MGT1250 Module 4- Behavior Approach

Describe the behavioral approach

Explain how the behavioral approach works

Discuss the strengths and criticisms of the behavioral approach

Composed of two general

kinds of Behaviors

Initiating Structure: Task Behaviors- Facilitate goal accomplishment: Help group members achieve objectives

Consideration: Relationship Behaviors- Help subordinates feel comfortable with themselves, each other, and the situation

Focuses exclusively on what leaders do and how they act

Researchers decided to analyze how leaders acted when leading a group

Analysis was conducted by having followers complete questionnaires about their leader

Followers identified how many times their leaders engaged in certain behaviors

Results - Particular clusters of behaviors were typical of leaders

Two general types of leader behaviors: 

Task behaviors - organizing work, giving structure to the work

context, defining role responsibility, scheduling work activities

Relationship behaviors – building camaraderie, respect, trust, & liking between leaders & followers

Specific emphasis on impact of leadership behavior on performance of small groups

Results - Two types of leadership behaviors

conceptualized as opposite ends of a single continuum

Employee orientation- Strong human relations emphasis

Production orientation- Stresses the technical aspects of a job

Designed to explain how leaders help organizations to reach their purposes

Concern for production- How a leader is concerned with achieving organizational tasks

Concern for people- How a leader attends to the members of the organization who are trying to achieve its goals

Behavioral approach marked a major shift in leadership research from exclusively trait focused to include behaviors and actions of leaders

At conceptual level, a leader’s style is composed of two major types of behaviors: task and relationship

Broad range of studies on leadership style validates and

gives credibility to the basic tenets of the approach

Research has not adequately demonstrated how leaders’ styles are associated with performance outcomes

No universal style of leadership that could be effective in almost every situation