Northouse’s (2004: 3) Common themes
Leadership as a process
Leadership involves influence
Leadership occurs in a group context
Leadership involves goal attainment
Grint’s (2004) Problem areas of leadership research
The process problem: is leadership embodied in the individual qualities or
traits of the leader or is followership created by relational process which
engage both leaders and followers?
The position problem: does leadership arise from formal authority (the
leader ‘being in charge’) or from more informal influence processes (the
leader ‘being in front’)?
The philosophy problem: to what extent is leadership effected by leaders
and/or followers’ actions. How are followers’ actions shaped by the
situation or context? Or, is ‘leadership’ something which followers identify
as a causal force following events?
The purity problem: is leadership solely an individual phenomenon or can
groups demonstrate the characteristics of leadership?
Table 2-4 Common themes and problem areas
2.2.1 Summary of paradigmatic progression in leadership studies
The chronological progression of theory in leadership studies can be summarised
as follows; indicative dates for the emergence of each theoretical perspective are
given and all can be considered extant:
(i) (1900- ) the earlier ‘great man’ and trait theories which examined the
characteristics of ‘great’ leaders in an attempt to understand the personal
(physical and psychological) factors which explain successful leadership;
(ii) (1950s- ) behavioural theories which sought to identify significant aspects of
successful leaders’ behaviour (rather than inherent traits);
(iii) (1950s- ) the situational (or contingency) approaches (which examine the
ways in which business-environment factors affect leadership processes);
(iv) (1960s- ) the more ‘humanistic’ theories which incorporate
personal/motivational factors and tend towards perspectives which balance
organisational and individuals’ needs; and