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Leadership Theory There is no shortage of people in the world willing to give their two cents on leadership theory. The bookstores, magazines and professional journals are replete not just with leadership theory works by scholars, but also it seems with every Tom, Dick and Harriett who has ever had any success in business. Apparently, having a book published about your own theories of leadership has become a status symbol. That is not to say that there aren’t any good writings on leadership theory, just that there are a lot of them.
One leadership theory holds that it is important for the leader to get his or her hands dirty, to really be in the trenches with the team, this theory is called, appropriately enough, participative leadership. Another leadership theory is Informal Leadership. According to this theory, the best way to lead is not to simply be assigned the role of leader, but to assume the leadership role through the assumption of leadership tasks. |
Supporters of this leadership theory say it is best because the leader is seen as not having been put in charge, but that he or she took command through his or her actions, an important difference in group dynamics and psychology. Still other leadership theories, inspirational theories, surmise that the leader be very supportive and enthusiastic, using every opportunity to encourage and raise enthusiasm among the workers. That being said, many schools of leadership theory don’t rest on just one method of leadership, they conclude that leadership style and method are not fixed, that different situations call for the application of different leadership theory. These theories are broadly known as contingency theories.
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