Leadership Frameworks

Leadership

|

Business

Organisations should ensure that they select competent leaders to guide their employees towards their corporate strategies.

Strong leaders give clear and unified directions to the members of their organisation, which must align with the organisation’s overall objective. Their leadership would establish an organisation’s long-term direction and pace, and clearly define the organisation’s mission and vision. 

---

Effective leaders may adopt different behavioural traits according to the demands of their project. As such, they may use several established frameworks to determine an appropriate leadership style for their organisation.

Leadership Behaviour Model

1. Leadership Categories

According to Tannenbaum and Schmidt’s leadership model [1], which first appeared in an edition of the Harvard Business Review, leadership behaviours may be categorised into three main categories:

• Autocratic: Autocratic leaders identify problems and solutions without considering their subordinates’ opinions. This is often the case in sectors that prioritise quick and large-scale production over employee perspective.

• Participative: Managers allow their subordinates to participate in a project’s decision-making process. Although participative leaders are primarily responsible for identifying a problem, they would present their proposed solution to their subordinates, and would consider their feedback before its implementation.

• Laissez-faire: Laissez-faire leaders define specific problems, and establish boundaries within decisions must be made. Subsequently, they would allow their subordinates to helm the project’s decision-making process, and may possibly participate as a group member.

 
2. Factors that Influence Leader Behaviour

In deciding which leader behaviour from the continuum to use, Tannenbaum and Schmidt proposed that managers may consider the following attributes:
​

• Managerial forces: These forces deal specifically with the manager’s behaviour and preference, such as the manager’s comfort level with their leadership style.

• Subordinate forces: These forces deal with the behaviour and preferences of a project’s subordinates, such as their initiative to accept responsibility.

​

• Situational forces: These forces consider environmental factors, such as time pressures, that may affect a leader’s behaviour. [2]​

Managerial Grid

Whilst Tannenbaum and Schmidt’s leadership behaviour model states the various managerial styles that leaders may adopt, the Harvard Business Review has published a managerial grid that evaluates how different leadership styles will influence their subordinates’ behaviour, as well as their work environment.

This managerial grid evaluates leadership behaviour based on two organisational variables—the degree of a leader’s concern for production against their concern for people. This framework uses a numerical scale to categorise the following leadership styles:

• 1,1 Management:
  • Minimal concern for production and people.
  • Minimum effort is required to accomplish tasks.

• 1,9 Management:
  • Maximal concern for people but minimum concern for production.
  • Thoughtful attention to needs of people for satisfying relationship.
  • This leads to a comfortable, friendly organisation atmosphere and work tempo.

• 9,1 Management:
  • Maximal concern for production and minimal concern for human relationships.
  • In order to achieve operational efficiency, work conditions are designed to reduce human interference.

• 9,9 Management:
  • Maximal concern for both human relationships and production.
  • A unified organisational purpose fosters committed staff, an interdependent workforce, and relationships of trust and respect.

​

• 5,5 Management:
  • Equal concern for both human relationships and production.
  • An organisation’s activities balance a sustainable level of output along with the morale of its workforce. [3]

---

references

​[1] Tannenbaum, R., & Schmidt, W.h. (1973). How to Choose a Leadership Pattern. Harvard Business Review, 51. pp.162-180.
[2] Robbins S., DeCenzo D., Coulter M., Woods M. (2016). Management The Essentials. 3rd Edition. London, U.K. Published by Pearson Education. pp.306.
[3] R.R. Blake, J.A. Mouton, L.B. Barnes & L.E. Greine. (1964). Breakthrough in organization development. Harvard Business Review. pp. 136.