Types of Directive Leadership Behavior

Directive Leadership Behaviors

Defining roles and communication patterns

Planning, scheduling, and assigning responsibilities

Clarifying expectations, goals, and work methods

Guiding and structuring followers’ activities

Motivating and conveying expertise

Monitoring and following up on assignments

How to Be Directive: Skills and Power Bases

Skills, Traits, and Sources of Power

Technical and professional competence

Legitimate PowerResource/

connection power

Expert Power

Communication Skills

Self-confidence and assertiveness

How to Be Directive: Skills and Power Bases

Skills, Traits, and Sources of Power

Technical and professional competence

Legitimate PowerResource/

connection power

Expert Power

Communication Skills

Self-confidence and assertiveness

Effects of Directive Leadership

• Directive leadership is often combined with supportive behavior in most effective form

• Effects on followers are strongly influenced by situational and follower characteristics

Impact of Directive Leadership

Follower Benefits:• Role clarity• Clear expectations• Satisfaction with work

and supervisor• Satisfaction with

organization• Lower stress• Increased performance

Organizational Benefits:• Increased cohesiveness &

harmony• High quality relations

among group members• Reduction of intentions to

quit• Group arousal focused on

achieving organizational goals

• Improved efficiency and/or effectiveness

Situations Where Directiveness may or may not be Effective

1) Followers view themselves as capable and experienced individuals who desire to work independently w/o supervision.

2) Followers are members of a large work group and must coordinate their activities w/one another to be successful.

3) The leader has a high degree of expertise and is supportive.4) Followers work where clear plans, procedures, goals exist &

feedback comes directly from computer.5) Followers work in cohesive group whose members have

little or no desire to meet leader’s performance goals.6) Followers work on tasks that require specific procedures.7) Followers are new at job & need guidance from leader8) Followers work in autonomous groups whose members are

highly trained and experienced and help one another.

Types of Participate Leadership Behavior

Participative Leadership Behaviors

Consulting with Individuals

Obtaining information from followers

Delegation

Consulting with Groups

Asking for opinions about alternatives

Joint decision making with followers

Participative Leadership vs Directive Leadership

• Participative leadership deals with making decisions.

• Directive leadership most often deals with executing a decision once it has been made.

• A leader can be participative by consulting employees during the decision-making phase, yet still be directive by following up closely on progress toward the ends that have been mutually decided on. Used together, PL & DL can be an effective leadership approach.

How to Be Participative: Skills and Power Bases

Skills, Traits, and Sources of Power

Listening Skills

Legitimate PowerResource/

connection power

Expert Power

Conflict Management Skills

Self-monitoring Skills

How to Be Participative: Skills and Power Bases

Skills, Traits, and Sources of Power

Listening Skills

Legitimate PowerResource/

connection power

Expert Power

Conflict Management Skills

Self-monitoring Skills

Reasons Participative Leadership Works with Followers

• Allows reflection on issues that affect them• Provides opportunity to utilize untapped talents

which satisfies need for competence and self-fulfillment

• Make significant contributions to a valued group, thereby satisfying needs for self esteem and accomplishment

• Contributes to motivation and commitment to decisions

Situations Where Participation may or may not be Effective

1) Followers are working on tasks that are very important for organization’s success.

2) Followers’ acceptance and commitment are needed to successfully implement a decision.

3) Followers’ work tasks are highly predictable and repetitive with no variation in the methods for completion.

4) The leader must make an emergency decision immediately with very little time to gather input and information.

5) The leader and followers work in an environment that is extremely uncertain and rapidly changing.

6) Followers are highly competent and possess knowledge and information to make an effective decision.

7) An extensive set of written rules, regulations, and procedures exist to direct followers .

8) Followers have high needs for independence and seek opportunities for achievement and self-fulfillment.

Types of Supportive Leadership Behavior

Supportive Leadership Behaviors

Showing concern for followers needs

Being friendly, informative, and encouraging

Being sympathetic to other’s problems

Being considerate and understanding

Helping followers develop abilities and careers

Showing trust and respect

Why Supportive Leadership is Effective

Supportive leadership behavior works because:• They satisfy people’s needs to be liked and

appreciated by others, to be respected as capable and valuable, and to be continually improving; and

• Supportiveness helps keep a group together by promoting cohesion among members and keeping individuals from becoming alienated

How to Be Supportive: Skills and Power Bases

Skills, Traits, and Sources of Power

Technical and professional competence

Reward PowerReferent

Power

Expert Power

Communication Skills

Interpersonal Skills

How to Be Supportive: Skills and Power Bases

Skills, Traits, and Sources of Power

Technical and professional competence

Reward PowerReferent

Power

Expert Power

Communication Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Situations Where Supportiveness may or may not be Effective

1) Followers are under high stress while trying to complete a dangerous task.

2) Followers are new to the job and are unsure of their abilities and positions.

3) Followers are small group of counselors in a student services dept. of a state university.

4) Followers are very opinionated and stubborn in their point of view.

5) Followers are a large group (over 30) who work at widely varying tasks at different locations.

6) Tasks require creativity and new learning with much competition and possible conflict with other groups.

7) Work involves designing & testing computer programs. Personnel is highly trained and competent and obtain a great deal of satisfaction from their work

Types of Reward Leadership Behavior

Reward Leadership Behaviors

Recommendations for Rewards

Salary or Wage Increase

Informing the boss about outstanding performance

Pleasant Job Assignments

Compliments

High Performance Evaluation

Types of Punishment Leadership Behavior

Punishment Leadership Behaviors

Unpleasant Job Assignment

Reduced Privileges

Extra work

Verbal Reprimand

Fines for Rule Violation

Low Performance Evaluation

How to Reward and Punish: Skills and Power Bases

Skills, Traits, and Sources of Power

Accurate monitoring and measuring of follower’s performance

Legitimate PowerCoercive Power

Reward Power

Preference for making their own decisions and taking responsibility

Self-confidence

Connection/re-source Power

Rewards will be most effective when:

• They are highly valued by follower• They are large enough for follower to expend the

effort• Received immediately after the desired behavior• Followers believe the leader is sincere and

rewards will be received• Tied to high performance• Awarded consistently and fairly

Punishments will be most effective when:

• They are directed toward the behavior not the person• Done in private• Done in low key, unemotional manner• Leader takes direct responsibility for the punishment

—does not attribute to someone else• Promptly follows undesirable behavior or poor

performance• Consistent with similar undesirable behaviors or

performances• Accompanied by information on improvement

Situations Where Reward/Punishment may or may

not be Effective1) The leader controls rewards that are important to

followers and has a reputation for administering those rewards in a fair and impartial manner.

2) Followers are highly skilled design engineers doing complex work but good performance measures have not been developed.

3) Leader held in high esteem by followers & leader has rewarded them in the past. Recently, followers have refused to follow the leader’s direction on two consecutive assignments resulting in poor performance.

4) Followers’ job performance is a direct result of their effort on the job.