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Leadership is the quality of an individual or group of individuals in an organisation to control and govern the team of that organisation. In every society or organisation, leadership is required for the smooth function of that organisation and its growth. Theories of leadership tell an individual how to be a good leader. These theories guide and motivate an individual to be a great leader.
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Theories of leadership help to improve the behaviour and quality of the person to perform the leadership task in an effective manner. The leadership theories explain how and why some people become great leaders. According to the prior theories of leadership it was assumed that the leaders are born, but the recent theories give the thought that the leadership quality can be developed by an individual.
Types of leadership theories
There are seven main leadership theories regarding the ability and the characteristics of a good and successful leader. Depending on different situations and scenarios, the significance of these theories is changed.
Great Man theories of leadership
Great man theory of leadership is the most prior theory of leadership. This theory of leadership says that leaders are born and not made. A leader is a leader by birth. The person, who has the ability to lead in every aspect of his life from his birth. A leader possesses the quality of leadership, and the one who does not possess it can not be a leader. According to this theory of leadership, successful leaders are born with all the necessary qualities of leadership such as positivity, confidence, responsibility, strategic thinking etc.
Contingency theories of leadership
The contingency theories of leadership give importance to the situation at which leadership quality is required. The leader should choose the optimum action in the different situations, which describe the leadership quality of the leader. According to the contingency theories of leadership, the best style of leadership is changed with the different variables with respect to the environment.
Transformational theories of leadership
The transformational theories of leadership are focused between the leader of the organisation and the member of that organisation. A good leader is described with how he changes and transforms the members of the organisation to do the task better. According to the transformational or relationship theories of leadership, the leaders help every member of the organisation to grow. The leader must possess the qualities of task management and team management.
Trait theories of leadership
The trait theories of leadership are similar to the Great man theory which gives importance to the build quality of the person and says that the leader is born with not made. The qualities of the person lead a person to take certain actions in a different situation. This theory states that a person has traits that are required to be a leader such as a high confidence level, the courage to take initiative etc.
Behaviour theories of leadership
The behaviour theories of leadership are somewhere between the Great man theory of leadership and contingency theory of leadership. This theory tails that a leader is defined by his behaviour while performing a task or leading the members. According to the behaviour theory, a person keeps learning new qualities of leadership from the action and present them in his behaviour in order to be a great leader.
Transactional theories of leadership
Transactional theories of leadership are the theory is based on the motivation of the members of the organisation. These members can not be self-motivated, and it is the primary work of a leader to motivate them. A good leader motivates the members of the organisation by leading from the front and setting up examples.
Situational theories of leadership
The situational theories of leadership are similar to the contingency theory, which gives importance to the situation at which the leadership quality is required rather than the individual personality. A leader is judged in different situations by the action taken by him. A good leader is expected to take the optimum action in different problems.
Importance of leadership theories
The leadership theories explain the situations in which some people become a great leader. Theories of leadership tell an individual how to be a good leader.
Leadership theories help to improve the behaviour and quality of the person to perform the leadership task effectively. These theories guide and motivate an individual to be a successful leader in his organisation.
Effective Theories of Leadership
All the seven theories of leadership have their own significance. These theories guide and motivate an individual to be a great leader.
Depending on different situations and scenarios, the significance of these theories is changed. In the above-described theories of leadership, the transformation theory is the most effective theory of leadership as it can fit in most of the organisation.
Conclusion
Theories of leadership help an individual to be a great leader and grow their traits of leadership. There are 7 main types of theories of leadership, which describe the situation of a person to be a great leader. The above article is dedicated to the types of theories of leadership and their significance.
