ManagementLesson 3 of 9 in the course Leadership

Leadership Roles, Power, and Decision-Making Styles

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 4 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Leadership involves more than holding a title: leaders influence group members and help direct their work toward shared goals. This lesson distinguishes formal and informal leadership and explains how designated and emergent leaders come to occupy leadership roles.

A leader occupies a distinctive position in a group by influencing others and providing direction. Leonard Bernstein was a member of the New York Philharmonic, but as its conductor he had a different role from the orchestra’s other members. He also helped create a vision for the symphony. Leadership can therefore be understood as a differentiated role and, in many groups, a focus around which activity is coordinated.

All flashcards

What is a formal leader?
A person recognized as the group’s official leader by people outside the group, often because the organization appointed or sanctioned the role.
What is an informal leader?
A person whom group members acknowledge as a leader, even though the organization has not officially assigned that person the role.
How do designated and emergent leaders differ?
A designated leader is placed in a leadership position by forces outside the group. An emergent leader gains influence through the group’s own interactions and efforts to achieve a shared goal.
What are idiosyncrasy credits?
A form of competency-based status earned through contributions and good standing that can give a group member greater latitude to influence the group.
Why can leadership shift when a group’s situation changes?
Different challenges require different knowledge and abilities. Group members may turn to whoever can best help address the current challenge.

Quiz questions

  1. Which description best identifies a formal leader?Answer: A leader officially recognized by the organization, often through appointment or sanction.
  2. Followers believe a leader has relevant expertise and is willing to share it. Which source of power is this?Answer: Expert power
  3. What is internalization as a response to leadership influence?Answer: Accepting goals or ideas as one’s own because they seem meaningful or value-consistent.
  4. What does the Tannenbaum and Schmidt leadership continuum describe?Answer: A range from leader-centered authority to greater freedom for workers.
  5. Which combination characterizes a permissive democrat?Answer: Members share decision-making and have discretion in carrying out work.

Based on Principles of Management by David S. Bright, Anastasia H. Cortes, Eva Hartmann, K. Praveen Parboteeah, Jon L. Pierce, Monique Reece, Amit Shah, Siri Terjesen, Joseph Weiss, Margaret A. White, Donald G. Gardner, Jason Lambert et al. (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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