Running Head: LEADERSHIP 1

LEADERSHIP THEORY PARADIGMS

Mustapha Kulungu, Ph. D.

ILM Foundation Institution, Los Angeles

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Explaining the Types of Leadership Theory Paradigms

Leadership Theory Paradigms is a format that is used to represent a method of thinking

studying perceiving understanding and researching about leadership. For instance, the change in

the classification of leadership theory represents a converse change in the paradigm of

leadership. There are four types of leadership theory paradigms as outlined below.

The Trait Theory Paradigm

This theory of paradigm aims at explaining the different characteristics that account for

effectiveness in leadership. This theory was applicable in the society where it was believed that

leaders are born and not made. Therefore, researchers focused their efforts on identifying and

analyzing the distinguishing psychological and physical characteristics that drew a line between

effective and ineffective leaders. The list of traits that these researchers obtained became the

defining factor of identifying the candidates who would be promoted into leadership positions.

Some of the qualities of the list of traits included aggressiveness, self-reliance, dominance,

persuasiveness, high energy level and appearance. However, there has not been a list of qualities

that has been recognized universally (Barkerma et al., 2015). The candidates who qualified with

the above traits were then promoted into leadership positions.

The Behavioral Leadership Theory Paradigm

In this theory, researchers identified leaders through their nature of work. For instance,

the researchers used the method of classification of the behaviors of candidates to assists them in

understanding leadership. The behaviors that a candidate portrays determine his or her potential

and that way he or she can be identified as a leader or not. Moreover, the researchers used two

methods to approach the effectiveness of a leader using behavioral instigated approach. They
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include behavioral task theory and people-oriented behavioral theory. In task theory, the

candidates’ behavior was evaluated according to their response to the task that they were

assigned (Lussier & Achua, 2015). On the other hand, the behavior of the candidates was

evaluated based on the reaction to the people that they serve. That way the leadership

effectiveness of a candidate was determined.

The Contingency Leadership Theory Paradigm

This theory seeks to describe the criteria for leadership based on the followers, leaders

and the situation that a leader is succumbed to. Therefore, the emphasis in this theory is on the

importance of the factors that influence a situation, the external environment, the nature of the

task that is to be performed and the features that describes the followers. In addition, this theory

insists on how to make a cross evaluation on the effect that culture, the management levels and

the types of the organization have on the effectiveness of leadership (Bakerma et al., 2015).

The Integrative Leadership Theory Paradigm

As the name suggests, this theory approached a leadership style that combined the trait,

behavioral and contingency leadership theories. The researchers thus tried to explain the effect of

the influence of effective leaders on their followers. Moreover, they explore the discrepancies

that exist when similar behavior by a leader creates different impacts on the behavior of their

trusted followers. However, this depends on the situation that a leader is succumbed to

(Gunasundari & Muthumani, 2015).

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From Management to Leadership Theory Paradigm

This theory is about the shift from the initially used autocratic system of management to a

participative system of management. It focuses on the integration of the style of management and

leadership. In addition, this theory argues that the use of the success of the organization is based

on the kind of managers and leaders that propels its leadership.

Differences between Behavioral and Contingency Leadership Theory

Paradigms and contribution of the Behavioral Theory to Contingency Theory

Differences

While behavioral leadership theory is dependent on a candidate’s behavior to determine

his leadership qualification, contingency theory depends both on the behavior and the situation

that a leader is facing.

Moreover in behavioral theory, a leadership style that a leader [portrays is independent of

his or her followers. However, on the other hand, contingency leadership is dependent on the

characteristics of followers that a leader leads.

In behavioral leadership, the external environment has no effect on the understanding of

leadership style. On the other hand, in contingency theory the external environment is among the

factors that influence the understanding of the leadership style.

While behavioral theory is independent of the culture of the followers, contingency

theory seeks to understand the influence that culture has on the understanding of leadership style.

The objective of contingency theory is to determine the extent to which the work of

management is different or same across distinctive management levels and types of organizations
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(Bakerma et al., 2015). The objective of behavioral theory is to determine the relationship

between the behavior of a leader and measures of effectiveness of a leader.

In the behavioral theory of leadership, the leadership skills that a person has can be

developed by an organization. However, this is unlike in contingency theory where the

leadership cannot be developed by an organization but primarily depends on the situational

factors and the characteristic of followers.

In addition, the behavioral theory is classified as a universal theory since its objectives

are to come up with the best style of leadership in all situations. However, contingency theory

cannot be classified as a universal theory since its focus is not on all situations but on the nature

of the performed work and the characteristic of followers in that given organization

(Gunasundari & Muthumani, 2015).

Unlike in contingency theory where the principle of leadership is not “inborn”, in

behavioral leadership the principle of leadership being “inborn” applies in the instance that the

behavior of a candidate reflects that he has harnessed inborn leadership traits.

Contribution of Behavioral Theory to Contingency Theory

As outlined above, in behavioral theory there are two approaches that determine the

portrayed behavior by a leader in any given situation. They include task behavior and people

oriented-behavior. On the other hand, in contingency theory of leadership is usually a comprised

of two factors that include task motivation and relation motivation (Fiedler, 2015). Therefore, the

behavioral theory has a contribution to contingency theory since as outlined above the behavior

that a person portrays is related to the motivation that performing such a task creates. In addition,

people oriented behavior is cultivated by the relation that a person has with the people out of the
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motivation that comes along with that relation. Therefore, depending on the outcome that comes

out of the motivation of performing a given task or relating with certain people, the effect on the

situational outcome is determined based on the situational factors that are facing a leader.

In other words, behavioral leadership theory contributes to contingency theory since the

behaviors that are portrayed will result in success of the contingency leadership according to the

situational variables that have been given though not at all situations as behavioral theory

suggests but depending on a specific situation (Fiedler, 2015).

Self-Managed Team

A self-managed team is defined as a team where the members perform an entire business

operation with little or no supervision from the management or the assigned supervisor. This has

some advantages and disadvantages as outlined below

Benefits

Reduced Costs

Working in teams increases accountability which reduces the costs that an organization

operates at substantially. In addition, there are no instances where people are left to do things

since they now work as team and aims at completing a task

Increased Productivity

When people work in teams, they are working towards a common goal. Therefore, this

instigates proper functioning of the organization which increases productivity.

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Lower Absenteeism

Working in teams increases the participation of members of the team since they have

increased responsibility and autonomy thus reducing cases of absenteeism within the

organization (Copenheaver et al, 2015).

Innovations

When people working as a team are chartered with bigger responsibilities, they combine

their efforts. This increases their resourcefulness since they develop initiatives driven towards

innovations.

There is Continuous Improvement

Working in groups enables the identification of weaknesses since it is possible to identify

the gaps that exist within the team. This instigates plans of solving the problems which improve

the performance of the organization hence the continuous improvement (Lussier & Achua,

2015).

Flexibility

In self-managed teams, there is dynamic shifting of responsibilities between the members

of the team that increases the flexibility of the staff members since they obtain experience and

perform a number of duties within the team.

Improved Satisfaction of Customers

Self-managed team works towards innovations increased productivity and quality

production. Therefore, the customers receive the best service from an organization since the
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products are quality and high. That way they are more satisfied with the services that the

organization offers (Copenheaver et al., 2015).

Knowledge is retained within the organization

At times, members of the team may decide to leave to leave the organization. However,

the aspect of working in teams benefits the organization since the skills or the intellectual

property that the member who had this skills had were passed across the others members of the

team while they were working as a team. This ensures that the organization does not cripple as

the knowledge is retained to the other members.

Drawbacks

Inability of employees

In self-managed teams, some members of the team may be unable to adapt to a system

where work is done in teams. This may result to low productivity affecting the output of the

team. Under such instances, it becomes difficult to implement operations using a self-managed

team (Copenheaver et al., 2015).

Need for high investment

To ensure optimal performance of a self-managed team, an organization ought to invest

in developing the skills of the members of the team. This increases costs of operation of the

organization.
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High level of pressure

While being a member of a given self-managed team within an organization, it is

essential that you have the basic standards of skills required for efficient performance within the

organization. Therefore, a member who does not have these skills experience high pressure from

the other members to conform to the standards of conduct of the team.

Intergroup Conflicts

In an organization, the presence of several self-managed groups whose performance and

treatment by the management is unequal may create conflicts within the organization. Some of

these internal conflicts are hard to resolve when dealing with groups and not individuals

(Copenheaver et al., 2015).

Social Loafing

The aspect of working with self-managed teams creates unconscious tendency my some

members of ignoring their responsibilities and focusing on the goals of the team rather than their

individual performance within the team. This may result to the underperformance of the team

which ultimately affects the performance of the organization.

Describing the Role of Leadership in Creating a Learning Organization

A learning organization is defined as an organization where the members are expanding

their capacity continually so as to have results that they desire. In such an organization,

expansive thinking patterns of development are nurtured. The leadership of such an organization

has a role to play in the creation of the learning organization as outlined below.
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Encouraging Creative Thinking

The leaders of an organization can encourage their employees to think outside the box so

as to trigger creative thinking that will be the backbone of innovations. Therefore, the leadership

has a role of welcoming those employees who have maverick ideas that will create a space for

learning in the organization (Bamiatzi et al, 2015). Also, the leadership has a role of

encouraging employees to research so as to create a mechanism through which they can learn

from the major competitors in the organization’s industry.

Provision of Incentives for Innovation and Learning

This is a tool that the leaders in any learning organization should use so as to encourage

innovations as well as learning within the organization. The use of rewards and invectives to

support positive, successful ideas reinforce learning and innovation by other employees.

Encouraging Systems Thinking

In system thinking, the leaders of an organization should be able to assists employees to

regard the learning organization as a system where success is dependent on the success of the

whole organization as a team. That way the boundaries that limit learning both within and

outside the organization are reduced (Bamiatzi et al., 2015). This encourages collaboration

within and outside the company which allows continuous learning. The members of the

organization, therefore, changes their perspective and begin to see how cultivated relationships

can trigger learning that will eventually reduce costs of operation and increase the productivity of

the organization.
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Building Confidence

In a learning organization, the environment is always under a system of rapid change.

Therefore, the survival of such an organization barely depends on the timely response that the

learning members have the opportunities and the threats that come from this rapid change.

Therefore, it is upon the leadership of a learning organization to provide opportunities to the

members of the organization to solve these problems. This will serve a great purpose in building

the pride and confidence of the employees. This creates familiarity with the changes that the

organization is prone to which will build confidence that appreciates learning and flexibility

within the organization.

To Encourage Experimentation

Leaders of any organization should encourage small-scale experimentation. In addition, it

is within the responsibilities of a leader in a learning organization to create a culture that aims at

encouraging experimentation within the organization (Bamiatzi et al., 2015; Lussier & Achua,

2015). This ensures that all the members of the organization show initiative by contributing ideas

which result in continuous improvement. To do this leaders have a role in creating a sense of

urgency within the organization to change the perspective of the members so that they can see

innovation as a necessity. In addition, it is good too that leaders reward failures as a symbol of

signifying the importance of risk taking.

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References

Bamiatzi, V., Jones, S., Mitchelmore, S., & Nikolopoulos, K. (2015). The Role of Competencies

in Shaping the Leadership Style of Female Entrepreneurs: The Case of North West of

England, Yorkshire, and North Wales. Journal of Small Business Management.

Barkema, H. G., Chen, X. P., George, G., Luo, Y., & Tsui, A. S. (2015). West meets East: New

concepts and theories. Academy of Management Journal,58(2), 460-479.

Copenheaver, C. A., Predmore, S. A., & Fuhrman, N. E. (2015). Technical Publications as

Graduate Class Projects: Advantages and Potential Disadvantages. Innovative Higher

Education, 1-13.

Fiedler, F. (2015). Contingency theory of leadership. chair in human resources at the State

University of New York–Buffalo and was faculty director of the Center for

Entrepreneurial Leadership there. Previously he was Research Professor of Management

at Georgia State University. He has written over fifty books and over 135 other

publications., 232.

Gunasundari, K., & Muthumani, M. (2015). Emerging issues in managing human resources in

virtual organization. EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management

Studies, 5(1), 25-31.

Lussier, R., & Achua, C. (2015). Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development. Cengage

Learning.