Great Man Theory: the prospect that leaders are born; that experience is less significant in what makes an individual a good leader. The characteristics of a leader are inherent and is not something that can be developed easily.
Trait Theory: certain traits, such as personality, intelligence, and abilities, make a leader. Individuals should strive to attain and develop these traits to become an excellent leader.
Charismatic Theory: the driving force of leadership is charisma.
Situational Theory: the greatest leader depends on the contexts and attributes of the situation; leadership is a “case-by-case” basis.
Vroom-Yetton Expectancy Theory: a model of decision-making where the leader determines the amount of participation by followers depending on the situation.
Contingency Theory: the most appropriate leadership style is contingent on situational factors.
Transformational Leadership Theory: the utilization of group empowerment to allow for success.
Transactional Leadership Theory: the utilization of policies, rules, or other written documents for objectives. Performance is important and rewarded or sanctioned.
Fielder’s Theory: the style utilized by a leader must match the situation it is being used in. (to-do: differentiate from contingency theory)
Path-Goal Theory: the leader is the one to set a path and traverse it along with his followers in achieving a goal, e.g., setting clear directions for a certain objective.
Leadership Styles
Authoritarian; Autocratic; Dictatorial; “Hard” Leadership: a leadership style that focuses all power towards those in authority or higher positions. Decision-making is done without the influence of the followers or members of the group.
Leaders that utilize this style are often task-oriented and insensitive, and subject to dissatisfaction. They often display characteristics like a commanding, boisterous voice; a unilateral approach; a demanding attitude; a hostile personality; exploitative means; and demands no inputs or intervention from others.
This style may only become effective in emergent situations.
Permissive; Ultra-liberal; Laissez-Faire; “Free-rein” Leadership: a leadership style opposite to a hard leadership, where freedom is freely given to the group, and results are often poor. Decision-making is light on all members of the team and no single individual holds initiative for action.
Leaders that utilize this style receive criticism for not taking on major responsibilities, and members often exercise vast and even leadership functions to compensate.
This style is dangerous in health care settings because of the risk of malpractice. It may only be utilized if all members of the team are well-trained or skilled.
Democratic; Participative Leadership: the “mutual” style, where the leader exercises his powers and control to all members but allows for the participation of subordinates in the decision-making process. In this style, both the goals of the group and the welfare of its members are valued.
This style of leadership is highly valuable as it allows for highly flexible and cohesive group functioning.
