2023: WK 09 SPRING

Which of the following statements about leadership and management are true?

• Both leadership and management are not essential for organisational success

• Leadership is the ability to influence a group towards the achievement of a vision or set of goals

• They are often used synonymously because they are the same

• Management is the use of authority to formulate detailed plans, create efficient organisational structures and oversee strategic operations

Answer explanation

Having the ability to influence a group towards the achievement of a vision or a set of goals is a characteristic of a leader.

A leader who exemplifies _______ expects employees to maintain definite standards and meet deadlines, whereas a leader who exemplifies _______ respects employees' ideas and treats them as equals.

• consideration; initiating structure

• initiating structure; consideration

• openness; extraversion

• introversion; conscientiousness

Answer explanation

Leaders high in initiating structure are likely to define and structure their role and those of subordinates in order to attain goals. Leaders high in consideration are likely to have job relationships characterised by mutual trust, respect for subordinates' ideas and regard for their feelings.

Which of the following statements about traits and behavioural theories are true?

• Trait theories propose that general behaviours differentiate leaders from non-leaders

• Trait theories consider personal qualities and characteristics that differentiate leaders from non-leaders

• Behavioural theories propose that specific behaviours differentiate various leaders

• Behavioural theories consider personal qualities and characteristics that differentiate leaders from non-leaders

Answer explanation

Proponents of trait theories consider personal qualities and characteristics that differentiate leaders from non-leaders.

Ken is a leader who inspires his followers to transcend their self-interests to pursue organisational goals, while James is a risk-taking leader who is visionary and unconventional. What types of leaders are Ken and James?

• Ken is a charismatic leader, while James is a transformational leader.

• Ken is a transformational leader, while James is a charismatic leader.

• Ken is a charismatic leader, while James is a transactional leader.

• Ken is an inspiring leader, while James is a transformational leader.

Answer explanation

Charisma is about risk-taking, while transformational leadership is about transcending individual goals. Ken is a transformational leader, while James is a charismatic leader.

Charismatic leadership:

• depends solely on the situation and on the leader’s vision

• depends on convincing followers to pursue a vision

• depends, to some extent, on the situation and on the leader’s vision

• is often unsuccessful at convincing followers to pursue a vision can be disastrous

Answer explanation

Charismatic leaders thrive in times of crisis and uncertainty.

Michael often consults with a group of employees that he trusts. This in-group can be described within which theory?

• Path-goal theory

• Leader-participation theory

• Situational leadership theory

• Leader-member exchange

Answer explanation

When leaders establish a special relationship with a small group of their followers, these individuals make up the in-group; they are trusted, they get a disproportionate amount of the leader's attention and they are more likely to receive special privileges.

Which of the following exemplifies a transactional leader?

• Paul, whose employees consistently meet their goals but do not exceed the organisation's expectations

• Anapurna, whose employees describe her as visionary and unconventional

• Marjorie, who watches vigilantly for errors and corrects her employees accordingly

• Rashid, who communicates challenging goals and expectations for his employees

  emotionally and persuasively

Answer explanation

Marjorie actively seeks corrective action and seeks to motivate her followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements.

The attribution theory of leadership says that:

• leadership is merely an attribution that people make about other individuals

• leadership is merely an attribution that people make about themselves

• leaders are not responsible for extremely negative or extremely positive performance

• we attribute to leaders intelligence, outgoing personality, poor verbal skills, aggressiveness, understanding and industriousness

Answer explanation

This theory suggests that our perception of a leader's qualities isn't just based on what they do, but also on how we interpret what they do. For example, people often attribute qualities like outgoing personality, confidence, intelligence, and strong verbal skills, to good leaders.

Authentic leadership:

• dictates the moral tone for an organisation and demonstrates those standards through behaviour, and encourages and rewards integrity in others, while avoiding abuses of power.

• is based on are ethical people who know who they are, know what they believe in, and value, and act on those values and beliefs secretly

• is a style based on distrust

• is characterised by leaders who teach ethical behaviours and are socialised

Answer explanation

Authentic leadership is a leadership style that emphasises building legitimacy through honest relationships with followers, valuing their input, and being transparent about thoughts and feelings. Research has shown that authentic leadership can lead to higher levels of trust, improved employee engagement, and a more positive organisational culture.

Trudy is having difficulty; she anticipates that Helen will act opportunistically. Which psychological state is Trudy having a problem with?

• Personality

• Trust

• Self-esteem

• Productivity

Answer explanation

Trust is a psychological state that exists when you agree to make yourself susceptible to another because you have positive expectations about how things are going to turn out.