To date, there is no clear concept of what leadership is. Foreign social psychology defines it as a phenomenon of group interaction, manifested in the ability of some individuals to influence feelings, thoughts and behavior in others in a desirable direction, based on informal relationships. In order to explain this phenomenon, leadership theories arose. There are several approaches to the study of this concept. This is due to the fact that all theories have their drawbacks.
The main theories of leadership :
Charismatic
It is also called devil theory. It was put forward in the USA in the 30s by E. Bogdarus. The bottom line is that leadership qualities of character are innate. The leader can only be a person with a certain set of traits. Many authors have tried to highlight them. So, C. Brad in 1940 compiled a list of 79 traits of a leader. They included: mind, confidence, willpower, friendliness, enthusiasm, sense of humor and others. However, in the lists of other authors they did not occupy a stable position, and the task of highlighting the qualities and traits of the leader was unsolvable. In addition, the distinguished qualities, in addition to being wide, are also often contradictory. It was found that in practice in the group there are people who are superior in leadership and intelligence to the leader, but they are not.
Situational
Replaced the charismatic theory of leadership. A person becomes a leader as a result of various life situations. In one case or another, people who surpass the rest in some qualities, when necessary, show them and stand out from the crowd. That is, the leader is the person who realized his qualities better than others. This theory has its drawbacks. It was found that:
- some people have deep professional knowledge, but are not able to engage in leadership activities;
- in difficult situations, the goals of different members of the group may be different, and such goals struggle for priority;
- in the practice of managerial activity, despite the changing tasks of the group, the change of leaders is not allowed.
The situational theory of leadership does not fully take into account the independence of the leader, his ability to influence the situation.
System
A leader is a person who organizes a group better than others in order to solve a specific problem. This person is more likely to have the necessary personal qualities to solve this problem than any other member of the group. He is expected to meet the basic requirements: he will be able to coordinate the activity of the group, ensure its safety and give faith in success.
Leadership is often seen as a form of power. In this regard, the concept of political leadership arose , that is, the constant, legitimate and priority influence of a person holding an imperious position on a group or society.
The charismatic, situational and systemic theories of political leadership are distinguished. The remaining existing theories are varieties of basic ones. So, a kind of charismatic approach is a psychological concept, the representative of which is Z. Freud.
Its essence is as follows: the suppressed libido is at the heart of the phenomenon. As a result of the process of sublimation, it manifests itself as a desire for power. In an effort to get rid of the complex, the person imposes his will on others and becomes a leader.
Classification of Political Leaders
M.J. Hermann identified 4 images of leaders: a minister, a standard bearer, a merchant and a fireman. The minister expresses the interests of followers, relying in their activities on their opinion, the standard bearer relies on his own vision of reality, which is able to captivate the masses. A trader can correctly present his program to voters, and a fireman can quickly find a solution to emerging problems.