Psychology: Leadership Theories
The Great Man Theory is based on the notion that some individuals are born with inherent leadership qualities that caused other people to follow them. The innate attributes were believed to be responsible for the assumption of authorities by these individuals. The theory has faced major criticism due to gender biasness, and failure to recognize the social conditions. The Kirkpatrick and Locke’s study on leadership established drive, desire to lead, cognitive ability, honesty, self-confidence and knowledge of specific business as the major traits that defined a strong leader.
The Great Man Theory
The great man theory was coined after examination of successful leaders in history that had portrayed great leadership qualities such as Napoleon Bonaparte. The understanding of leadership in earlier periods associated leadership quality mostly with males, but was viewed as great person theory after many some women emerged as great leaders. The early studies focused on the lives and achievements of the famous political leaders in history, and used the information to explain the differences between individuals with leadership qualities, and the others who are followers. Without these leaders, the people would not have been able to achieve the success they experienced under the individuals.
A basic notion of the theory is that some individuals have inherent traits that make them leaders, and such traits are only possessed by great people. The great leaders are portrayed as heroic, and are fated to assume leadership when need arises. Hence, two assumptions underlie this theory: leaders inherently possess specific traits, and they assume leadership when a great need arises (Hayes & Hayes, 2002, 93). The implication of this theory is that the leaders deserve to occupy the leadership positions since they are endowed with these traits. Also, the traits are considered to remain stable with time, and across various groups. Hence, the theory considers that great leaders have common characteristics irrespective of where and when they were alive or the clear roles they fulfilled in their time (Hayes & Hayes, 2002, 94). The foundation of the theory largely involves fascination with great leaders in history, and has faced much criticism due to its failure to consider the role of leadership in making sure that there is coherence in organizations.
Individuals such as Herbert Spencer came up with counter arguments, and these have been very influential in dismissing the Great Man Theory. Herbert argued that the great men in history were products specific societies they were born into, and their leadership would not have been possible without the various social conditions built prior to their lifetime (Harrison, 2018, 17). Hence, their leadership could be attributed to their society, but not to inborn characteristics. Another criticism of this theory involves gender biasness, as presented in the Great Man Theory title. The notion in the theory seems to attribute history to only men, and in fact, great men inform the direction and shape of history (Harrison, 2018, 18). The theory presents leadership as irredeemably masculine while the Great Man is definitely a man. According to the theory, only males can demonstrate effective leadership regardless of the fact that while it was being proposed some female personalities had shaped the course of history. The exclusion of female personality may have been due to fewer women at the time who assumed leadership positions. With time, more women have become leaders, and have become focal points in success of many organizations (Harrison, 2018, 18). Research has shown that women, like men, can be effective leaders, and inherent abilities of managers of either sex are similar.
Kirkpatrick & Locke’s Traits
The Great Man Theory led to broad research with a focus on personality traits of the leader. The trait approach in leadership considers the personality trains, and behavioral characteristics that effective leaders possess or should avoid (Kirkpatick & Locke, 1991, 49). A Study carried out by Kirkpatrick and Locke focused on various characteristics that set apart leaders and followers. The study highlighted six traits, and any person who acquired or possessed some or all of them could potentially be an effective leader in both formal and informal setting. Kirkpatrick and Locke identified drive, desire to lead, and cognitive ability, honesty, self-confidence and knowledge of specific business as the main traits that separate leaders from their followers. There are other traits that define a strong leader. However, the studies concluded that traits alone are not enough for successful leadership, but only acts as a precondition. Any leader who possesses the aforesaid traits must take specific actions to succeed such as coming up with a vision, setting goals and engaging in role modeling (Kirkpatick & Locke, 1991, 51). Having the right traits only increases the possibility that the person will take the actions and succeed.
Drive refers to a group of specific traits and motives that indicate a high level of individual effort, and it’s defined by various aspects of including motivation to achieve, ambition, persistence, energy and initiative. The leader must be achievement oriented, be ready to seize opportunities (initiative) be ambitious to set and achieve goals for own sake and the organization possess high energy levels, and be persistent (Kirkpatick & Locke, 1991, 53). Leadership motivation emanates from a strong desire to lead and influence other people, which enable the leader to give them power as a way of enhancing their own power. Hence, power becomes the key method through which a leader gets other people to do things in an organization (Kirkpatick & Locke, 1991, 53). To the leader, power can be created and then distributed to their followers while not depriving him or herself of the power.
A leader should be honest and have integrity, virtues that uphold leadership and prevent it from being undermined. Honesty means that the leader is truthful while integrity links the leaders’ words and actions. These qualities establish trust as the basis of relationship between the leader and his or her followers. An effective leader encourages open communication with followers but does not violate any confidential information that may be harmful (Kirkpatick & Locke, 1991, 53). Self-confidence involves having no self-doubt while solving problems and making decisions. The self-confident leader has to convince followers to take a certain course of action, show them how to overcome obstacles, handle their competing interests and take risks amidst uncertainties. A leader who does not show self-doubt gains respect from other people. Self-confidence also means that the leader is emotionally stable, and important aspect in solving conflicts and when representing their organization (Kirkpatick & Locke, 1991, 53). Cognitive ability refers to the leader’s capacity to collect, integrate and interpret a lot of information which requires intelligence. Intelligence relates to analytical ability, multi-dimensional and strategic thinking capacity and good judgment, and effective leaders portray greater inductive and deductive reasoning ability (Kirkpatick & Locke, 1991, 54). Followers want a person who has higher capability in some areas than they have, and they relate such ability to authority in their relationship. Moreover, a strong leader has a higher level of knowledge relating to the organization’s business, the economy and important technical matters (Kirkpatick & Locke, 1991, 55). The leader has extensive information so that he or she can understand any concerns raised by the followers such as in regard to technical issues.
In conclusion, the Great Man Theory does not consider the social conditions that cause an individual to become a great leader. It also fails to recognize that like men, there emerged women in the past who became strong leaders. The Kirkpatrick and Locke’s traits of leadership depict various qualities that define an effective leader in an organization.
References
Hayes, N., & Hayes, N. (2002). Managing teams: A strategy for success. London: Thomson Learning.93-101
Harrison, C. (2018). Leadership theory and research: A critical approach to new and existing paradigms. Cham: Springer International Publishing. 17-19
Kirkpatick, S. A., & Locke, E. A. (1991). Leadership: do traits matter?. Academy of Management Perspectives, 5(2), 48-60.
