List and briefly define the four approaches to leadership discussed in Chapter 9

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The four leadership approaches discussed in Chapter 9 include the trait approach, the
style approach, the situational approach, and the functional approach. The trait style is the
oldest of the leadership approaches, and states that the physical and psychological
characteristics of most, if not all, leaders are very similar. This is the idea that leaders are
born, not made. The trait approach has been disproven for the most part, but it still resonates
strongly with laypeople. The second approach, the style approach, examines three
management styles leaders employ: authoritarian, democratic, and laissez­faire. The
autocratic approach is one where the leader maintains a firm hand over followers.
Democratic­style leaders maintain some control over the group, but serve more as a guide. The
laissez­faire leader is a "hands off" leader, allowing followers a high degree of autonomy. The
third approach, the situational or contingency approach, values a change in leadership style
that reflects the particulars of a given situation. Finally, the functional approach assumes that
at different points in time, certain group members might better fulfill the needed functions and
that no single person should try and fulfill all the group's functional needs. The functional
approach emphasizes emergent leadership in that different leaders emerge as the group
moves from task to task.