership. Starting with basic principles and terminology, and moving into discussion of more complex real world leadership problems, we have identified the most common questions about leadership and effective leaders, and created this knowledgebase. [...]

What is the Personality Trait Approach To Leadership?

Personality Traits Essential To Leadership?
Leadership can be approached in several ways. One approach is that leaders are effective or ineffective due to their personality traits, or to stretch it a bit, are effective or lack effectiveness because of their beliefs, values and ethics. That’s the personality trait approach. For example, some people make the case [...]