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Leadership in Teams: Maximizing Success

Advanced Personal Knowledge

“…we would argue that effective leadership processes represent perhaps the most critical factor in the success of organizational teams” (Zaccaro, Rittman & Marks, 2001, p. 452)

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Personal Knowledge Learning Objectives

• Develop individual leadership characteristics based on leadership goals

• Help teams become more productive by developing leadership strategies which facilitate task completion

• Understand how individuals may adopt transformational leadership within their teams

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Conceptualizing Leadership

• Can you give an example of someone you think is a good leader? Why?

• What are characteristics of good leaders?

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Leadership Defined

“Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (Northouse, pg. 3, 2004)

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Leadership Defined, continuedDuring last 50 years, there have been over 65 different classification systems of leadership. They differ in: Focus on individual leader versus the group and

its processes Focus on inherent styles/characteristics versus

behaviors or skills that can be learned Focus on “designated” versus “emergent”

leadership

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Brainstorming Activity

• Think about teams you have been on in the past: were the leaders designated or did they emerge? How did well did the team work together? Do you have a preference?

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What is the Leader’s goal? Team Excellence*

Characteristics of Excellent Teams include: Clear, elevating goal Results-driven structure Competent team structure Unified commitment Collaborative climate Standards of excellence Principled leadership External support

* (Larson & LaFasto, 1989)

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Common Leadership Responsibilities*

• Initiate the relationships/start the team• Create and maintain communication• Maintain relationships (internal and external

to the team)• Use power to influence others and reach

mutual goals (position or personal power)• Provide a vision for achievement and

motivation

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How is Good Leadership Exercised and Demonstrated?

• Personal Characteristics: “You’re a born leader!”

• Skills and Knowledge: “You’re an exceptional individual!”

• Behaviors: “You’re a skillful facilitator!”

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Personal Characteristics associated with Leaders*

• Intelligence (complex problem solving skills and social judgment skills)

• Self-confidence (self esteem and assurance)• Determination (initiative, drive, proactive,

perseverance)• Ethical (can be trusted by others, integrity)• Social (friendly, outgoing, tactful)

*Stogdil (1948), Kirkpatrick & Locke (1991)

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Skills and Abilities associated with Leaders*

• Technical: knowledge about the team’s specific tasks or activities (THINGS)

• Interpersonal: knowledge of how to work with others and to help others work with each other (PEOPLE)

• Conceptual: knowledge about ideas, concepts, ability to hypothesize (IDEAS)

• (Optional) Test yourself: The Leadership Skills Inventory

• *Katz (1955), Muford, Zacarro, Harding (2000)

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Leadership Behaviors*

• Focuses on the behaviors or style of the leader (not just traits or characteristics)

• Two major types of behaviors:TaskRelationship

• How can these behaviors be combined by a leader to influence the team to succeed??

*Blake & Mouton (1964)

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Task Behaviors

• Focus is on production: how the team tasks are accomplished

• Involves paying attention to:policydevelopment of new products making plans for the future

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Relationship Tasks

• Focus is the people on the team

• Behaviors include building trust, commitment to the organization, promoting the wellbeing of team members, and establishing harmony on the team

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4 Combinations of Task & Relationship Styles

• High Task/High Relationship: “Team Management”-work is accomplished by committed people with a common stake in the process and outcome

• Low Task/Low Relationship: “Impoverished Management”-leader in name only, uninvolved, indifferent

• High Task/Low Relationship: “Authority/Compliance”-benevolent dictator who acts as though people are unconnected to the task

• Low Task/ High Relationship: “Social Club”-attention to the needs of people creates comfortable, friendly team environment, with relaxed work tempo

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Beyond Personality, Styles and Tasks:

Transformational Leadership*• Focus is on transforming individuals by addressing

values, ethics, long term goals• Considers the “whole” person; helps them reach

their full potential• Motivates team members to do much more than is

expected of them• Promotes the common good over individual self

interest*Burns (1978)

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Transformational Leaders:• Are purposeful role models in terms of ethics

and values• Can formulate a vision of the desired future

state of the organization or team WITH team members

• Can understand and empower team members• Can act as change agents to initiate and

maintain team progress, create an inclusive, creative, committed environment

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Transformational Leaders on Teams

• Must be concerned with both team performance and team development (tasks and relationships)

• Leadership behaviors can be shared by all members of the team at various times; leadership is fluid and based on the team needs at the time

• Tasks include: motivating members, identifying tasks/problems, conflict resolution, matching team tasks/goals to individual needs/competencies and external requirements

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Why Transformational Leadership?*

Studies have shown: It increases organizational performance It generates higher commitment to the task

from team members It reduces employee stress and increases well-

being Is it linked with customer satisfaction

*Epitropaki (2004)

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Taking the Skills Inventory*• Leader-centered model that stresses developing

particular skills Luckily, skills are competencies that individuals can

learn or develop. You do not need to be born with them.

• The skills approach provides an expansive view of leadership: includes problem-solving skills, social judgment skills, knowledge, individual attributes…

• The Skills Inventory helps you understand how leadership skills are measured, and what your own skills might be.

*Northouse (2004)

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Leadership summary

• Being a leader is all-encompassing: good leaders are also good teammates

• The role of “leader” may shift from person-to-person as the task necessitates

• The proper balance of task and relationship behaviors must be present for effective leadership

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Optional Slides

• Case Study Discussion• Taking additional leadership

instruments

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What kind of Leader are you?• In terms of characteristics:

How many leader characteristics do you possess? Ask for feedback confirmation from a team member.

• In terms of skills: Complete the Skills Inventory (Northouse, 2004)

• In terms of style: Complete the Style Questionnaire (Northouse, 2004)

• In terms of transformational leadership: Complete the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ)

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Case Study• Break into small groups and discuss the

following scenario from a: Leadership skill perspective Leadership style perspective Transformational leadership perspective

• Is one leadership approach more useful than the others?

• How would a leader with YOUR characteristics work with this situation?

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Leadership in Teams: The Leader in You

Leadership on teams is a complex process Involves attention to completion of the task and productivity

of people Is a combination and reflection of you as a whole person:

intellect, emotion, spiritual, personality, skills, and behaviors Involves communication, problem solving, technical skills,

awareness of the needs of the team, external demands and expectations, and a vision

Everyone can be a leader and exemplify leadership behaviors/attitudes

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References• Blake R.R., & Mouton, J.S. (1985). The Managerial Grid III. Houston, TX: Gulf.• Burns, J.M. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper & Row.• Epitropaki, O. (2004). What is transformational leadership? From

http://www.shef.ac.uk/~iwp/publications/whatis/transformational.pdf• Katz, R.L. (1955, Jan-Feb). Skills of an effective administrator. Harvard Business

Review.• Kirkpatrick, S.A., & Locke, E.A. (1991). Leadership: Do traits matter? The

Executive, 5,48-60.• Larson, C.E., & LaFasto, M.J. (1989). Teamwork: What must go right, what can

go wrong. Newberry Park, CA: Sage Publications.• Mumford, M.D., Zaccaro. S. J., Connelly, M.S. & Marks, M.A. (2000). Leadership

skills: Conclusions and future directions. Leadership Quarterly, 11(1), 155-170.• Northouse, P.G. (2004). Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks,

London: Sage Publications.• Stodgill, R.M. (1974). Handbook of leadership: A survey of theory and research.

New York: Free Press.• Zaccaro, Rittman, & Marks. (2001). Team leadership. Leadership Quarterly,

12(4), 451-483.