Foundations of Leadership

2

Definitions: process used by an individual to influence group

members toward the accomplishment of group goals in which the group members view the influence as legitimate (Howell & Costly)

process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it,

and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives (Yukl)

Transformational Leadership

“A leader is a dealer in hope”Napoleon

Transactional and Transformational Leadership

• Contingent Reward

• Appealing to self-interest and exchanging benefits

• Looking for mistakes and enforcing the rules to avoid mistakes

• Idealized Influence

• Inspirational Motivation

• Intellectual Stimulation

• Individual Consideration

Transactional Leaders

Leaders who guide or motivate their followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements.

Transformational Leaders

Leaders who provide the four “I’s”

Idealized Influence: provides vision and sense of mission, instills pride

Inspirational Motivation: communicates high expectations, uses symbols to express purposes

Intellectual Stimulation: promotes intelligence and careful problem-solving

Individual Consideration: gives personal attention

Transformational leadership

capacity to change teams or companies

means: creating and communicating a general

vision and inspiring the commitment towards

the vision

infusing the entire group (company) with a

collective sense of mission

Transformational = charismatic?Charismatic?

Charisma: “divine gift of grace”

1/ Determination to challenge status quo

– Articulating dissatisfaction with the present

state

• “Where are we actually going?”

• “Can we do this in a different way?”

Charismatic? 2/ Presentation of viable alternatives: a hope

for new beginning that speeks to the collective imagination

A vision, which is very different from the status quo, but within the latitude of acceptance

3/ Acting unconventionnally and taking personal risks

4/ Confidence

Charismatic?

5/ Mastering timing (contingencies)Launching a campaign against the tax

on salt

Charismatic?

6/ Dramatizing the risk. Understand the symbolic power of the David-Goliath game

S. Jobs and Microsoft

Branson against …

”small man who has taken on the giant forces of evil” ?

7/ Building alliances; making people feel comfortable; listening

Charismatic? 8/ Internalization: followers

adopt the leader’s ideals and goals – it is the leader’s goals that inspire followers, not the leader as an individual.– Means: describing tasks as

meaningful, noble, ethically correct and heroic

– Moral quality to the goals

Charismatic? 9/ Creating social

identification: defining followers in terms of membership (focus is a group rather than the leader’s goals)

All people want to belong, a good leader provides a inclusion

 

Charismatic?

France has lost the battle, but she hasn't lost the war

– Mastering rituals and ceremonies

10/ Symbol manipulation, “management of meaning”

Leaders use framing (selectively including or excluding facts) to influence how others see and interpret reality

Leaders use framing (selectively including or excluding facts) to influence how others see and interpret reality

Framing: Using Words to Shape (Manage) Meaning and Inspire Others

Freud: leaders’ words “must paint in the most forcible colors, he must exaggerate, an he must repeat the same thing again and again”

Charismatic?

Key skills for charismatic persons

Dynamic, forceful, verbally and non-verbally expressive (enjoy interacting with press)

High need for power (legitimacy)

Self-confidence

Communication and rhetorical skills

Conditions facilitating charismatic leadership

1/ Surfacing during crises : viewed as savior who fulfill unmet needs

2/ Followers’ anxiety, isolation or distress – Charismatic CEO generate high performance only

when environment is highly uncertain ! 3/ Groups working on new concepts and ideas

(R&D) <= desribing the mission in terms of changing status quo

4/ Groups & organizations with a history of charismatic leadership (AA)

Conditions facilitating charismatic leadership

5/ Rapid change 6/ In some regions : expert power; high

ranks and extensive plans (goals, procedures)

7/ Being physically distant from followers in everyday life (regardless of their perception)

8/ Some cultural differences– Followers’ n. of years of schooling (Korea,

Mexico)– Followers’ high rank (Taiwan, Mexico)

Weakness of Charismatic Leadership

Study of 29 companies going from good to great: absence of charismatic leaders

More concerned by their own image than by supportiveness

(supportive military officers create more trust, motivation and willingness to sacrifice for the group than charismatic officers)

Problem once the crisis is overOverwhelming self-confidence

Transformational vs. CharismaticDistinct but overlapping processes

(vision, mission reflecting follower’s general moral) TL:

– inspiring followers’ commitment to shared objectives developping collective efficacy and followers’ skills => followers become less dependent on the leader (delegation)

– More concerned with followers’ welfaire and more supportive

– May be found in all organizations at all levels

CL: – more fostering an image of

extraordinary competence for the leader (impression management, information restriction, unconventional behavior)

– Omnisent saviours who are bigger than life

– More rare, more dependant on favorable conditions

– More affective reaction

Transformational leadership: vision

Survey of 1500 senior leaders (870 CEOs, 20 different countries) :

What are the key traits or talents desirable for a CEO?

98% : “strong sense of vision”

Vision: Substance of Transformational Leadership

4 main features:

– Creating Strategic Vision

– Communicating the Vision

– Implementing the vision

– Building Commitment

Strategic Visions

Strategic perspective of a realistic and attractive future that bonds employees together

Providing a sense of direction:

superordinate organizational goal

May be formulated in extremely simple

terms; then abstract ideas become clear

through discussions and implementation

" Your vision shouldn’t be complicated, it should be simple and it should be repeated untill you want to gag on it, over and over again "

J. Welch