Northouse, Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Lecture Notes
Chapter 8: Establishing a Constructive Climate
Chapter Summary
I. Constructive Climate Explained
II. Climate in Practice
A. Providing Structure
B. Clarifying Norms
C. Building Cohesiveness
D Promoting Standards of Excellence
III. Leadership Snapshot: Meg Whitman, CEO, Hewlett Packard
IV. Case Study: A Tale of Two Classes
Chapter Objectives
1. Understand the concept of constructive climate.
2. Review factors considered to establish constructive climate.
3. Explain the process for providing constructive feedback to employees.
Lecture Notes
• How important is structure to group success?
• How can you promote group cohesion as a leader?
I. Constructive Climate Explained
A. Climate refers to the atmosphere of a team or an organization.
B. Related to climate are the rituals, values, procedures, and underlying assumptions
of a group.
C. A constructive climate provides an atmosphere that promotes group members’
satisfaction and achieving their personal best.
D. In establishing a constructive climate, leaders need to:
2. Clarify norms
3. Build cohesiveness
4. Promote standards of excellence
II. Climate in Practice
A. Provide Structure
1. Providing structure gives people a sense of security, direction, &
2. How a leader can provide structure:
a. By communicating group goals
i. Military mission
1. Definition: Norms are the rules of behavior that are established and
shared by group members.
3. Norms develop early in a group and are difficult to change
4. Leaders need to try to shape norms that will maximize group
1. Definition: Cohesiveness is the sense of “we–ness”, or the esprit de
corps, that exists within a group.
2. Positive outcomes of cohesiveness; example of UW rowing team
a. Increased participation
b. Better interaction among members
c. Group membership is more consistent
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
f. Group exerts strong influence on members
g. Conform more closely to group goals
3. How can leaders build cohesiveness?
a. Create a climate of trust
b. Invite members to be active participants
c. Encourage passive members to become involved
D. Promote Standards of Excellence
1. Definition: Standards of excellence are the expressed and implied
expectations for performance that exist within a group or organization.
a. Standards indicate what group members need to know and
what skills group members need to acquire
b. How much initiative and effort they need to demonstrate
2. LaFasto and Larson (2001) identified several ways that leaders can
influence performance and promote standards of excellence (Based on
studies of over 600 team leaders & 6000 team members)
3. Requiring results
a. Leaders need to articulate their concrete expectations
clearly for team members.
4. Reviewing results
a. Leaders must give constructive feedback & resolve
performance issues
b. Constructive feedback is honest, direct communication
about member performance
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
4
ii. Lets group members know how to maintain or
improve
c. Five tips for giving constructive feedback
i. Address behaviors
ii. Describe specifically what you have observed
d. Resolving performance issues is critical for effective
leaderships
i. Leaders must address inadequate performance of
any group members.
5. Rewarding results
a. Effective leaders reward group members for achieving
results
b. Rewarding results is a practical process that every leader
can do
i. Includes paying attention to members, offering
III. Leadership Snapshot: Meg Whitman, CEO, Hewlett Packard
A. Whitman took over a company in HP that was described as a complete mess.
B. Fourth CEO of HP.
C. Graduate of Princeton and Harvard universities.
D. Took eBay from $86 million in sales to $7.7 billion a decade later.
E. She is described as blunt, folksy, and persistent.
M. Case Study