Hello Class, Thank you for welcoming me here to speak with you on today. My name is Sophia Drane and I am here to talk about the evolution of leadership and management theory. In my presentation I will talk about the history of leadership and management theories. After discussing each theory, I will highlight about three key ways in which leadership and management has evolved from the industrial age (18th Century) to the present (21st Century). Let’s start off by defining leadership. (Merriam-Webster, 2017) defines Leadership is a positions a leader of a group, organization, etc.: the power or ability to lead other people.
Today’s objectives is taking a look at the leadership theory timeline. This time live will date back to the 19th Century known as the Industrial Age all the way to the 21st Century. A brief description on each theory will give you and idea of what types of leaderships they have evolved into over the years. Each description will stat ether beliefs of what each leadership theory represents. Finally the 3 key ways leadership has evolved. This is fascinating to see how the leadership theories have changed to adapt the the times. The goals is to inform you of how it all began and inhales that you will be able to identify the different types of leadership styles and maybe become the author of a new leadership stile in the 21 Century and beyond.
We will take a look at seven leadership theories. The great Mane Theory, The Trait Theory, The Behavioral Theory, The Situational Theory, The Power and Influence Theory, The Contingency Leadership Theory and The Transformational Theory. As we explore these theories, try to think about what type of leadership theories that describe your work habits and beliefs. Think about what type of leader will you be. Which of these leadership theories identify for style. The great thing about leadership theories, there are no magical combinations for success. The great things is that there can a combination of leadership theories for any road to success.
The Great Man Theory was created by Thomas Carlyle around the 1840’s which is also know as the Industrial Age. The Great Man Theory was formed by analyzing the behaviors of men in the military. By just reading the names you can agree that this theory did not include women. Carlyle believed that effective leaders were a package of Godly motivation and the right personality. The Great Man Theory was challenged by Herbert Spencer a notable sociologist. Spencer believed that these great men was shaped by society as opposed to the great men chasing the society. This theory did not hold any scientific findings.
Trait Theory often tells us what makes a good leader. Trait theories explain that effective leaders share some personalities traits. There is no combination of personality traits to guarantee a successful leader but helps. Trait personalities have qualities such as empathy, integrity, healthy decision-making skills, assertiveness, and likability which are helpful when leading others (Mind Tools, 2016). I believe that all leaders should hold some of these personalities traits to be successful. When you take a look at some of the leaders that come to mind each holds different trait some are likable and some not so much but they are in leadership roles just the same.
This is critical to me. According to Kurt Lewin, there are three types of leaders; Autocratic (makes all the decisions on their own merit), Democratic (asks for input from them before making a final decision) and Laissez-faire (easy going). I identify with A Democratic Leader who allows the team members to within before making a decision affecting the team. This theory is complicated to manage at times due to the many different perspectives and ideas (Mind Tools, 2016). I find myself being a democratic leader with my team. They have expressed to me that it feels so gratifying to have their view and options considered when making decisions that affect them directly. These three
(Waller, Smith, & Warnock, 2017) The situational theory of leadership suggests that no single leadership style is "best." Instead, it all depends on the situation at hand and which type of leadership and strategies are best-suited to the task. According to this theory, the most effective leaders are those that are able to adapt their style to the situation and look at cues such as the type of task, the nature of the group, and other factors that might contribute to getting the job done. Hersey and Blanchard suggested that there are four primary leadership styles such as: “Telling, Selling, Participating and Delegating.
(Cherry, 2017) French and Raven’s Five Forms of Power model highlights three types of positional power – legitimate, reward, and coercive – and two sources of personal power – expert and referent (your personal appeal and charm). The model suggests that using personal power is the better alternative, and that you should work on building expert power is the power that comes with being a real expert in the job) because this is the most legitimate source of personal power. (Mind Tools, 2017) Expert power has to be earned and requires a great deal of energy and focus to maintain. But it tends to be longer lasting than other forms of power and more rewarding as a result.
Transformational leaders show integrity, and they know how to develop a robust and inspiring vision of the future. They motivate people to achieve this vision, they manage its delivery, and they build ever stronger and more successful teams. "Transformational leadership," is the most effective style to use in most business situations. However, you can become a more effective leader by learning about these core leadership theories, and understanding the tools and models associated with each one (Leadership Central, 2016). This type of leadership is very popular in the workplace. Often time you will find the works very happy to be there contributing to the success of the company.
Since we have spoken about the timeline of Leadership Theory, we can clearly see that we have came a very long way. Key 1: Women in leadership is on a constant climb. The numbers have increased in political office, medical field, education, corporations and even entrepreneurship. Key 2: new aged corporations are provide a more relaxed and family friend work place. The corporations offer amenities such as the “no walls concept.” Meaning the layout of the office wis a wide open space and often shared by different companies. Companies are also offering in-house child care. The Final Key is that there is a growing rate of companies offering the “work from home” concept to employees. Working from home is growing and this allows companies to run a more cost efficient company and often boots profits. As you can see, leadership and managing theories has come a long way and all of the better. Thank you for your undivided attention and It was a pleasure to share with you on today.