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[SimFocus]

I'm interested in  definitions of Leadership. I'm beginning to realize that there's a very wide range of definitions in both the academic and applied settings. Do our academic definitions provide adequate coverage of the types of leadership that exist in applied settings?

What types of leadership are there? I presume there are many types, in addition to the very visible types held up as examples in the corporate settings.

Sample definitions floating out there....

Drath & Palus (1994) Leadership is the process of making sense of what people are doing together so that people will understand and be committed

Schein (1992) Leadership is the ability to step outside the culture to start evolutionary change processes that are more adaptive

Jacobs and Jacques (1990) Leadership is a process of giving purpose (meaningful direction) to collective effort, and cause willing effort to be expected to achieve purpose

Hosking (1988) Leaders are “those who consistently make effective contributions to social order and who are expected and perceived to do so

Richards and Engle (1986) Leadership is about articulating visions, embodying values, and creating the environment within which things can be accomplished

Rauch & Behling (1984): Leadership is defined as the process of influencing the activities of an organized group toward goal achievement

Katz & Kahn (1978) Leadership is “the influential increment over and above mechanical compliance with the routine directives of the organization”

Fiedler (1967): A leader is the person in a group who directs and coordinates task-oriented group activities

Katz & Kahn (1966): Leadership is the influential increment over and above mechanical compliance with organizational directives  

Hemphill and Coons (1957) Leadership is “the behavior of an individual. directing the activities of a group toward a shared goal


Please provide your perspectives and share your experiences. This is NOT an exam. Your answers will NOT be graded. AND, as you might be able to tell from the quotes, there doesn't seem to be a lot of agreement in the literature anyway.

[ This message was edited by: SimFocus on 2002-11-05 16:49 ]

[quantjock]

Here are a few more to add to your list. I"ve blended some of the top academics in leadership (Yukl, Bass), with well-known leaders (Powell). They are not ranked or in any particular order. I look forward to the results of a future content analysis. It will be interesting to see if a Grand Unified Definition of leadership can be developed.

Leadership is...
1. Getting things done through other people. - James Cash Penney (1964)
2. To lead (inspire and develop people, self, other individuals, team or organization) as you mobilize them toward goals - Gary Yukl (2001)

3. ...leadership unleashes energy, sets the vision so we do the right thing- Bennis & Nanus (1985)
4. Leadership contains the interrelated components of charisma or idealized influence (attributed or behavioral), inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration -Bass & Avolio (1993)
5. When the goal of A is that of changing another member B or when B"s change in behaviour will reward A or reinforces A"s behaviour, A"s efforts to obtain that goal is leadership. -Bass (1959)
6. Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible. - Colin Powell (2002)
7. A leaders is an individual who can consistently and effectively exercise power and influence over others. - Mark Morris (2002)

Enjoy!

Mark

[Lina]

To put it quite simply, "a leader is a servant."

"Leaders are in the business of serving others, not serving themselves. They take people to a higher place by carrying their burdens, not by coercion, power or force." --Linette Allen, 2005

Hope this is helpful....