Leadership is the design, creation, and management of group actions that direct the combined efforts of individuals in the group and their resources to a achieve a goal that the members of the group increasingly share, in large part because the more influential members of the organization--the leaders--clearly communicate their vision of the organization's identity, including a belief that the aspired to goal is achievable. Sometimes leaders are contrasted with prophets, who claim to possess visions of golden futures if only the members of the group will follow their lead, and usually dire consequences if they do not. Leaders may simply be prophets with a better sense of how to communicate to members of the group and a keen understanding of the group's limitations, and a willingness in the end to accept and act within those limits. A great deal of research in vocational psychology has addressed questions related to leadership: what are the characteristics of leaders, are leaders "born" or "made," are there different types of leadership (and if so, are some types of leadership better suited for particular situations), do some cognitive traits interact with leadership traits and circumstances to predict outcomes, and what are the life histories of leaders.
An influence process directed toward goal achievement
Managers assess tasks & develop strategies to accomplish those tasks; focused on day -to-day operations/issues
Leaders more visionary; interpret the environment to chart organization's future
Designated leaders appointed by authorities
Emergent leaders earn role based on ability/ other characteristics
Leadership perspectives: Traditional perspectives
Assumes leaders have certain personal characteristics that set them apart from others
Research suggests this theory is misguided
Functional (take care of functions/roles)
Authoritarian, democratic, laissez-faire
high/low structure; employee vs. boss c...