Ch. 12 Leadership – Flashcards
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Leadership is best defined as ________.
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the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals
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Which of the following statements regarding leadership is true?
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Nonsanctioned leadership is as important as formal influence.
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Which of the following is a desirable feature of leadership?
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coexistence of leaders and managers
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Trait theories of leadership focus on ________.
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the personal qualities and characteristics that differentiate leaders from nonleaders
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Which of the following Big Five personality traits has been identified as the most important trait in effective leaders?
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extraversion
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Emotional intelligence (EI) is critical to effective leadership because one of its core components is ________, which reflects the consideration that leaders must be able to express.
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empathy
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Trait theories most accurately predict ________.
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emergence of a leader
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Tim Wrench was leading the client services division of AmWeb for seven years when he was asked to move to another region where the company was setting up its office. Before moving, Tim was asked to help in finding a successor for him from his team. Tim's most obvious choice was Judy Judge, and the management accepted his choice as Judy was a popular person across the company. Judy was known for her vivacious nature, was often seen speaking to employees from various divisions, and was always excited to take up a new opportunity. Once she became a leader, she continued to give employees freedom and flexibility even if it resulted in deficiencies on the work front like missed deadlines or low quality. Judy's initial weeks as a leader were full of confusion among her team members, but many felt that the situation would come under control. When things did not improve in the next two months and many complaints poured in from clients, the management realized that Judy was not the best candidate to lead the team. Which of the following, if true, would best explain this outcome?
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Research has shown that traits can predict the emergence of a leader, but not his or her efficiency as a leader.
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According to the Big Five personality model, emotional stability is the most important trait of effective leaders.
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FALSE
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Trait theories of leadership most accurately predict the emergence and appearance of leadership.
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TRUE
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What is the role played by traits in predicting leadership behaviors?
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Studies have shown that the extraversion dimension of the Big Five personality model is the most important trait of effective leaders, followed by the dimensions of conscientiousness and openness to experience. Empathy, one of the core components of emotional intelligence, is also closely linked to effective leadership. The two major conclusions about trait theories and leadership are that (1) traits can predict leadership and (2) traits are more useful in predicting the emergence of leaders and the appearance of leadership than in actually distinguishing between effective and ineffective leaders.
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The Ohio State Studies narrowed the independent dimensions of leader behavior to two that substantially accounted for most of the leadership behavior described by employees: consideration and ________.
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initiating structure
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In the context of behavioral dimensions of leadership identified in the Ohio State Studies, initiating structure refers to the extent to which ________.
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a leader is likely to define and organize his or her role and those of employees in the search for goal attainment
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Adrian Atwood, a senior manager at MNC, spends a lot of his time assigning group members to particular tasks and scheduling their work such that deadlines are achievable. Adrian also sets high expectations for standards of performance and holds regular meetings to ensure that productivity and quality are up to the mark. In the light of the Ohio State Studies, this indicates that Adrian, as a leader, is ________.
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high in initiating structure
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In the context of behavioral dimensions of leadership identified in the Ohio State Studies, ________ is the extent to which a person's job relationships are characterized by mutual trust, respect for employees' ideas, and regard for their feelings.
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consideration
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Nellie Fritz, the head of client support services at Olson Inc., is very popular among her subordinates. Many believe that Nellie has a knack for getting the work done without making the employees feel pushed into a corner. She is often seen speaking to her subordinates and support staff about their families, helping them with any personal problems they have, and praising employees for their good work. In light of the Ohio State Studies, this indicates that Nellie, as a leader, is ________.
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high in consideration
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The two dimensions of leadership behavior identified in the University of Michigan studies are ________.
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employee-oriented leaders and production-oriented leaders
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The University of Michigan studies define a(n) ________ leader as one who takes a personal interest in the needs of his or her subordinates.
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employee-oriented
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If a leader's main concern is accomplishing his or her group's tasks, the University of Michigan studies label this leader ________.
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production-oriented
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Norman has been working in the sales division for a large manufacturing company for four months. In this short period of time, Norman has learned that Mr. Hill, his manager, keeps increasing monthly targets significantly, and though each time the target appears unrealistic, Norman has been able to achieve them throughout the last four months. Mr. Lee's approach of leading his employees to work more efficiently by setting successively higher targets is an example of his ________ leadership.
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production-oriented
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Maurice Harper is a friendly and warm manager who starts her day at work by personally greeting her colleagues and subordinates. Maurice is often seen listening sincerely to employees' concerns and problems. She takes the initiative to hold programs to renew and improve the skills of current employees. Most of her employees know that she is accessible for help and information at all times. Maurice is a(n) ________ leader.
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employee-oriented
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The behavioral theories view leadership as a set of actions that people can be trained in.
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TRUE
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Identify and explain the two dimensions of leadership described in the Ohio State Studies.
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The Ohio State Studies proposed that two categories accounted for most of the leadership behavior described by employees. They called these two dimensions initiating structure and consideration. a) Initiating structure refers to the extent to which a leader is likely to define and structure his or her role and those of employees in the search for goal attainment. It includes behavior that attempts to organize work, work relationships, and goals. A leader high in initiating structure is someone who assigns group members to particular tasks, expects workers to maintain definite standards of performance, and emphasizes the meeting of deadlines. b) Consideration is described as the extent to which a person is likely to have job relationships that are characterized by mutual trust, respect for employees' ideas, and regard for their feelings. A leader high in consideration helps employees with personal problems, is friendly and approachable, treats all employees as equals, and expresses appreciation and support.
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Explain mentoring with reference to the dimensions of initiating structure and consideration.
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Initiating structure is the extent to which a leader is likely to define and structure his or her role and those of employees in the search for goal attainment. It includes behavior that attempts to organize work, work relationships, and goals. Consideration is the extent to which a person's job relationships are characterized by mutual trust, respect for employees' ideas, and regard for their feelings. A leader high in consideration helps employees with personal problems, is friendly and approachable, treats all employees as equals, and expresses appreciation and support. Mentoring is a process by which a senior employee sponsors and supports a less-experienced employee or a protégé. Mentoring performs many career functions, like helping the new employee get challenging assignments, opportunities to develop skills, exposure to influential individuals in the company, and nominations for potential advantages. These career functions of mentoring are similar to the initiating structure of leadership. Mentoring also fulfills certain psychosocial functions, like counseling the employee to enhance confidence, providing friendship and acceptance, and providing the new employee with a role model. These are similar to the consideration dimension of leadership.
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Contingency theories focus on the ________ that impact leadership success.
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situational variables
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Which of the following theories of leadership is based on situational variables?
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path-goal theory
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The least preferred co-worker (LPC) questionnaire is used to measure whether ________.
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a leader is task- or relationship-oriented
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Dora Lee has just completed and scored the LPC questionnaire given to her during an evaluation exercise. She is surprised when she finds out that she described her least preferred co-worker in relatively positive terms because she recalls being particularly annoyed by this difficult co-worker several times in the past. Based on your understanding of Fiedler's model, you explain to Dora that her LPC score makes sense within the model because ________.
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Dora tends in general to focus on building good relationships with the other employees
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Fiedler's contingency leadership model assumes that ________.
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an individual's leadership style is essentially fixed
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Fiedler defines the degree of confidence, trust, and respect that subordinates have in their leader as ________.
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leader-member relations
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Trevor Guerney is a manager who believes that those who are to be affected by a change must be involved in the change. Consequently, he always ensures that his subordinates have the knowledge of what is happening around them, and he often holds meetings to obtain employee opinion and suggestions before making any decision that would apply to them. Similarly, Trevor's team proactively approaches him with problems and potential solutions as they know he will not respond by criticizing them. From the information provided in the scenario, we can say that ________.
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Trevor's team has positive leader-member relations
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Which of the following situational dimensions identified by Fiedler relates to the degree to which job assignments are procedurized, that is, structured or unstructured?
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task structure
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According to the Fiedler contingency model, high managerial control is characterized by ________.
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high task structure, good leader-member relations, and strong position power
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Which of the following theoretical approaches in the study of leadership focuses on followers' readiness as a determinant of effective leadership?
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situational leadership theory
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According to the situational leadership theory, if employees are unwilling and unable, the appropriate leadership style in this situation would be ________.
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directive
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According to the situational leadership theory, a follower with the desired ability and willingness is likely to be ________.
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comfortable in his ability to do the job well
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Which of the following statements is true with regard to the path-goal theory of leadership?
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The theory considers removing obstacles to be a component of effective leadership.
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In the context of Fiedler's model, the situational dimension termed ________ relates to the degree of influence a leader has over important variables such as hiring, firing, discipline, promotions, and salary increases.
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position power
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According to the situational leadership theory, if followers are unable and willing to do a task, then a leader needs to ________.
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display high task and relationship orientation
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Maura Ruiz has been working in the e-learning industry for over eight years. She is aware of the fact that in this industry, once an employee has learned his or her job, the work becomes fairly automatic and competence can be achieved rapidly. She has been noticing how in her team, this competence has come along with a lot of complacency; the employees, though able, are unwilling to work hard. According to the situational leadership theory, to rectify this situation, Maura would benefit the most if she uses the ________ style of leadership.
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participative
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George has been a project leader at NSys for five years. George's job description involves scheduling work for his team, coordinating their work with that of the other departments, and providing feedback. George, who has successfully led this team, believes that it is his task-oriented and directive approach that has helped him in the last five years. Which of the following, if true, would weaken his argument supporting a directive leadership?
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NSys hires only highly qualified and experienced employees.
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Leslie is a middle-level production manager at the California branch of ALT Corp. ALT Corp. is an automobile manufacturing company that specializes in the manufacture of heavy motor vehicles. Leslie's job is to supervise his assembly line employees. Leslie has worked in this position for over four years, and he strongly believes that a supportive leadership style is most suitable in his context. Which of the following, if true, would strengthen Leslie's approach to leadership in this case?
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Most of the assembly line employees are highly experienced in their jobs and committed to Leslie.
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Leslie is a middle-level production manager at the California branch of ALT Corp. ALT Corp. is an automobile manufacturing company that specializes in the manufacture of heavy motor vehicles. Leslie's job is to supervise his assembly line employees. Leslie has worked in this position for over four years, and he strongly believes that a supportive leadership style is most suitable in his context. Which of the following, if true, would weaken Leslie's approach to leadership in this case?
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The recent round of OSHA inspections revealed that many assembly line employees were not complying with stipulated safety measures.
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Max Hiller was recently hired by Sync, a consumer goods company. During his first meeting with the sales team, Max impressed upon his team that work performance is the only criterion he would use to evaluate them. To help them perform well and meet their targets, he pushed his team to work extra hours. He also gave very clear instructions to each member regarding their job responsibilities and continually verified if they were meeting their targets. Which of the following, if true, would weaken Max's approach?
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Max's sales team is comprised of independent and experienced employees who are committed to their jobs.
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The leader-participation model focuses on ________.
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the way decisions are made by the leader
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Which of the following leadership theories argues that because of time pressures, leaders establish a special relationship with a small group of their subordinates—the ingroup, who are trusted, get a disproportionate amount of the leader's attention, and are more likely to receive special privileges?
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leader-member exchange
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According to the LMX theory, a leader implicitly categorizes followers as "in" or "out" ________.
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early in the interaction
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In her first few weeks at the marketing division of Rolland Retails, Judith Cox realized that Joshua, Doug, and Carl were closer to her manager, Eric Scott, than the other five team members. Eric, Joshua, Doug, and Carl came to work at the same time, were seen together at the cafeteria, and stayed late and worked when the need arose. In contrast to them, the other five team members did the routine jobs assigned to them, and their interactions lacked the understanding and camaraderie that Eric shared with the others. Joshua, Doug, and Carl make up Eric's ________.
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ingroup
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In her first few weeks at the marketing division of Rolland Retails, Judith Cox realized that Joshua, Doug, and Carl were closer to her manager, Eric Scott, than the other five team members. Eric, Joshua, Doug, and Carl came to work at the same time, were seen together at the cafeteria, and stayed late and worked when the need arose. While Judith was in training, she received very good feedback from Eric, and as she transitioned to the floor, she felt that Eric was giving her interesting projects, allowing her more freedom, and seeking her opinion frequently. The information provided in the scenario supports the prediction that ________.
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Judith will become a part of Eric's ingroup in the marketing division
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Which theory of leadership proposes that followers attribute heroic or extraordinary leadership abilities when they observe certain behaviors?
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charismatic leadership theory
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According to evidence, what is the first step a charismatic leader takes to influence followers?
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articulating an appealing vision
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The third step in the process of charismatic leadership involves ________.
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the leader conveying a new set of values and setting an example for followers to imitate
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Leaders who function primarily by clarifying role and task requirements to accomplish established goals exhibit a(n) ________ style of leadership.
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transactional
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A transactional leader is likely to ________.
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reward employees for the work that they have done, thus recognizing accomplishments
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Which of the following scenarios reflects a transactional approach to leadership?
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Carol Turner began V Care, a non-profit organization, with the purpose of battling various forms of abuse. As the organization grew, she took care to hire employees who felt the same kind of sensitivity she felt for victims of abuse. Today, she openly proclaims that the organization that she started is successful because every single employee shares and understands what the organization is aiming for.
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________ leaders inspire followers to transcend their self-interests for the good of the organization and can have an extraordinary effect on their followers.
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Transformational
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Transformational leaders enhance performance of employees by ________.
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building consensus among employees
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In terms of the full range of leadership models, which leadership behavior is the least effective?
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laissez-faire
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Which of the following leadership behaviors is likely to differentiate between transactional and transformational leaders?
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individualized consideration
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In terms of the full range of leadership models, which leadership behavior represents the most active and effective approach for leaders?
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idealized influence
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In the context of the Fiedler contingency model, leader-member relations measures the degree of influence a leader has over power variables such as hiring, firing, discipline, promotions, and salary increases.
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FALSE
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The situational leadership theory focuses on follower readiness to determine the appropriate leadership behavior.
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TRUE
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According to the path-goal theory, directive leadership is likely to be welcomed and accepted by employees with high ability or considerable experience.
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FALSE
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The leader-member exchange (LMX) theory proposes that the leader implicitly categorizes the follower as belonging to his ingroup or out group after a detailed analysis of his or her performance over a prolonged period of time.
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FALSE
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Charismatic leadership places somewhat more emphasis on the way leaders communicate (are they passionate and dynamic?), while transformational leadership focuses more on what they are communicating (is it a compelling vision?).
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TRUE
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Charismatic leadership is a manifestation of innate traits, and it cannot be learned or enhanced.
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FALSE
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Transactional leaders guide their followers toward established goals by clarifying role and task requirements.
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TRUE
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Intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration are likely to be seen in the management by exception (active) style of leadership.
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FALSE
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Transformational leadership has a greater impact on the bottom line in smaller, privately held firms than in more complex organizations.
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TRUE
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The HR department at Basic Elements, a software development firm, has begun testing employee personality and preferences to reorganize their teams such that team members and leaders are matched. They believe that this will enable them to ensure smooth functioning and greater cohesion. As a part of this test, employees were given the least preferred co-worker questionnaire. The employees were asked to think of all the co-workers they had in the past and describe the one they least enjoyed working with by rating that person on a scale of 1 to 8 for each of 16 sets of contrasting adjectives. Rachel's LPC score was high, while Victor's was low. Many employees like Ashley had LPC scores that were moderate. Interpret and compare the results of Rachel, Victor, and Ashley.
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The fact that Rachel's LPC score was high means that she described the person she was least able to work with in favorable terms. Victor's low LPC score reflects that he rated his least preferred co-worker in unfavorable terms. Thus, we can say that Rachel is relationship-oriented, while Victor is task-oriented. Ashley's LPC score, being in the middle range, cannot be interpreted as her preference falls beyond the range of the predictions of Fiedler contingency model.
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According to the Fiedler model of leadership, how can leader effectiveness be improved?
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Fiedler views an individual's leadership style as fixed. Therefore, there are only two ways to improve leader effectiveness. First, you can change the leader to fit the situation. If a group situation rates highly unfavorable but is currently led by a relationship-oriented manager, the group's performance could be improved under a manager who is task-oriented. The second alternative is to change the situation to fit the leader, by restructuring tasks or increasing or decreasing the leader's power to control factors such as salary increases, promotions, and disciplinary actions.
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Describe the path-goal theory of leadership.
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Developed by Robert House, path-goal theory extracts elements from the Ohio State leadership research on initiating structure and consideration and the expectancy theory of motivation. The theory proposes that the leader's job is to provide followers with the information, support, or other resources necessary to achieve their goals. The term path-goal implies effective leaders clarify followers' paths to their work goals and make the journey easier by reducing roadblocks. According to path-goal theory, whether a leader should be directive or supportive or should demonstrate some other behavior depends on complex analysis of the situation. It predicts the following: a) Directive leadership yields greater satisfaction when tasks are ambiguous or stressful than when they are highly structured and well laid out. b) Supportive leadership results in high performance and satisfaction when employees are performing structured tasks. c) Directive leadership is likely to be perceived as redundant among employees with high ability or considerable experience.
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What are the key characteristics of charismatic leaders?
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A charismatic leader is characterized by:a) vision and articulation: having an idealized goal and being able to clarify its importance b) personal risk: willingness to take personal risks, incur high costs, and make sacrifices c) sensitivity to follower needs: recognizing and responding to others' abilities, needs, and feelings d) unconventional behavior: engaging in behaviors that are novel
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Describe the full range of leadership model.
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According to the full range of leadership model, laissez-faire is the most passive and therefore least effective of leader behaviors. Management by exception—active or passive—is slightly better than laissez-faire, but it's still considered ineffective. Management-by-exception leaders tend to be available only when there is a problem, which is often too late. Contingent reward leadership can be an effective style of leadership but will not get employees to go above and beyond the call of duty. Only with the four remaining styles—all aspects of transformational leadership—are leaders able to motivate followers to perform above expectations and transcend their self-interest for the sake of the organization. Individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, and idealized influence all result in extra effort from workers, higher productivity, higher morale and satisfaction, higher organizational effectiveness, lower turnover, lower absenteeism, and greater organizational adaptability. Based on this model, leaders are generally most effective when they regularly use each of the four transformational behaviors.
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Charismatic leaders are not always authentic leaders. Discuss.
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Charismatic leadership is a leadership theory that states that followers make attributions of heroic or extraordinary leadership abilities when they observe certain behaviors. Though charismatic leaders exert great influence on their followers, unfortunately, they do not necessarily act in the best interests of their organizations. Many charismatic leaders have allowed their personal goals to override the goals of the organization. Thus, their followers can never consider them ethical people unless they inspire that confidence. Authentic leaders know who they are, know what they believe in and value, and act on those values and beliefs openly and candidly. The primary quality produced by authentic leadership, therefore, is trust. Authentic leaders share information, encourage open communication, and stick to their ideals. The need to incorporate trust and ethics into charismatic leadership has led to the concept of socialized charismatic leadership, which conveys other-centered (not self-centered) values by leaders who model ethical conduct. Socialized charismatic leaders are able to bring employee values in line with their own values through their words and actions.
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Compare and contrast charismatic leadership from the understanding of leadership under the attribution theory.
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Charismatic leadership is a leadership theory that states that followers make attributions of heroic or extraordinary leadership abilities when they observe certain behaviors. A number of studies have attempted to identify the characteristics of charismatic leaders: they have a vision, they are willing to take personal risks to achieve that vision, they are sensitive to follower needs, and they exhibit extraordinary behaviors. Individuals are born with traits that make them charismatic. Personality is also related to charismatic leadership; charismatic leaders are likely to be extraverted, self-confident, and achievement oriented. However, most experts believe individuals can be trained to exhibit charismatic behaviors. The attribution theory, on the other hand, says leadership is merely an attribution people make about other individuals. Attribution theory suggests what is important is projecting the appearance of being a leader rather than focusing on actual accomplishments. According to this theory, those who want to be leaders merely need to shape the perception that they are smart, personable, verbally adept, aggressive, hardworking, and consistent in their style. This portrayal is enough to increase the probability their bosses, colleagues, and employees will view them as effective leaders.
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A long-term strategy for attaining a goal by linking the present with a better future for the organization is defined as a(n) ________.
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vision
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Cooper Mills is a company that accomplished one of the greatest success stories of our time. The company, which began in the garage of its current CEO, Kyle Cooper, went on to become one of the largest producers of textiles in the country. The company has now diversified successfully into other product lines. A group of researchers is now undertaking a study on Cooper Mills as an organization led by a transformational leader. Which of the following, if true, would most support the conclusion that Kyle Cooper is a transformational leader?
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Cooper Mills' goals tend to be very ambitious and to hold personal value for employees.
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The primary quality produced by authentic leadership is ________.
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trust
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Which of the following is a feature of servant leadership?
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focus on growth, development, and well-being of followers
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Servant leadership reflects the ________.
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use of empathy, listening, and persuasion by leaders
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________ is defined as a psychological state that exists when you agree to make yourself vulnerable to another because you have positive expectations about how things are going to turn out.
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Trust
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________ is a dimension of trust defined as honesty, truthfulness, and the ability to display consistency between one's words and action.
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Integrity
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Which of the following dimensions of trust is defined as an individual's technical and interpersonal knowledge and skills?
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ability
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The CEO of Xenon Solutions recently cancelled numerous leave requests and asked several employees to put in extra days of work as the company was slated to meet several deadlines in the immediate future. In addition, he also assured that those who work this extra bit will be given their due leaves and additional incentives once the time crisis had passed. Following this announcement, Joan and Shane were overheard speaking in the cafeteria. Shane was resentful that his holiday plans were disrupted, and he was sure that the management would ultimately not provide any of the leaves and incentives it promised. Joan, however, said that she was sure that their CEO had a valid reason behind making such a request and that if they put in the extra effort, they would be rewarded suitably. From the information provided in the scenario, which of the following statements can be inferred?
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Joan has a high degree of trust propensity.
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Leaders who want to foster a climate that reinforces ethical behavior do all of the following except ________.
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use their charisma to enhance power over followers, directed towards self-serving ends
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The ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals can arise outside the formal structure of the organization.
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TRUE
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Strong leadership is an adequate condition to enable an organization to function at an optimal level of effectiveness.
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FALSE
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Attempts to integrate ethical and charismatic leadership have led to the advancement of the idea of socialized charismatic leadership.
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TRUE
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The only key characteristic we use to determine the trustworthiness of a leader is his or her ability.
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FALSE
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What is leadership? How is it different from management?
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Leadership can be defined as the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals. The source of this influence may be formal, such as that provided by managerial rank in an organization. However, not all leaders are managers and vice versa. The mere provision of formal rights for managers does not mean they will lead effectively. Nonsanctioned leadership, which is the ability to influence that arises outside the formal structure of the organization, is often as important or more important than formal influence. In other words, leaders can emerge from within a group as well as by formal appointment. Organizations need strong leadership and strong management for optimal effectiveness. We need leaders today to challenge the status quo, create visions of the future, and inspire organizational members to want to achieve the visions. We also need managers to formulate detailed plans, create efficient organizational structures, and oversee day-to-day operations.
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What is servant leadership?
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Scholars have recently considered ethical leadership from a new angle by examining servant leadership. Servant leaders go beyond their own self-interest and focus on opportunities to help followers grow and develop. They do not use power to achieve ends; they emphasize persuasion. Characteristic behaviors include listening, empathizing, persuading, accepting stewardship, and actively developing followers' potential. Servant leadership leads to higher levels of commitment to the supervisor, self-efficacy, and perceptions of justice; it also increases team potency. Servant leadership may be more prevalent and more effective in certain cultures; the East Asian prototype is more like a servant leader, which might mean servant leadership is more effective in these cultures.
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Describe the relationship between trust and leadership.
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Trust is a psychological state that exists when you agree to make yourself vulnerable to another because you have positive expectations about how things are going to turn out. Trust is a primary attribute associated with leadership; breaking it can have serious adverse effects on a group's performance. The key characteristics that lead us to believe that a leader is trustworthy are integrity, benevolence, and ability. Integrity refers to honesty and truthfulness. It is the most critical characteristic in assessing another's trustworthiness. Benevolence means the trusted person has your interests at heart, even if yours aren't necessarily in line with theirs. Ability encompasses an individual's technical and interpersonal knowledge and skills. Another factor that influences trust is trust propensity, which refers to how likely a particular employee is to trust a leader.
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A(n) ________ is a senior employee who sponsors and supports a less-experienced employee, a protégé.
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mentor
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According to the attribution theory of leadership, leadership is characterized by ________.
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the act of people ascribing qualities like intelligence or charisma to leaders
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According to the attribution theory of leadership, a person aiming to be a leader has to ________.
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shape the perception that he or she could be a leader
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The president of a small Asian country was hailed as a visionary and a genius when the nation's economy burgeoned during his first term in office. However, when the currency and the stock markets crashed during his government's second term, he was censured as arrogant, elitist, and shortsighted. Which of the following theoretical approaches is reflected here?
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attribution theory
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Which of the following is a substitute for leadership in the theory that suggests leaders' actions are irrelevant in many situations?
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training
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Which of the following is true about substitutes for leadership?
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Substitutes are factors and conditions that replace formal leadership.
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The top management of Myers Corp are planning a reorganization of their company to cut costs and increase efficiency. The different department heads have been asked to present their departmental strengths, needs, and concerns at a meeting. The various division heads have come to an agreement that clarity of goals and tasks, detailed procedural guidelines like employee manuals, and a cooperative workforce are their main strengths. Additionally, they are of the opinion that cutting managerial positions to reduce costs and reorganizing Myers Corp as a relatively flat organization is a good approach. This scenario reflects the operation of ________ in replacing the support and ability offered by leaders.
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substitutes
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________ make it impossible for leader behavior to make any difference to follower outcomes.
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Neutralizers
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Which of the following is a neutralizer of leadership?
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indifference to rewards
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Which of the following is true with regard to online leadership?
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For online leaders, writing skills are an extension of their interpersonal skills.
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Lionel Tucker has been asked to lead a virtual team on a project with a tight time schedule. While allocating the project to him, his manager impressed upon him the need to complete this project successfully and in time so that this client gains enough confidence to use their services in the future. Lionel and his team communicate via e-mail as the team members are located at geographically dispersed locations. They have not had even one face-to-face meeting as yet. In this case, Lionel must have an ability to ________ in addition to all the other desirable abilities of a leader to lead the team successfully.
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convey support and trust through electronic means
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Mentoring provides unfiltered access to the attitudes of lower-ranking employees and can help anticipate potential organizational problems.
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TRUE
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The primary gains from mentoring are seen in greater compensation and higher job performance.
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FALSE
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The attribution theory of leadership says leadership is merely an attribution people make about other individuals.
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TRUE
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Genetics and experiences shape young people, and the relationship between these factors and CEO success is complex.
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TRUE
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How do substitutes and neutralizers challenge the effectiveness of leadership?
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One theoretical approach of leadership suggests that in many situations leaders' actions are irrelevant. Experience and training are among the substitutes that can replace the need for a leader's support or ability to create structure. Organizational characteristics such as explicit formalized goals, rigid rules and procedures, and cohesive work groups can also replace formal leadership, while indifference to organizational rewards can neutralize its effects. Neutralizers make it impossible for leader behavior to make any difference to follower outcomes. It must be added that the difference between substitutes and neutralizers is not clear-cut.
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How would you relate substitutes, trust, and online leadership?
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Online leadership involves leading people who are physically separated from you and with whom you communicate electronically. As face-to-face interactions are missing in such situations, substitutes for leadership, like experience, training, explicit formalized goals, rigid rules and procedures, are vital. However, the leader's ability to establish identification-based trust through electronic messages is a crucial function, and often the success of a virtual team may be hindered by the lack of this trust. Thus, substitutes can be used for online leadership, but the role of the leader cannot be dismissed.
