Leadership Styles Test Questions – Flashcards
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Leadership
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β’ Is the ability to influence others β’ Inspires and motivates others to be productive β’ Often has the aim of getting everyone in a group to work toward a common goal β’ Is people-oriented
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Leadership Style
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β’ Are the ways in which people utilize their leadership position β’ Can be used independently from one another or together β’ Are dependent on: β the personality of the leader β the personality of group members β the task to be accomplished
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Kurt Lewin
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β’ Was a psychologist who studied leadership styles β’ Is considered a pioneer of social, organizational and applied psychology. β’ Conducted a research project in 1939 to identify different styles of leadership and their effectiveness.
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Lewin's Project
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β’ Assigned three groups of children to three different adults β each group of children completed an arts and crafts project β each group experienced different results based on the style of leadership used.
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Lewin's Leadership Styles
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β’ Consist of the following: β Authoritarian β Participative β Laissez Faire
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Authoritarian Leadership
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β’ Is also known as Autocratic leadership β’ Requires full authority and control over the group β’ Makes all decisions and uses little or no input from others β’ Relies heavily on the use of policies, procedures, and regulations
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Authoritarian Leadership
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β’ Is most effective and appropriate for complex projects or when employees have low levels of training and skill β’ Advantages include: β highly productive when leader is present β allows for quick decision-making
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Authoritarian Leadership
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β’ Disadvantages include: β one-way communication can cause frustration or resentment among employees β employees can become dependent on the leader and loose their sense of initiative
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Participative Leadership
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β’ Is most effective and appropriate when the leader needs the team to have ownership of a decision plan or goal β’ Advantages include: β creates a positive work environment β allows for creative thinking β reduces office tension and hostility β motivates employees to find the best solutions.
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Participative Leadership
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β’ Disadvantages include: β decision-making can take a long time β group pressures sometimes result in groupthink β’ When a group's judgement affected by its members' need to agree
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Laissez Faire Leadership
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β’ Is also known as free rein leadership β’ Involves the leader offering little to no guidance and entrusting group members to make decisions β comes from the French term referring to deliberate avoidance of interference Is also known as Delegative leadership β’ Requires group members to: β be aware of tasks needing to be completed β act on their own to accomplish tasks
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Laissez Faire Leadership
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β’ Is most effective and appropriate for experienced, educated and highly skilled employees β’ Advantages include: β group members have flexibility they need to be most successful β encourages critical thinking and self-motivation
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Laissez Faire Leadership
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β’ Disadvantages include: β poorly defines roles within the group β can be unproductive if group members are not self-motivated and knowledgeable
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Lewin's Results
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β’ Found the Authoritarian group: β was less creative than the other groups β was highly productive with the leader's positive efforts β became less productive in the leader's absence β developed discontent when the leader overexerted dominance
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Lewin's Results
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β’ Found the Participative group: β was less productive than the authoritarian group β produced high-quality contributions from group members β members gained satisfaction from making their own productions
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Lewin's Results
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β’ Found the Laissez Faire group: β was the least productive β demanded the most of the leader β produced little cooperation or unity among group members β members had little sense of accomplishment
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Abdicratic Leadership
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β’ Is a form of leadership not studied by Lewin β’ Occurs in group settings when no one is a leader β though there is no defined leader, someone is "In charge" or still responsible for the group's actions β’ Requires group members complete tasks on their own
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Abdicratic Leadership
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β’ Is most effective Nd appropriate when decisions need to be made quickly β’ Advantages include: β can help identify problems and problem workers in the short term β allows new leaders to emerge β allows the person in charge to focus on administrative tasks
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Abdicratic Leadership
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β’ Disadvantages include: - can result in confusion and a lack of organizations
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Personality Traits
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β’ Of a leader help determine which leadership style will be used β’ Of leaders have been studied extensively and commonly include: β Fairness β Vision β Integrity βDedication β Humility β Openness β Creativity β Assertiveness β Confidence β Ability to generate trust and respect β Positive Attitude
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Fairness
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β’ Involves treating all others equally and impartially β no one is shown favoritism or discriminated against Requires listening to all the facts before making a decision or passing judgement Helps to prevent: β jumping to conclusions β making mistakes based on misinformation
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Vision
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β’ Is the ability to see the big picture or the object of the task β’ Requires the leader to know what the end result should be β allows the leader to effectively plan and delegate β lets the leader measure success based on how the outcome compares to the vision β’ Should be shared with group members β creates common goals
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Integrity
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β’ Requires a leader be consistent concerning values, ethics and actions β honest and fair in all dealings β does not hide information from others βupholds moral principles β’ Shows group members the leader can be respected and trusted β lack of integrity can alienate others and negatively affect morale β’ In a leader sets an example for others to follow
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Dedication
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β’ Involves the leader spending as much time and effort on a project as needed β may include long hours and hard work β’ Requires the leader to be one of the hardest workers in the group β accepts key responsibilities
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Dedication
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β’ Shows the leader is enthusiastic and committed to completing the project β inspires others to work hard to achieve success β emphasizes the importance of the project
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Humility
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β’ Is the ability to give group members credit for group accomplishments β also includes taking the blame or responsibility if mistakes are made by the group β’ Requires the leader recognize the work of others β’ Involves graciously accepting both compliments and critiques.
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Openness
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β’ Is the ability to listen to and consider others' ideas and opinions β’ Requires recognition of different, and possibly better, ways of thinking or approaching a situation β can help build trust and communication between the leader and group members
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Creativity
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β’ Involves being imaginative and thinking outside of the box β’ May require going against tradition or the norm β’ Allows leaders to see things others cannot β can result in movement in new directions β can lead to new inventions and innovations
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Assertiveness
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β’ Is the ability to clearly state expectations and enforce consequences β’ Aids in avoiding miscommunication β’ Allows the leader to keep everyone on task and moving in the proper direction β’ Should not be confused with rudeness or aggression
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Confidence
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β’ Requires the leader know or feel he or she has the power and ability to succeed β’ Is perhaps the most important characteristic β’ Is required from leaders regarding both themselves and their goals β if a leader is not confident, others could find it difficult to follow due to feeling their talks may not be success
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Ability To Gain Trust & Respect
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β’ Is a trait leaders must earn over time through a Positive reputation and accomplishments β leaders with other traits are likely to earn trust and respect more quickly β’ Will also earn leaders commitment and loyalty from group members β this improves productivity and morale from group members
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Positive Attitude
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β’ Is a key component in leadership and impacts the culture environment and mood of the workplace β’ Aids in the success of the organization and inspires others to be the best they can be β’ Creates enthusiasm and motivation β’ Reduces negative emotions
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Communication
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β’ Plays an important role in leadership β’ Allows a leader to interact with others, including: β share goals and objectives β exchange ideas β give and receive feedback β’ Involves: β verbal communication β nonverbal communication β listening
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Verbal Communication
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β’ Refers to the use of words and sounds in communication β’ Is the form people are most familiar with β’ Is especially important in leadership as it is the primary method used to address others β public speaking β one-on-one conversations β group meetings
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Verbal Communication
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β’ Is most effective when the leader is: β Clear β leaders run the risk of having to take time to explain the information again if not clear β Concise β too much information may result in group members becoming confused, misinformed or overwhelmed β Confident β leaders with shaky voices who repeatedly correct themselves may have a hard time inspiring others to work hard
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Nonverbal Communication
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β’ Often occurs in tandem with verbal communication β’ Allows for the expression of thoughts and feelings without using words Includes: β Eye contact β Body Language β Facial Expression
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Eye Contact
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β’ Should be maintained whenever speaking to someone β when addressing a group, make eye contact with various members to make everyone feel included β’ Portrays speakers' confidence in themselves and their messages β’ Aids in keeping listeners engaged and focused on what is being said
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Body Language
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β’ Can either support or contradict the speaker's verbal message β’ Includes: β Posture ~ Good posture displays confidence and leadership ~ Bad posture shows a lack of confidence and control β Hand Gestures ~ When used correctly can be effective in illustrating points ~ Too many can distract listeners
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Facial Expressions
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β’ Can aid others in identifying the emotions a speaker is feeling β a smile can signal happiness or approval while a frown typically indicates unhappiness or disapproval β’ Can be as encouraging or discouraging as compliments or criticisms β’ Of listeners can indicate to a speaker the message is understood or needs to be clarified
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Groups
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β’ Allow for and encourage different ideas to be discussed by members β results in expanded perspectives, new ideas, building on concepts and many other benefits β’ Can allow large tasks to be broken into smaller parts β results in the task becoming more manageable and allows for it to be completed in a more timely manner
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Groups
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β’ Utilize people's different strengths β results in the group producing better work than one could alone β’ Motivate people to succeed through peer pressure β results in group members being responsible and accountable
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Types of Groups
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β’ Include: β Formal groups β Informal groups
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Formal Groups
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β’ Are formed with the purpose of achieving organizational goals β’ Include: β Command groups β Task Groups β Affinity Groups
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Command Groups
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β’ May exist for a long period of time β’ Are often included in an organization chart β’ Consist of a supervisor and a number of subordinates
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Task Groups
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β’ Exist for a relatively short period of time β’ Are established to accomplish a specific project β’ Could possibly include members who have not worked together before
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Affinity Groups
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β’ Are collections of employees which share responsibility and duties β’ May consist of members from the same level in the organization β’ Usually exist longer task groups
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Informal Groups
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β’ Are developed naturally based on shared interests and values of group members β’ May take the form of: β friendship groups β interest groups
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Friendship Groups
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β’ Are formed based on relationships among members who enjoy being together β’ Are relatively permanent
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Interest Groups
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β’ Are established based on a common activity or interest of the members β’ Are relatively temporary β however, sometimes friendship groups are developed through interest groups
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Group Dynamics
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β’ Is the study of how an organization's members work together and achieve a common goal β’ Includes the use of the following four-stage model: β Forming β Storming β Norming β Performing
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Forming
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β’ The group initially comes together and members start to build relationships
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Storming
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β’ Members begin to voice individual differences and conflicts emerge over leadership, structure, power, and authority
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Norming
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β’ Members begin to share common commitment and goals, and efforts are made to establish norms and rules for improving productivity and quality of work
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Performing
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β’ The group norms and rules are followed and the group becomes effective and efficient in meeting its objects
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Group Work Process
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β’ Includes the following six steps: β goal formation: determine and clarify what needs to be achieved β research: perform research and analysis on the project β planning: develop a detailed plan of action β implementation: put he plan into operation β evaluation: examine the work performance using self evaluation, peer evaluation and group evaluation β modification: revise the goals according to the group performance
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Group Leadership
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β’ Involves one person directing the group work process and dealing with group dynamics β’ Can be difficult with different personality types in one group β good leaders are able to identify these different personalities and use them to the group's advantage β’ Utilizes leadership styles β in conjunction with one another or separately depending on the situation
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Group Leadership
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β’ Involves the following: β ensuring everyone is working toward the same goal by clearly stating the goals and objectives β prioritizing what is important and must be accomplished β identifying the strengths and weaknesses of group members β delegating task to members according to their strengths
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Analyzing Group Effectiveness
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β’ Can occur during a task or after it is completed β productivity levels can be measured as the task is being completed β when the task is over, compare the result to the vision β’ Is important to let the leader know where strengths and weaknesses are β’ Provides the leader knowledge of what improvements can be made
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Evaluation of Group Work
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β’ Is essential for: - Reviewing the team's performance - Improvements the team's productivity
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Peer Evaluation
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β’ Is one of the most effective ways to evaluate the quality of an individual's work β’ Allows team members assess each other's work performance
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Peer Evaluation
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β’ Rules and format should be announced before beginning β’ Should include feedback for improvements