Chpt 4 Style

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Chapter 4 -Style ApproachChapter 4 -Style Approach

© 2003 Jan KriegerSAGESAGE Publications Publications

Style ApproachStyle ApproachStyle ApproachStyle Approach

LeadershipLeadershipTheory and Practice, Theory and Practice, 3/e3/ePeter G. Northouse, Ph.D.Peter G. Northouse, Ph.D.

William Kritsonis, PhDWilliam Kritsonis, PhDPresenterPresenter

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OverviewOverviewOverviewOverview• Style Approach Perspective

– Ohio State Studies– University of Michigan Studies

• Blake & Mouton’s Leadership Grid

• How Does the Style Approach Work?

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Style Approach DescriptionStyle Approach DescriptionStyle Approach DescriptionStyle Approach Description

• Leader-focused perspective

• Emphasis on what leaders do and how they act

• Comprised of Two Comprised of Two Kinds of BehaviorsKinds of Behaviors– Task behaviorsTask behaviors

• Facilitate goal accomplishment

– Relationship behaviorsRelationship behaviors• Help subordinates feel

comfortable with themselves, each other, and the situation

PerspectivPerspectivee

PerspectivPerspectivee

DefinitionDefinitionDefinitionDefinition

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Ohio State StudiesOhio State StudiesOhio State StudiesOhio State Studies• Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire

(LBDQ)(LBDQ)– Identify number of times leaders engaged in specific behaviors

• 150 questions– Participant settings (military, industrial, educational)– Results

• Particular clusters of behaviors were typical of leaders

• LBDQ-XII (Stogdill, 1963)LBDQ-XII (Stogdill, 1963)– Most widely used leadership assessment instrument– Results - Two distinct, independent behaviors conceptualized

along separate continua• Leaders provide structure for subordinatesLeaders provide structure for subordinates • Leaders nurture subordinatesLeaders nurture subordinates

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University of Michigan StudiesUniversity of Michigan StudiesUniversity of Michigan StudiesUniversity of Michigan Studies

• Exploring leadership behaviorExploring leadership behavior– Specific emphasis on impact of leadership behavior on

performance of small groups

• Results - Two types of leadership behaviors Results - Two types of leadership behaviors conceptualized along a single continuumconceptualized along a single continuum– Employee orientationEmployee orientation

• Strong human relations emphasis

– Production orientationProduction orientation• Stresses the technical aspects of a job

– Later studies reconceptualized as two independent leadership orientations

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Blake & Blake & Mouton’s Mouton’s

Leadership Leadership GridGrid

Blake & Blake & Mouton’s Mouton’s

Leadership Leadership GridGrid• Historical Perspective

• Leadership Grid Components

– Authority-Compliance (9,1)

– Country Club Management (1,9)

– Impoverished Management (1,1)

– Middle-of-the-Road Management (5,5)

– Team Management (9,9)

– Opportunism

– Paternalism/Maternalism (1, 9; 9,1)

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Historical PerspectiveHistorical PerspectiveBlake & Mouton Leadership GridBlake & Mouton Leadership Grid

Historical PerspectiveHistorical PerspectiveBlake & Mouton Leadership GridBlake & Mouton Leadership Grid

• Developed in early 1960s

• Used extensively in organizational training & development

• Designed to explain how Designed to explain how leaders help organizations to leaders help organizations to reach their purposesreach their purposes

– Two factors• Concern for productionConcern for production

– How a leader is concerned with achieving organizational tasks

• Concern for peopleConcern for people

– How a leader attends to the members of the organization who are trying to achieve its goals

DevelopmDevelopmentent

DevelopmDevelopmentent

PurposePurposePurposePurpose

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The Leadership GridThe Leadership Grid®®The Leadership GridThe Leadership Grid®®

99

88

77

66

55

44

33

22

11

11 22 33 44 55 66 77 88 99LowLow

LowLow

HighHigh

HighHighConcern for ResultsConcern for Results

Con

cern

for

Peo

ple

Con

cern

for

Peo

ple

1, 91, 9 9, 99, 9

1, 11, 1 9, 19, 1

Country Club ManagementCountry Club Management Team ManagementTeam Management

Middle-of-the-RoadMiddle-of-the-Road

5, 55, 5

Impoverished ManagementImpoverished Management Authority-Compliance MgmtAuthority-Compliance Mgmt

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Authority-Compliance (9,1)Authority-Compliance (9,1)Authority-Compliance (9,1)Authority-Compliance (9,1)

• Efficiency in operations Efficiency in operations results from arranging results from arranging conditions of work such conditions of work such that human interference that human interference is minimalis minimal

• MoreMore emphasis on task and emphasis on task and job requirements and job requirements and less less emphasis on peopleemphasis on people

• Communicating with Communicating with subordinates outside task subordinates outside task instructions not emphasizedinstructions not emphasized

• Results drivenResults driven; People ; People regarded as tools to that endregarded as tools to that end

DefinitionDefinitionDefinitionDefinition Role FocusRole FocusRole FocusRole Focus

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Country Club (1,9)Country Club (1,9)Country Club (1,9)Country Club (1,9)

• Thoughtful attention to Thoughtful attention to the needs of people the needs of people leads to a comfortable, leads to a comfortable, friendly organization friendly organization atmosphere and work atmosphere and work tempotempo

• LowLow concern for task concern for task accomplishment coupled with accomplishment coupled with highhigh concern for concern for interpersonal relationshipsinterpersonal relationships

• De-emphasizes productionDe-emphasizes production; ; leaders stress the attitudes leaders stress the attitudes and feelings of peopleand feelings of people

• Positive climate fostered by Positive climate fostered by being agreeable, eager to help, being agreeable, eager to help, comforting, noncontroversialcomforting, noncontroversial


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Impoverished (1,1)Impoverished (1,1)Impoverished (1,1)Impoverished (1,1)

• Minimal effort exerted Minimal effort exerted to get work done is to get work done is appropriate to sustain appropriate to sustain organizational organizational membershipmembership

• LeaderLeader unconcernedunconcerned with with bothboth task and interpersonal task and interpersonal relationshipsrelationships

• Going through the motions, Going through the motions, but uninvolved and but uninvolved and withdrawnwithdrawn

• Have little contact with Have little contact with followers and are described as followers and are described as indifferent, noncommittal, indifferent, noncommittal, resigned, and apatheticresigned, and apathetic


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Middle-of-the-Road (5,5)Middle-of-the-Road (5,5)Middle-of-the-Road (5,5)Middle-of-the-Road (5,5)

• Adequate organizational Adequate organizational performance possible performance possible through balancing the through balancing the necessity of getting work necessity of getting work done while maintaining done while maintaining satisfactory morale satisfactory morale

• Leaders who are compromisers; Leaders who are compromisers; have have intermediateintermediate concern for concern for task and peopletask and people

• To achieve equilibrium, leader To achieve equilibrium, leader avoids conflict while avoids conflict while emphasizing moderate levels of emphasizing moderate levels of production and interpersonal production and interpersonal relationshipsrelationships

• Described as expedient; prefers Described as expedient; prefers the middle ground, soft-pedals the middle ground, soft-pedals disagreementdisagreement


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Team (9,9)Team (9,9)Team (9,9)Team (9,9)

• Work accomplished through committed people; interdependence via a “common stake” in the organization’s purpose, which leads to relationships of trust and respect

• StrongStrong emphasis on emphasis on both both tasks tasks and interpersonal and interpersonal relationshipsrelationships

• Promotes high degree of Promotes high degree of participation and teamworkparticipation and teamwork

• Leader stimulates Leader stimulates participation, acts participation, acts determined, makes priorities determined, makes priorities clear, follows through, etc.clear, follows through, etc.


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HybridsHybridsOpportunismOpportunism

HybridsHybridsOpportunismOpportunism

• People adapt and shift to any grid style needed to gain maximum advantage

• Performance occurs Performance occurs according to a system of according to a system of selfish gainselfish gain

• Leader uses anyLeader uses any combinationcombination of the basic five styles for the of the basic five styles for the purpose of personal purpose of personal advancementadvancement

• Leader usually has aLeader usually has a dominantdominant grid style and agrid style and a backupbackup style style that is reverted to under that is reverted to under pressurepressure


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HybridsHybridsPaternalism/MaternalismPaternalism/Maternalism

HybridsHybridsPaternalism/MaternalismPaternalism/Maternalism

• Reward and approval are bestowed on people in return for loyalty and obedience; failure to comply leads to punishment

• Leaders who useLeaders who use both both 1,9 and 1,9 and 9,1 9,1 without integratingwithout integrating the two the two

• The The benevolent dictatorbenevolent dictator;; acts acts gracious for purpose of goal gracious for purpose of goal accomplishmentaccomplishment

• Treats people as though they Treats people as though they were disassociated from the were disassociated from the tasktask


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HowHow Does the Does the Style Style

Approach Approach Work?Work?

HowHow Does the Does the Style Style

Approach Approach Work?Work?• Focus of Style Approach

• Strengths

• Criticisms

• Application

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Style ApproachStyle ApproachStyle ApproachStyle Approach

• Primarily a framework Primarily a framework for assessing for assessing leadership in a broad leadership in a broad way as behavior with a way as behavior with a task and relationship task and relationship dimensiondimension

• Offers a means of Offers a means of generally assessing the generally assessing the behaviors of leadersbehaviors of leaders

FocusFocusFocusFocus Overall ScopeOverall ScopeOverall ScopeOverall Scope

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StrengthsStrengthsStrengthsStrengths• Style Approach marked a major shiftmajor shift in leadership research from

exclusively trait focused to include behaviors and actions of leaders

• Broad range of studies on leadership style validates and gives credibility to the basic tenets of the approach

• At conceptual level, a leader’s style is composed of two major types of behaviors: task and relationshiptask and relationship

• Based on style approach, leaders can assess their actions and determine how to change to improve their leadership style

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CriticismsCriticismsCriticismsCriticisms

• Research has notnot adequately demonstrated how leaders’ styles are associated with performance outcomes

• No universalNo universal style of leadership that could be effective in most situations

• Implies that the most effective leadership style is High-HighHigh-High style (i.e., high task/high relationship); research finding support is limited

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ApplicationApplicationApplicationApplication

• Many leadership training and development programs are designed along the lines of the style approach.

• By assessing their own style, managers can determine how they are perceived by others and how they could change their behaviors to become more effective.

Education

Chpt 4 Style