ManagementLesson 4 of 9 in the course Leadership

Leadership Traits: Origins, Development, and Person–Situation Effects

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

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Summary

This lesson introduces the trait perspective and traces its development from stories of heroic leaders to early leadership research. It matters because it shows how scholars began asking whether particular personal qualities help explain who becomes a leader.

Ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Chinese writers showed strong interest in leaders. Their accounts often portrayed leaders as heroes with exceptional qualities. In Homer's The Odyssey, Odysseus is depicted as a leader with vision and self-confidence. His son Telemachus develops courage and leadership skills under the guidance of Mentor.

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Great man theory
The belief that some people are born with qualities that make them naturally suited to become great leaders.
Trait approach to leadership
A perspective that studies personal characteristics associated with leader emergence and effectiveness.
Ralph Stogdill
A pioneering leadership scholar whose reviews helped organize research on leader traits.
Strong situation
A context with clear expectations, rules, and incentives that constrain behavioral choices.
Self-monitoring
The ability and willingness to notice social cues and adjust one's self-presentation.

Quiz questions

  1. Which group matches the core leadership characteristics identified by Locke and colleagues?Answer: Drive, motivation to lead, integrity, self-confidence, cognitive ability, and business knowledge.
  2. What characterizes a strong situation in personality psychology?Answer: Clear expectations, behavioral rules, and incentives favoring particular actions.
  3. Which outcomes have been associated with leaders high in positive affectivity?Answer: Stronger interpersonal competence and greater contributions to group activities.
  4. In the research summarized, what predicted leader emergence more than sex alone?Answer: Gender role, including characteristics socially associated with gender.
  5. What tendency has research associated with high self-monitors in groups?Answer: They may emerge as leaders, influence decisions, and initiate more structure.

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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