Deck 3: The Style Approach to Leadership

Question 1

The style approach to leadership set of models largely focus upon the decision-making process that surrounds the leader.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Stogdill and the Ohio team used a two-dimensional model of leadership behaviour whereas Likert and Michigan placed their dimensions at either end of a continuum. This meant that it could demonstrate that:

A) 'making decisions is one of the most important functions performed by employees'
B) both employee and colleagues (or no) could be human-oriented or task-oriented but not both
C) a leader could be either human-oriented or task-oriented but not both.
D) actions such as planning the workload, of hiring and firing team members, choosing different strategies, and resource allocation could be measured

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Likert developed a 'Management System' where the resulting relationships between the various stakeholders and the leadership generate very different experiences for those stakeholders.
Which best fits Likert's Benevolent Authoritative system?

A) Leaders will be seen to be asking, listening, and using some of the ideas proposed by subordinates
B) Incentives and rewards are offered to employees for their compliance and effort. There may also be a 'flow' of information from the bottom to the top of the organization
C) Decisions are made exclusively by the management. The role of the subordinate or follower is simply to obey those instructions and there is no consultation by the management
D) The leadership of the organization have complete confidence in their subordinates. There is a clear and plentiful flow of communication

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Tannenbaum and Schmidt said that the purpose of the team is to increase 'the team's repertory of possible solutions to any problem' (1958:97) so although each worker has a role to play in the formulation of the decision.

Question 5

Personality influences decisions and that life experiences will affect the decision of the manager. Which of the options best reflects personality influences and life experiences that affect managers:

A) Need for Responsibility - The manager will need to make a judgement on the amount of responsibility individuals within his team are able and willing to accept.
B) Value system - the manager will be assessing his own perspective on the role of leaders and followers. He will consider the 'right' he has to make decisions and his own perceptions of the expectations of the organization for him to exert legitimate authority.
C) Time pressure. A manager may feel this pressure most keenly and it is likely to result in a different approach as a deadline approaches.
D) Need for independence. Highly specialized, highly skilled workers may feel they 'know best' when asked a technical question and may resent a generalist making decisions about their specialism.

Question 6

Vroom and Yetton developed a 'normative' model trying to use rational
logic rather than a more subjective approach based on human intuition to reach a decision on leadership style

Question 7

Tannenbaum and Schmidt believed that the manager has a choice. Managers who understand forces affecting decisions may determine the style they will employ. The manager who is sensitive can better assess the problems faced.
Which forces in the subordinate should the manager be sensitive to?

A) When there is less time pressure in terms of decision, a delegative process may allow for gathering of ideas to reach a solution.
B) Certain managerial 'traits' may enable a leader to be more direct in their decision making.
C) leader may feel the power of multiple minds make it necessary to involve other individuals in a quest for a solution to a complex task.
D) individual traits that drive some individuals to require a degree of clarity to any instruction in their need for boundaries

Question 8

The Style Approach provides a number of strengths and weaknesses for understanding leadership.
Which statement best provides a strength of the Style Approach?

A) The style of the leader should match the situation. The approach considers a limited number of factors.
B) The focus is not upon the attributes of the leader nor their behaviour in a two-dimensional sense.
C) It simplifies the answer to a complex and dynamic situation.
D) It is unclear how the leader's style influences the outcomes.

Question 9

Deal and Kennedy (1982) paraphrased Organizational culture by noting that organizations are, to a degree, like people-in that they have 'personalities' and a 'way of doing things'.

Question 10

Tannenbaum and Schmidt, wrote an influential article called 'How to Choose a Leadership Pattern' (1958). They identified only two different styles.