The actual Concise Oxford Dictionary defintion is "Direction given by going in front." The dictionary defines management as being in charge, controlling, administrating, handling. Leadership is defined as being the principal or “front-runner” , holding the chief role. However another distinction is as a leader you need followers. As a manager you don’t all you need are resources, money, projects for example. There are 3 components to any situation requiring a leader:-
- A leader
- A situation
- A group of people
These 3 components have led to 3 theories on leadership.
The Leader – Trait Theory
Do you believe that leaders are born and not made? Well this is basically what the trait theory is – people are born with certain traits that make them a good leader. Therefore a born leader would emerge naturally within any group because they would have the traits or qualities necessary to be a leader. However over the years this theory ahs lost some credence and others have.
The Situation – Situational Theory
There is no such thing as a born leader but there are a whole variety of characteristics that might make a person a good leader, which people have a mixture of. In any situation the person best suited to that situation will emerge as the leader. This theory says that leaders rise to power. There are 3 sources of power that a leader can build on: position; personality and expertise.
The Group – Functional Theory
This third theory on leadership, based on John Adair’s theory, says that any group has a number of functions it needs to perform – a number of needs that need to be fulfilled. The leader will be the one who can best satisfy those needs. These are in three categories: team, task and individual needs.
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