Leadership: Types and Qualities
A leader is someone who influences others towards achieving goals, playing a key role in maintaining motivation and setting team targets.
- Leaders can be classified by how they are appointed – a prescribed leader is appointed from outside the group (e.g. by a higher authority), often bringing new ideas; an emergent leader is appointed from within the existing group, often preserving established methods and group harmony
- Effective leaders typically show qualities such as charisma, strong communication, interpersonal skills, empathy, relevant experience, an inspirational manner, confidence, and good organisational skills
Styles of Leadership (Lewin's Three Styles)
Lewin (1939) identified three styles of leadership, with the most effective style depending on the situation:
- Autocratic (task-oriented) – the leader makes all decisions and dictates instructions to the group; best suited to situations requiring quick decisions and clear results
- Democratic (person-oriented) – the leader consults the group and seeks opinions before making decisions; supports interpersonal relationships and group cohesion, but takes longer to reach decisions
- Laissez-faire – the leader leaves most decisions to the group and takes a hands-off role; can work well with highly experienced, self-sufficient groups, but risks reduced motivation and poor discipline without guidance
Fiedler's Contingency Model of Leadership
Fiedler's contingency model suggests the most effective leadership style depends on how favourable the situation is for the leader – based on factors such as the leader's respect and position of authority, group ability and motivation, task clarity, and the leader-group relationship.
- A task-oriented (autocratic) style is most effective in both very favourable situations (e.g. high respect, good relationships, clear task, high motivation) and very unfavourable situations (e.g. low respect, poor relationships, low motivation, unclear task)
- A person-oriented (democratic) style is most effective in moderately favourable situations, where building interpersonal relationships and consulting the group is more valuable
Chelladurai's Multi-Dimensional Model of Leadership
Chelladurai (1980) argued that leadership effectiveness depends on more than just the situation – it also depends on matching leadership style to the requirements of the situation, the needs of the group, and the leader's own preferred style.
- The model considers three types of leader behaviour: required behaviour (what the situation demands), actual behaviour (what the leader decides to do), and preferred behaviour (what the group wants)
- The situation is shaped by characteristics of the task, the leader, and the group (e.g. group size, gender, age, experience) – e.g. a large, dangerous or time-pressured situation may require a more autocratic, instructive approach, while an experienced, low-danger situation may suit a more democratic approach
- The closer the match between required, actual and preferred behaviour, the higher the resulting group performance and satisfaction