Chapter 16 – Leadership
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(b) Followers need to understand their own style, needs, goals,
expectations, and strengths and weaknesses.
(c) Followers should conduct a gap analysis between the understanding a
follower has about his or her boss and the understanding the follower
has about him- or herself.
(d) Followers need to develop and maintain a relationship that fits both
parties’ needs and styles by building on mutual strengths and adjusting
or accommodating the leader’s divergent style, goals, expectations,
and weaknesses.
(8) A follower may not be able to accommodate a leader’s style, expectations,
or weaknesses and may have to seek a transfer or quit his or her job to
reconcile the discrepancy.
(9) We can all enhance our boss’s leadership effectiveness and our
employer’s success by becoming better followers.
BACK TO THE CHAPTER-OPENING CASE
1. Which of the positive and negative leadership traits were displayed by Jack
Griffin?
a. Positive leadership traits include task competence, interpersonal
competence, intuition, traits of character, biophysical traits, and personal
Chapter 16 – Leadership
16–30
2. Which of Peter Drucker’s tips were violated by Jack Griffin?
a. Peter Drucker’s tips for improving leadership effectiveness are described
in Table 16-4. Jack Griffin violated several of these principles. First, his
requirement that every magazine include a masthead cost the company
3. Discuss how Jack Griffin could have applied the five steps to applying situational
theories.
a. There are five steps for applying situational leadership theories: (1)
identify important outcomes, (2) identify relevant leadership
Chapter 16 – Leadership
16–31
OB IN ACTION CASE STUDY: Lynn Tilton Uses Her Leadership to Turn Around
Failing Companies
1. Use Table 16-2 to evaluate the extent to which Lynn Tilton displayed the
characteristics associated with being a good leader and good manager.
a. One of the characteristics of an effective manager is someone who
executes plans. Lynn Tilton is able to develop plans for turning around
distressed companies. She effectively manages resources and practices
2. Which different positive and negative leadership traits and styles were displayed
by Tilton? Cite examples.
a. Positive leadership traits include task competence, interpersonal
competence, intuition, traits of character, biophysical traits and personal
traits. Lynn Tilton displayed several of these traits. Her task competence
is displayed in her problem-solving skills and her ability to turnaround
Chapter 16 – Leadership
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3. To what extent does Tilton display situational approaches toward leadership?
Explain.
a. House’s revised path-goal theory identified eight categories of leadership
style, including path-goal clarifying, achievement oriented, work
facilitation, supportive, interaction facilitation, group-oriented decision
4. Which of the four types of transformational leadership behavior were displayed
by Tilton? Provide examples.
a. The four types of transformational leadership behavior are inspirational
motivation, idealized influence, individualized consideration and
intellectual stimulation. Inspirational motivation involves establishing an
attractive vision of the future, the use of emotional arguments, and
Chapter 16 – Leadership
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5. Would you like to work for Lynn Tilton? Explain why or why not.
a. This is a personal question and student responses will vary.
6. What did you learn about leadership from this case?
a. This is a personal question and student responses will vary.
To gain further insight and knowledge about Patriarch Partners, visit its website:
http://www.patriarchpartners.com/ and explore the content in the “About Us” and “Our
Philosophy” sections under the “Patriarch Partners” section.
LEGAL/ETHICAL CHALLENGE: Is It Ethical to Use Subversive Approaches To
Influence Others?
What Do You Think Should Be Done about James O’Keefe?
1. Although O’Keefe did not violate any laws, he should be punished. His behavior
was unethical. He lied about his identity to Ron Schiller and edited the video to
present false impressions about NPR. His subversive actions also led to a
negative vote about funding for public radio.
2. O’Keefe didn’t break any laws, so he should be left alone. He actually is
providing service to the public.
What Should Be Done about Citizen Journalism?
1. Given today’s technology, we need regulations to govern this aspect of modern
life. If people like James O’Keefe want to do journalistic work on their own, then
they should be held to the same standards as professionals.
2. Wake up and smell the coffee. The only way to expose people like Ron Schiller
is to use subversive techniques. I have no problem with what O’Keefe did.
Besides, others are doing the same thing.
Discussion:
One of the main tenets of leadership is that you cannot be a leader without followers.
By extension, James O’Keefe and citizen journalists like him cannot have social
influence unless we give it to them. Now that his videos have been exposed as half-
truths or heavily edited versions of actual events, James O’Keefe is likely to have less
sway in the media. Professional journalists would likely contend that it is unethical to
pretend to be something or someone you are not unless the information gathered is of
profound importance with vital public interest and all other means of gathering the
Chapter 16 – Leadership
16–34
information have been exhausted. Moreover, after the information has been obtained,
professional journalists would fully disclose any deception and provide all the
information gathered, not just the sensational information or the information that
supports the journalist’s agenda. The fact that citizen journalists often do not achieve
these standards means that they should be considered as political activists or
entertainers rather than journalists. It is likely difficult to obtain sensitive information that
people do not want to disclose or want to come to light, so deception used by citizen
journalists can provide a valuable public service, but the extent to which citizen
journalists follow ethical standards and the law should dictate whether their followers
view them as sources of news, or merely sources of entertainment. Just as with
leadership, people can’t call themselves journalists if they don’t have any listeners.
INTERNET EXERCISE
www.apple.com/itunes/
Apple, through its iTunes U, provides free access to educational content provided by top
colleges, universities, and educationally focused organizations. Students can find,
download, and organize audio and video clips that academic institutions have posted.
Students can play the content directly from their Mac or PC, or sync the content to their
iPods to allow them to listen to the content anywhere. The content is accessible to
anyone with a Mac or PC and there is no requirement to have access to an iPod.
ITunes U does require users to have access to iTunes, but this is a free software
download.
ITunes U provides a variety of audio and video clips that are related to organizational
behavior. For this exercise, you will focus on one of the many clips based on
leadership. You will download and watch a video clip of interviews with leading scholars
and key business people about their views of leadership. In 2010, the Harvard
Business School hosted a symposium entitled “Imagining the Future of Leadership” that
featured some of the brightest minds in business in academia to discuss how leadership
and the roles of a leader are changing. A video summarizing interviews and insights
from the symposium participants is available as a HBR Video IdeaCast on iTunes. If
you don’t currently have access to iTunes, go to http://www.apple.com/itunes/ and click
on the link to download the most current version (currently iTunes 10.4.1). Then access
the iTunes store. In the search box in the upper right corner, search using the phrase
“The Role of Tomorrow’s Leaders.” Select the 8.28 minute video file described as an
HBR Video IdeaCast podcast. After watching the interviews, answer the questions
below.
Questions:
Chapter 16 – Leadership
16–35
1. One of the themes of the speakers is that cultural differences will become
increasingly important to leaders. How do you think cultural differences will
impact leadership styles or the theories of leadership discussed in the chapter?
2. Another theme of the speakers is that social media and the wide-spread
availability of information about companies will impact leadership. Discuss how
social media and the 24/7 news cycle of today will create opportunities and
challenges for leaders.
3. Barbara Kellerman contends that followers today will not easily follow along a
leader’s charted course. To what extent do you think generational differences
will impact leadership styles? Will members of the Millennial generation be less
likely to be willing followers?
4. Another theme of the speakers was the need for distributed leadership and the
need for leaders to build connections both within and across companies.
Discuss traits or behaviors that will be needed to be effective with this leadership
style.
Note to Instructors: iTunes U also has an audio clip of an interview with one of the
authors of the textbook, Professor Angelo Kinicki of Arizona State University, in which
he discusses both transformational and managerial leadership. You can also ask your
students to listen to this 30-minute interview. Have the students search in iTunes using
the phrase “Learn the Principles of Effective Leadership,” and then select the 30 minute
audio file with the W. P. Carey School of Business listed as the artist.
INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES
1. See “Leadership without Excuses: How to Create Accountability and High–
Performance (Instead of Just Talking About It)” by J. Grimshaw and G. Baron
(McGraw-Hill, 2010).
2. See “Topic 16: Leadership” in “An Instructor’s Guide to an Active Classroom” by
A. Johnson and A. Kinicki (McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2006).
3. See “Manager–Educator Relations from a Critical Perspective” by C. Elliott and
M. Reynolds in Journal of Management Education, 2002, Vol. 26(5), pp. 512-526.
4. See “Managerial Skills Teaching: Ten Questions and Twelve Answers” by M.
McEnrue in Journal of Management Education, 2002, Vol. 26(6), pp. 648-670.
5. See “Adventures in Creating an Outdoor Leadership Challenge Course for an
EMBA Program” by W. Judge in Journal of Management Education, 2005, Vol.
29(2), pp. 284-300.
Chapter 16 – Leadership
16–36
6. See “Seeing the Forest and the Trees: Balancing Functional and Integrative
Knowledge Using Large-Scale Simulations in Capstone Business Strategy
Classes” by J. Stephen, D. Parente and R. Brown in Journal of Management
Education, 2002, Vol. 26(2), pp. 164-193.
TOPICAL RESOURCES
1. Fiedler’s contingency approach is introduced in “A Theory of Leadership
Effectiveness” by F. Fiedler (McGraw-Hill, 1967).
2. See “Complexity Leadership Theory: Shifting Leadership from the Industrial Age
to the Knowledge Era” by M. Uhl-Bien et al. in Leadership Quarterly, 2007, Vol.
18, pp. 298-318.
3. See “Rewarding Leadership and Fair Procedures as Determinants of Self–
Esteem” by D. Cremer, B. van Knippenberg, D. van Knippenberg, D. Mullenders,
and F. Stinglhamber in Journal of Applied Psychology, 2005, Vol. 90(1), pp. 3-12.
4. See “Leader Self-Sacrifice and Leadership Effectiveness: The Moderating Role
of Leader Prototypically” by B. van Knippenberg and D. van Knippenberg in
Journal of Applied Psychology, 2005, Vol. 90(1), 25-37.
VIDEO RESOURCES
1. Students are encouraged to see the film “Machiavelli” (BARR Films).
2. Determinants of leadership style are examined in the film “Leadership: Style or
Circumstance?” (CRM Films).
3. Insight Media produces a number of videos on the topic of leadership including
“Bringing out the Leader in You,” “Leading Women, Leading Men,” “How Leaders
Boost Productivity,” “Seven Skills for Emerging Leaders,” and “Building Self
Leadership.”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Have you ever worked for someone you considered to be bad leader? What
traits did the leader display that lead you to conclude that he or she was a bad
leader?
2. Discuss how cross-cultural differences likely impact the appropriateness of
specific leadership traits, behaviors and styles.
Chapter 16 – Leadership
16–37
3. According to Fielder’s contingency theory, are you likely a task-motivated or a
relationship-motivated leader? According to this theory, what are the implications
of your dominant leadership style?
4. Compare and contrast transactional versus transformational leadership and
describe the key sets of leader behavior used with transformational leadership.
SUPPLEMENTAL EXERCISE 1: APPLICATION OF FIEDLER’S CONTINGENCY
MODEL1
APPLICATION
Completing the LPC scale will give each student valuable insight into his or her
leadership style and provide practice at applying the Fiedler’s contingency model.
Students should remember that one style is not better than the other, but rather has
different application potential.
* * *
According to Fiedler, leader effectiveness is contingent upon an appropriate match
between the leader’s style and situational control. A leader‘s style is either task oriented
or relationship oriented. Fiedler developed the least preferred co-worker (LPC) scale to
measure these styles. Students will complete the LPC scale as part of this exercise. A
leadership vignette is provided below. Students should assess situational control and
consider which kind of leader is best suited for that situation. (In the “Leadership
Vignette” the manager faces low situational control, so task-oriented leadership should
be the more effective style.) A handout containing the LPC scale and leadership
vignette are provided below.
LEAST PREFERRED COWORKER (LPC) SCALE
INSTRUCTIONS:
Throughout your life you have worked in many groups with a wide variety of different
people – on your job, in social clubs, in church organizations, in volunteer groups, on
athletic teams, and in many others. You probably found working with most of your
coworkers quite easy, but working with others may have been very difficult or all but
impossible. Now, think of all the people with whom you have ever worked. Next, think of
1 LPC scale is from F.E. Fiedler and M.M. Chemers, Improving Leadership Effectiveness (New York: John Wiley &
Sons, 1984) pp. 17-19. Used with permission.
Chapter 16 – Leadership
16–38
the one person in your life with whom you could work least well. This individual may or
may not be the person you also disliked most. It must be the one person with whom you
had the most difficulty getting a job done, the one single individual with whom you would
least want to work – a boss, a subordinate, or a peer. This person is called your “least
preferred coworker” (LPC).
On the scale below, describe this person by circling the appropriate number.
After completing your ratings, simply add the values associated with each of your 18
responses to calculate your LPC score. If your score is 73 or above, you are classified as
a high-LPC person with a relationship-oriented style. A score below 64 identifies you as a
low-LPC person, indicating that you have a task-oriented style. If your score is between
65 and 72, you are classified as a middle-LPC person. Middle-LPC leaders exhibit
characteristics of both the high and low-LPC styles. Keep in mind that one style is not
better than the other. Each is appropriate and necessary in certain situations. Next
answer the questions for discussion listed directly after the LPC scale.
After answering these questions, read the leadership vignette shown after the LPC scale,
and answer the questions for discussion.
Pleasant
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Unpleasant
Friendly
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Unfriendly
Rejecting
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Accepting
Tense
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Relaxed
Distant
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Close
Cold
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Warm
Supportive
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Hostile
Boring
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Interesting
Quarrelsome
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Harmonious
Gloomy
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Cheerful
Open
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Guarded
Backbiting
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Loyal
Untrustworthy
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Trustworthy
Chapter 16 – Leadership
16–39
Considerate
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Inconsiderate
Rejecting/
Nasty
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Nice
Agreeable
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Disagreeable
Insincere
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Sincere
Kind
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Unkind
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What is your leadership style?
2. Do you agree with this assessment? Explain.
3. For what type of leadership situations are you best suited?
LEADERSHIP VIGNETTE
You are director of a large manufacturing firm. The manager in charge of the
advertising department just had a serious accident and has to be replaced since it is
doubtful that he will be able to return to work for quite some time. You need someone
to fill in for him. The situation is rather hard to define. The key people are
temperamental and touchy, and there has been a great deal of infighting and conflict.
The manager has had a difficult time holding the department together. Moreover, there
has been a demand from other managers for more creative marketing campaigns. You
need someone who can immediately take charge of this department and make it
productive.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What is the situational control in the advertising department?
2. What type of leader is best suited for this situation?
3. What would you do if you were unable to find an optimum leadership match
according to Fiedler’s theory?
Chapter 16 – Leadership
16–40
SUPPLEMENTAL LECTURETTE 1: BLAKE & MOUTON’S LEADERSHIP GRID
APPLICATION
This lecturette may be used to supplement the chapter’s coverage of behavioral styles
of leadership.
* * *
Perhaps the best known behavioral styles model of leadership is the Managerial Grid
(renamed the Leadership Grid in 1991). Behavioral scientists Robert Blake and Jan
Srygley Mouton developed and trademarked the grid. Unlike the contention of most
behavioral styles theories, Blake and Mouton contend that there is one best style of
leadership. The leadership grid is a matrix formed by intersection of two dimensions of
leader behavior. On the horizontal axis is “Concern for Production.” “Concern for
People” is on the vertical axis. Blake and Mouton point out that “the variables are
attitudinal and conceptual, with behavior descriptions derived from and connected with
the thinking that lies behind action.”2 In other words, concern for production and concern
for people involve attitudes and patterns of thinking, as well as specific behaviors. By
scaling each axis of the grid from 1 to 9, Blake and Mouton were able to plot five
leadership styles.
• 1,1 Impoverished Management: Minimum effort exerted to get work done is
enough to sustain organizational membership.
• 1,9 Country Club Management: Thoughtful attention to needs of people for
satisfying relationships leads to a comfortable friendly organization atmosphere
and work pace.
• 5,5 Middle-of-the-Road Management: Adequate performance is possible
balancing the need to get work done while maintaining satisfactory morale.
• 9,1 Authority-Compliance: Efficiency results from a minimal of human
interference.
• 9,9 Team Management: Workers are committed and interdependent with a
common stake in the organization.
Because it emphasizes teamwork and interdependence, the 9,9 style is considered by
Blake and Mouton to be the best, regardless of the situation. In support of the 9,9 style,
Blake and Mouton cite the results of a study in which 100 experienced manages were
asked to select the best way of handling 12 managerial situations. Between 72% and
2 R.R. Blake and J.S. Mouton, “ A Comparative Analysis of Situationalism and 9,9 Management by Principle,”
Organizational Dynamics, Spring 1982, p. 23.
Chapter 16 – Leadership
16–41
90% of the managers selected the 9,9 style for each of the 12 situations.3 Moreover,
Blake and Mouton report, “the 9,9 orientation … leads to productivity, satisfaction,
creativity, and health.”4 Critics point out that Blake and Mouton’s research may be self–
serving. At issue is the grid’s extensive use as a training and consulting tool for
diagnosing and correcting organizational problems.
SUPPLEMENTAL LECTURETTE 2: WHY SOME CEOs ARE LOUSY LEADERS5
APPLICATION
This lecturette may be used to supplement the chapter’s coverage of leader
characteristics.
* * *
Executive management consultant Richard Hagberg is in the business of advising chief
executives. His firm, the Hagberg Consulting Group as collected data on 511 CEOs
including personality tests and evaluations from co-workers. Based on his experiences,
Richard Hagberg shared his experiences in a Fortune interview.
According to Hagberg, leaders are typically good at being managers. That is, they excel
at implementation. However, they also can be “mechanical and machine–like,” and have
difficulty inspiring others. They also have a hard time building relationships with
subordinates, but don’t view this characteristic as a deficiency. According to Hagberg’s
research, CEOs “are very egocentric” and thus building relationships with others is not
viewed as a high priority. They focus on financial goals to the exclusion of people. This
can have severe ramifications if subordinates stop believing in their solutions to problems
and their vision for the company.
CEOs’ emphasis on the self rather than others diminishes teamwork. When the time
comes to make an important decision, decisions are made in a vacuum, without the
valuable input of others. They tend to be independent and have a high need for
autonomy. CEOs may be talented at developing a vision of the company, but they are
notoriously poor at communicating it to subordinates. As a result, they may be frustrated
because “people aren’t doing what they think they’ve told them to do.”
With all these faults, how do CEOs make it to the top? According to Hagberg, it’s often
because they’re good at producing financial results over the short run. Are CEOs
capable of change? “Some are, if they get good feedback. But who’s going to tell the
emperor he has no clothes?”
3 Ibid, pp. 28-29.
4 Ibid., p. 21.
5 Adapted from L. Grant, “Rambos in Pinstripes: Why So Many CEOs Are Lousy Leaders,” Fortune, June 24, 1996, p.
147.