Nowadays, everyone is trying to become a successful and respected person. To do this, you must meet certain requirements from others. How do individuals manage to establish unconditional leadership? Leadership concepts are very diverse and deserve a separate discussion. They will be discussed in this article.
Leadership concept
Leadership refers to the ability to exert a certain influence both on each individual individually and on a group of diverse individuals, directing the common efforts of people to achieve a common goal. From a socio-psychological point of view, this process is quite natural, based on the influence of one authoritative individual on the behavior of the remaining members of the group. Under the influence, they mean such actions of a person that make changes in the feelings, attitudes, actions of another person. There are several ways to take leadership. Leadership concepts suggest that influence can be exerted through ideas, persuasion, suggestion, written and spoken words, coercion, personal authority, emotional infection, personal example, and so on.
Who is a leader
Existence in a particular group implies someone else's leadership. Leadership concepts are based on a variety of theories. What qualities does a person need to lead a group? A leader is a person who is able to unite people and direct them towards the achievement of a goal. Moreover, the concepts of “leader” and “goal” are inseparable from each other. However, to set a specific task and to carry out it systematically alone does not mean becoming a leader. The inherent quality of each leader is the presence of followers. The main role of every leader is the ability to make people go after themselves, to organize the necessary interaction of subordinates in a single system that would contribute to solving specific problems within the framework of the set goal. In other words, a leader is an element that streamlines the behavior of other people. A true leader can only be a person who is a bearer of traits that are welcomed and expected in this particular group. Therefore, “transplanting” a leader from one association to another, as well as appointing him from above, is an inexpedient and ineffective method.
Types of leadership
Leadership concepts suggest that people in a community come together for three main reasons. As a rule, they are led by a desire to receive emotional support, find out the necessary information or establish business relationships. Thus, leadership in an organization consists of three components: emotional, informational and business. A person who is able at the right time to call people to order and remind them of a common goal is the "hands of the group." Such a person can be called a business leader. He works perfectly with him, he knows how to organize a business and establish the necessary business contacts and relationships. A person who has great erudition and is able to convey the necessary information to the rest is the "brain of the group." He can be called an information leader. A person to whom one can turn for sympathy and “cry in a vest” is “the heart of the group”. Such a person is an emotional leader. In addition to the above three species, there is also a fourth, most preferred option. It is a universal leader. Such a person combines all three components, but this type of leadership is extremely rare.
Variety of concepts
In studying the problem of the primacy of some people over others, three main areas can be distinguished: traditional, situational and new. Historically, the earliest are traditional leadership concepts. According to them, only an exceptional personality endowed with unique qualities can organize a crowd. Well-known adherents of this theory are Edwin Giselli, Warren Bennis and Walf Stogdill.
The basic concepts of leadership in the modern world have appeared on the basis of traditional ones. One of them is situational theory. It was proposed by Frank Fiedler, who believed that a person can detect leadership ability only when appropriate circumstances arise. Common to the situational and traditional approach to the study of the problem is that the result of managerial activity in them directly depends on the personal qualities of the leader.
Later, new leadership concepts were created. These include theories of attributive (analyst), charismatic and transformative (reformer) leadership. All of them are witty and have a right to exist, but they do not fully reflect the phenomenon under study. This issue is still unresolved. Key leadership concepts will be outlined below.
Traditional theories
As mentioned above, they were based on the external signs and personal qualities of leaders, but were refuted over time. Here is some of them:
- The concept of physical qualities was recognized as insolvent by one of the first. After all, the leader is not always distinguished by high growth, great weight and indefatigable physical strength. On the contrary, its external data can be the most ordinary.
- The concept of intelligence is based on the verbal and evaluative qualities of a person. It is assumed that the presence of these qualities ensures managerial success. However, not every educated, educated and courteous person can lead people.
Behavioral Approach
Traditional leadership concepts are not limited to the two theories above. The concept of leader traits also applies to them. It is based on the fact that each leader should have a certain set of psychological qualities. Self-confidence, a flexible and sharp mind, strong will, competence, organizational skills, knowledge of human nature should be inherent in him. The American sociologist E. Bogadus listed the qualities that a leader should have: energy, mind, leader, ability to anticipate, sense of humor, tact, solid character. In the Leadership Textbook, American R. Stogdill notes that the structure of the qualities of the person leading the group should be correlated with the activities, tasks and traits of his subordinates. However, the study of real groups has shown that they can be led by a person who does not have the above qualities. And a person theoretically capable of leadership sometimes takes a very modest place in the organization.
Situational approach
Concepts of situational leadership have arisen on the basis of the traditional approach to studying the problem. They suggest that only the person who is able to send people to resolve a specific situation can lead the group. He must have appropriate abilities, properties, qualities, knowledge, experience. Different personalities may be needed to solve various problems, so leadership in the community can pass from one person to another. A business leader can change the information, and emotional - business and so on. E. Hartley revealed several patterns characteristic of situational leadership:
- If a person leads a group in one situation, then he automatically increases the chances of becoming a leader in another.
- If a person has shown his leadership qualities and earned authority from the rest, then it can subsequently become a leader and consolidate its dominant position.
- The perception of the group is based on stereotypes. If a person became a leader in one situation, then she will perceive him as such in another.
- In order to become a leader, you need to have an internal desire for this.
Political theory
Over time, new theories of leadership emerge. One of them was put forward by the founders of Marxism. They suggested that this phenomenon can be explained in terms of class opposition. In their understanding, a political leader is a skillful, consistent and conscious spokesman for the interests of a particular class, which plays a service, supporting role in relation to its group in a certain sense. Marxist theorists have tried to prove that people make history, but their motivations are based on the economic component of society. Thus, the concepts of political leadership suggest the dominant role of the individual in close connection with the activities of social groups. In different historical eras, different requirements may be imposed on the leader.
Freud's Theory
Modern leadership concepts have a different, sometimes very complex psychological basis. For example, Sigmund Freud put forward his unique theory of "personality-psychological qualities." The psychoanalyst claims that some people strive for leadership because they are trying to compensate for the inferiority complex that arose in youth or childhood . At the same time, such personalities can demonstrate their prevailing position over others in unethical ways, which are the result of neurosis, manic paranoia and other mental deviations.
Mysterious charisma
One of the most interesting theories is the concept of charismatic leadership. It is based on the fact that some individuals are endowed with a talent for managing other people. From the Greek, the word "charisma" is translated as mercy, a divine gift. So, exceptional qualities, insight from above, the ability to subjugate people to themselves automatically elevate such an outstanding person over the rest. The concept of charismatic leadership assumes that the leader in the group is the most striking embodiment of the values of the community, which he puts above personal interests. The relationship with such a leader is based on boundless admiration and trust in him. The activities of a group united by a charismatic leader are directly dependent on the personality of the leader. Without it, the organization becomes practically incapacitated.
Attributive leadership
This concept is based on the fact that the leader must be able to analyze the behavior of subordinates and predict their reaction to a particular situation. In the course of his activities, the manager is constantly looking for an answer to the question about the reasons for the behavior of employees. In its search, it is based on three components:
- Personality.
- Labor activity itself.
- Circumstances and organizational environment.
Thus, the leader seeks to determine the causes of poor work of employees and to properly respond to the situation. In this leadership model, there is a constant interaction between the boss and the simple employee. The effectiveness of measures taken by a leader to improve performance is determined by the reaction of a subordinate to them.
Transformative approach
The reformer leader seeks to motivate followers by increasing their consciousness. It improves the educational level of subordinates, creates an atmosphere of trust in the team, helps people learn how to combine personal interests with public ones. This leadership model involves the participation of subordinates in the management of the group. They do not blindly obey the boss, but strive to adequately assess his behavior. The concept of transformative leadership is based on a creative approach: a leader consistently gains the respect and trust of followers, remaining the first among equals.
Scientists have different answers to the question of what leadership is. Leadership concepts reveal this phenomenon from a wide variety of perspectives. It will be interesting and useful for everyone to study the main directions in this matter.