Leadership
...the context of business management. The rationale of the paper is to familiarize the reader with the basic concepts underlying each model and theory.
This paper has been organized according to which leadership aspects are addressed in each model or theory. The paper begins with a description of early leadership theories, theories that concerns with characteristics and behavioral aspects of leadership. Contingency models are then explored, which features The Feidler Model, Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory and the Path-Goal Theory. Following this the new age approaches to leadership are examined they are transformational leadership and team leadership. The paper concludes with a look into the future of leadership. Most prominent theories are addressed and they are done separately because of the heightened importance that they place on the business management context.
3. LEADERSHIP
Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills. Contemporary definitions most often reject the idea that leadership revolves around the leader's ability, behaviors, styles or charisma. Today, scholars discuss the basic nature of leadership in terms of the "interaction" among the people involved in the process: both leaders and followers. Thus, leadership is not the work of a single person; rather it can be explained and defined as a "collaborative endeavor" among group members. Therefore, the essence of leadership is not the leader, but the relationship (Rost, 1993).
With such a wide definition it is possible to assume that successful leaderships may depend on the combination of the leader, the follower, the...
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