Leadership in Organizations
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E i g h t h E d i t i o n
Leadership in Organizations
Gary Yukl University of Albany
State University of New York
ISBN 10: 0-13-277186-1 ISBN 13: 978-0-13-277186-3
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Yukl, Gary A. Leadership in organizations / Gary Yukl. — 8th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-13-277186-3 1. Leadership. 2. Decision making. 3. Organization. I. Title. HD57.7.Y85 2013 303.3'4—dc23
2011046801
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vii
BRIEF CONTENTS
Preface xv
Chapter 1 Introduction: The Nature of Leadership 1
Chapter 2 Nature of Managerial Work 23
Chapter 3 Effective Leadership Behavior 48
Chapter 4 Leading Change and Innovation 76
Chapter 5 Participative Leadership and Empowerment 105
Chapter 6 Leadership Traits and Skills 135
Chapter 7 Contingency Theories and Adaptive Leadership 162
Chapter 8 Power and Influence Tactics 185
Chapter 9 Dyadic Relations and Followers 221
Chapter 10 Leadership in Teams and Decision Groups 247
Chapter 11 Strategic Leadership in Organizations 276
Chapter 12 Charismatic and Transformational Leadership 309
Chapter 13 Ethical, Servant, Spiritual, and Authentic Leadership 340
Chapter 14 Cross-cultural Leadership and Diversity 360
Chapter 15 Developing Leadership Skills 381
Chapter 16 Overview and Integration 404
References 424
Author Index 483
Subject Index 499
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ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface xv
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION: THE NATURE OF LEADERSHIP 1
Definitions of Leadership 2
Indicators of Leadership Effectiveness 8
Major Perspectives in Leadership Theory and Research 10
Level of Conceptualization for Leadership Theories 14
Other Bases for Comparing Leadership Theories 18
Organization of the Book 20
Summary 20 Review and Discussion Questions 21
Chapter 2 NATURE OF MANAGERIAL WORK 23
Activity Patterns for Managers 24
Decision Making and Planning by Managers 26
Managerial Roles 29
Demands, Constraints, and Choices 31
Other Determinants of Managerial Work 34
Limitations of the Descriptive Research 39
Guidelines for Managers 40
Summary 44 Review and Discussion Questions 45
CASE: Acme Manufacturing Company 45
CHAPTER 3 EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOR 48
Ways for Describing Leadership Behavior 48
Major Types of Leadership Behavior 50
Methods for Studying the Effects of Leader Behavior 53
Effects of Task and Relations Behaviors 56
Planning Work Activities 58
Clarifying Roles and Objectives 59
Monitoring Operations and Performance 61
Supportive Leadership 63
Developing Subordinate Skills 65
x Table of Contents
Providing Praise and Recognition 68
Summary 71 Review and Discussion Questions 72 CASE: Consolidated Products 73 CASE: Air Force Supply Squadron 74
CHAPTER 4 LEADING CHANGE AND INNOVATION 76
Types of Change in Teams and Organizations 77
Change Processes 78
Reasons for Accepting or Rejecting Change 80
Implementing Change 81
Guidelines for Implementing Change 84
How Visions Influence Change 89
Collective Learning and Innovation 94
Guidelines for Enhancing Learning and Innovation 98
Summary 101 Review and Discussion Questions 102 CASE: Ultimate Office Products 102
CHAPTER 5 PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP AND EMPOWERMENT 105
Nature of Participative Leadership 106
Research on Effects of Participative Leadership 109
Normative Decision Model 111
Guidelines for Participative Leadership 115
Delegation 118
Guidelines for Delegating 122
Perceived Empowerment 126
Empowerment Programs 128
Summary 130 Review and Discussion Questions 131 CASE: Echo Electronics 132 CASE: Alvis Corporation 133
CHAPTER 6 LEADERSHIP TRAITS AND SKILLS 135
Introduction to the Trait Approach 135
Personality Traits and Effective Leadership 138
Table of Contents xi
Skills and Effective Leadership 148
Managerial Competencies 151
Situational Relevance of Skills 153
Evaluation of the Trait Approach 156
Guidelines for Managers 157
Summary 159 Review and Discussion Questions 159 CASE: National Products 160
CHAPTER 7 CONTINGENCY THEORIES AND ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP 162
General Description of Contingency Theories 163
Early Contingency Theories 164
Multiple-linkage Model 167
Conceptual Weaknesses in Contingency Theories 173
Research on Contingency Theories 174
Comparative Evaluation of Contingency Theories 175
Guidelines for Adaptive Leadership 177
Guidelines for Managing Immediate Crises 179
Summary 180 Review and Discussion Questions 181 CASE: Foreign Auto Shop 182
CHAPTER 8 POWER AND INFLUENCE TACTICS 185
Power and Influence Concepts 185
Power Sources 188
How Power Is Gained or Lost 193
Consequences of Power 195
Guidelines for Using Power 197
Proactive Influence Tactics 201
Effectiveness of Proactive Tactics 206
Guidelines for Specific Tactics 210
Power and Influence Behavior 215
Summary 216 Review and Discussion Questions 217 CASE: Restview Hospital 218 CASE: Sporting Goods Store 219
xii Table of Contents
CHAPTER 9 DYADIC RELATIONS AND FOLLOWERS 221
Leader-Member Exchange Theory 222
Leader Attributions About Subordinates 225
Leader Influence on Follower Emotions 227
Guidelines for Correcting Performance Deficiencies 227
Follower Attributions and Implicit Theories 231
Impression Management by Leaders and Followers 234
Follower Contributions to Effective Leadership 236
Self-Management 237
Guidelines for Followers 239
Summary 243 Review and Discussion Questions 243 CASE: Cromwell Electronics 244 CASE: American Financial Corporation 245
CHAPTER 10 LEADERSHIP IN TEAMS AND DECISION GROUPS 247
Determinants of Team Performance 248
Functional Work Teams 254
Cross-functional Teams 255
Self-managed Work Teams 258
Virtual Teams 261
Guidelines for Leading Teams 262
Leading Decision Groups 265
Guidelines for Leading Meetings 268
Summary 272 Review and Discussion Questions 273 CASE: Southwest Engineering Services 273
CHAPTER 11 STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP IN ORGANIZATIONS 276
Determinants of Organizational Performance 277
How Leaders Influence Organizational Performance 281
Situations Affecting Strategic Leadership 284
Organizational Culture 286
Research on Effects of Strategic Leadership 289
Table of Contents xiii
Executive Teams 291
Emerging Conceptions of Organizational Leadership 294
Two Key Responsibilities for Top Executives 297
Guidelines for Strategic Leadership 299
Summary 302 Review and Discussion Questions 303 CASE: Costco 303 CASE: Turnaround at Nissan 306
CHAPTER 12 CHARISMATIC AND TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP 309
Attribution Theory of Charismatic Leadership 310
Self-Concept Theory of Charismatic Leadership 312
Other Conceptions of Charisma 314
Consequences of Charismatic Leadership 317
Transformational Leadership 321
Research on Charismatic and Transformational Leadership 324
Comparison of Charismatic and Transformational Leadership 328
Evaluation of the Theories 330
Guidelines for Inspirational Leadership 332
Summary 335 Review and Discussion Questions 336 CASE: Astro Airlines 336
CHAPTER 13 ETHICAL, SERVANT, SPIRITUAL, AND AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP 340
Conceptions of Ethical Leadership 341
Dilemmas in Assessing Ethical Leadership 342
Determinants and Consequences of Ethical Leadership 344
Theories of Ethical Leadership 347
Evaluation of Ethical Leadership Theories 352
Guidelines for Ethical Leadership 354
Summary 357 Review and Discussion Questions 358 CASE: Unethical Leadership at Enron 358
xiv Table of Contents
CHAPTER 14 CROSS-CULTURAL LEADERSHIP AND DIVERSITY 360
Introduction to Cross-cultural Leadership 361
Cultural Value Dimensions and Leadership 365
Evaluation of Cross-cultural Research 368
Gender and Leadership 370
Managing Diversity 376
Summary 378 Review and Discussion Questions 379 CASE: Madison, Jones, and Conklin 379
CHAPTER 15 DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP SKILLS 381
Leadership Training Programs 382
Learning from Experience 384
Developmental Activities 385
Facilitating Conditions for Leadership Development 396
Systems Perspective on Leadership Development 398
Summary 401 Review and Discussion Questions 402 CASE: Federated Industries 402
CHAPTER 16 OVERVIEW AND INTEGRATION 404
Major Findings About Effective Leadership 404
Multilevel Explanatory Processes 408
Toward an Integrating Conceptual Framework 415
Limitations in Leadership Research 417
Concluding Thoughts 421 Review and Discussion Questions 423
References 424
Author Index 483
Subject Index 499
xv
PREFACE
This book is about leadership in organizations. Its primary focus is on managerial leadership as opposed to parliamentary leadership, leadership of social movements, or emergent leadership in informal groups. The book presents a broad survey of theory and research on leadership in for- mal organizations. Topics of special interest are the determinants of leadership effectiveness and how leadership can be improved.
In this 8th edition, the following improvements were made to make the book easier to un- derstand and more useful to most readers:
• Most chapters were revised for clarity and understanding (including Chapters 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 12 , 15 , and 16 ).
• The order of Chapters 4 to 12 was modified to improve explanation of related topics. • Several new examples of effective and ineffective leadership were added to Chapters 4 , 6 ,
11 , 13 , and 14 . • More practical guidelines for effective leadership were added to Chapters 3 , 6 , 7 , and 8 . • Several new examples were used in Chapters 3 , 11 , 12 , and 14 to explain how research is
conducted. • Over 100 citations to recent research were added throughout.
The basic structure of most chapters remains the same, but the order of some chapters was changed and a few topics were moved to a different chapter. Citations to relevant recent literature were updated, but given the increasing volume of studies on leadership, the citations are still selec- tive rather than comprehensive. Since the book is not intended to be a history of leadership, it seemed appropriate to reduce the amount of detail about early research programs and old theories that are no longer popular, and focus more closely on what we now know about effective leadership.
The content of the book still reflects a dual concern for theory and practice. I have attempted to satisfy two different audiences with somewhat different preferences. Most academics prefer a book that explains and evaluates major theories and relevant empirical research. They are more interested in how well the research was done, what was found, and what additional research is needed than in the practical applications. Academics tend to be skeptical about the value of pre- scriptions and guidelines for practitioners and consider them premature in the absence of further research. In contrast, most practitioners want some immediate answers about what to do and how to do it in order to be more effective as leaders. They need to deal with the current challenges of their job and cannot wait for decades until the academics resolve their theoretical disputes and ob- tain definitive answers. Practitioners are more interested in finding helpful remedies and prescrip- tions than in finding out how this knowledge was discovered. Readers who desire to improve their leadership effectiveness will find this edition of the book is even more useful than previous editions.
These different preferences are a one of the reasons for the much-lamented gulf between scientists and practitioners in management and industrial-organizational psychology. I believe it is important for managers and administrators to understand the complexity of effective leader- ship, the source of our knowledge about leadership in organizations, and the limitations of this knowledge. Likewise, I believe it is important for academics to think more about how their theories and research can be used to improve the practice of management. Too much of our leadership research is designed to examine narrow, esoteric questions that only interest a few other scholars who publish in the same journals.
xvi Preface
Academics will be pleased to find that major theories are explained and evaluated, findings in empirical research on leadership are summarized, and many references are provided to help readers find sources of additional information about topics of special interest. The field of lead- ership is still in a state of ferment, with many continuing controversies about conceptual and methodological issues. The book addresses these issues whenever feasible. However, the litera- ture review was intended to be incisive, not comprehensive. Rather than detailing an endless series of studies like most handbooks of leadership, the book describes major findings about ef- fective leadership. The current edition reflects significant progress in our understanding of lead- ership since the first edition was published in 1981.
For practitioners and students who desire to become effective managers, I attempted to convey a better appreciation of the complexity of managerial leadership, the importance of hav- ing theoretical knowledge about leadership, and the need to be flexible and pragmatic in applying this knowledge. The current edition provides many guidelines and recommendations for im- proving managerial effectiveness, but it is not a “practitioner’s manual” of simple techniques and secret recipes that guarantee instant success. The purpose of the guidelines is to help the reader understand the practical implications of the leadership theory and research, not to prescribe ex- actly how things must be done by a leader. Most of the guidelines are based on a limited amount of research and they are not infallible or relevant for all situations. Being a flexible, adaptive leader includes determining which guidelines are relevent for each unique situation.
Most chapters have one or two short cases designed to help the reader gain a better under- standing of the theories, concepts, and guidelines presented in the chapter. The cases describe events that occurred in real organizations, but some of the cases were modified to make them more useful for learning basic concepts and effective practices. For most of the cases, the names of organizations and individuals were changed to keep the analysis focused on the events that oc- curred in a defined time period, not on recent events that may involve different leaders and a new context. The cases ask a reader to analyze behavioral processes, identify examples of effective and ineffective behavior, and suggest effective ways to handle the situation that is depicted.
An instructor’s manual is available with detailed analyses of the cases and suggestions on how to use them. The instructor’s manual also includes additional cases, exercises for use in class (e.g., role plays), and some out-of-class activities that help students to understand how they can apply the theory and guidelines. Finally, a test bank is available with multiple-choice items on the major points in each chapter.
The book is widely used in many different countries, and some editions have been translated into other languages, including Chinese, Korean, Indonesian, Spanish, Greek, Croatian, and Swedish. With its focus on effective leadership in organizations, the book is especially relevant for people who expect to become a manager or administrator in the near future, for people who will be responsible for training or coaching leaders, and for people who will be teaching courses or work- shops that include leadership as one of the key topics. The book is appropriate for use as the primary text in an undergraduate or graduate course in leadership. Such courses are found in many different schools or departments, including business, psychology, sociology, educational administration, public administration, and health care administration. The book is on the list of required or recommended readings for students in many doctoral programs in leadership, management, and industrial- organizational psychology. Finally, the book is also useful for practicing managers and consultants who are looking for something more than superficial answers to difficult questions about leadership.
Gary Yukl Albany, New York
June, 2011
1
Chapter 1
Learning Objectives After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
■ Understand the different ways leadership has been defined. ■ Understand the controversy about differences between leadership and management. ■ Understand why it is so difficult to assess leadership effectiveness. ■ Understand the different indicators used to assess leadership effectiveness. ■ Understand what aspects of leadership have been studied the most during the past 50 years. ■ Understand the organization of this book.
Leadership is a subject that has long excited interest among people. The term connotes images of powerful, dynamic individuals who command victorious armies, direct corporate empires from atop gleaming skyscrapers, or shape the course of nations. The exploits of brave and clever leaders are the essence of many legends and myths. Much of our description of history is the story of military, political, religious, and social leaders who are credited or blamed for important historical events, even though we do not understand very well how the events were caused or how much influence the leader really had. The widespread fascination with leadership may be because it is such a mysterious process, as well as one that touches everyone’s life. Why did certain leaders (e.g., Gandhi, Mohammed, Mao Tse-tung) inspire such intense fervor and dedi- cation? How did certain leaders (e.g., Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great) build great empires? Why did some rather undistinguished people (e.g., Adolf Hitler, Claudius Caesar) rise to posi- tions of great power? Why were certain leaders (e.g., Winston Churchill, Indira Gandhi) sud- denly deposed, despite their apparent power and record of successful accomplishments? Why do some leaders have loyal followers who are willing to sacrifice their lives, whereas other lead- ers are so despised that subordinates conspire to murder them?
Introduction: Th e Nature of Leadership
2 Chapter 1 • Introduction: The Nature of Leadership
Questions about leadership have long been a subject of speculation, but sci- entific research on leadership did not begin until the twentieth century. The focus of much of the research has been on the determinants of leadership effectiveness. Social scientists have attempted to discover what traits, abilities, behaviors, sources of power, or aspects of the situation determine how well a leader is able to influence followers and accomplish task objectives. There is also a growing interest in understanding leadership as a shared pro- cess in a team or organization and the reasons why this process is effective or ineffective. Other important questions include the reasons why some people emerge as leaders, and the determi- nants of a leader’s actions, but the predominant concern has been leadership effectiveness.
Some progress has been made in probing the mysteries surrounding leadership, but many questions remain unanswered. In this book, major theories and research findings on leader- ship effectiveness will be reviewed, with particular emphasis on managerial leadership in formal organizations such as business corporations, government agencies, hospitals, and universi- ties. This chapter introduces the subject by considering different conceptions of leadership, dif- ferent ways of evaluating its effectiveness, and different approaches for studying leadership. The chapter also provides an overview of the book and explains how subjects are organized.
Definitions of Leadership
The term leadership is a word taken from the common vocabulary and incorporated into the technical vocabulary of a scientific discipline without being precisely redefined. As a consequence, it carries extraneous connotations that create ambiguity of meaning (Janda, 1960). Additional confusion is caused by the use of other imprecise terms such as power , author- ity , management , administration , control , and supervision to describe similar phenomena. An observation by Bennis (1959, p. 259) is as true today as when he made it many years ago:
Always, it seems, the concept of leadership eludes us or turns up in another form to taunt us again with its slipperiness and complexity. So we have invented an endless proliferation of terms to deal with it . . . and still the concept is not sufficiently defined.
Researchers usually define leadership according to their individual perspectives and the as- pects of the phenomenon of most interest to them. After a comprehensive review of the leadership literature, Stogdill (1974, p. 259) concluded that “there are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept.” The stream of new definitions has continued unabated since Stogdill made his observation. Leadership has been defined in terms of traits, behaviors, influence, interaction patterns, role relationships, and occupation of an adminis- trative position. Table 1-1 shows some representative definitions presented over the past 50 years.
Most definitions of leadership reflect the assumption that it involves a process whereby in- tentional influence is exerted over other people to guide, structure, and facilitate activities and rela- tionships in a group or organization. The numerous definitions of leadership appear to have little else in common. They differ in many respects, including who exerts influence, the intended pur- pose of the influence, the manner in which influence is exerted, and the outcome of the influence attempt. The differences are not just a case of scholarly nit-picking; they reflect deep disagreement about identification of leaders and leadership processes. Researchers who differ in their concep- tion of leadership select different phenomena to investigate and interpret the results in different ways. Researchers who have a very narrow definition of leadership are less likely to discover things that are unrelated to or inconsistent with their initial assumptions about effective leadership.
Chapter 1 • Introduction: The Nature of Leadership 3
Because leadership has so many different meanings to people, some theorists question whether it is even useful as a scientific construct (e.g., Alvesson & Sveningsson, 2003; Miner, 1975). Nevertheless, most behavioral scientists and practitioners seem to believe leadership is a real phenomenon that is important for the effectiveness of organizations. Interest in the subject con- tinues to increase, and the deluge of articles and books about leadership shows no sign of abating.
Specialized Role or Shared Influence Process?
A major controversy involves the issue of whether leadership should be viewed as a special- ized role or as a shared influence process. One view is that all groups have role specialization, and the leadership role has responsibilities and functions that cannot be shared too widely without jeopardizing the effectiveness of the group. The person with primary responsibility to perform the specialized leadership role is designated as the “leader.” Other members are called “followers” even though some of them may assist the primary leader in carrying out leadership functions. The distinction between leader and follower roles does not mean that a person cannot perform both roles at the same time. For example, a department manager who is the leader of department employees is also a follower of higher-level managers in the organization. Researchers who view leadership as a specialized role are likely to pay more attention to the attributes that determine selection of designated leaders, the typical behavior of designated leaders, and the effects of this behavior on other members of the group or organization.
Another way to view leadership is in terms of an influence process that occurs naturally within a social system and is diffused among the members. Writers with this perspective believe it is more useful to study “leadership” as a social process or pattern of relationships rather than as a specialized role. According to this view, various leadership functions may be carried out by dif- ferent people …