150 likes | 359 Views
Leadership in Small Groups. 1. Leadership in action. Is this an effective group? Does the “leader” think it is effective? Do the members feel it is effective? What specific actions influenced the level of effectiveness? Suggestions?. 2. What is leadership?.
E N D
1. Leadership in action • Is this an effective group? • Does the “leader” think it is effective? • Do the members feel it is effective? • What specific actions influenced the level of effectiveness? • Suggestions?
2. What is leadership? • acts of guiding, influencing, directing, inspiring, and/or motivating the actions of others to achieve organizational goals. • Designated leader vrs. Actual leader • Person vrs. Group Activity
3. Sources of influence • Legitimate power (positional or role) • Referent power (attraction, identification, charisma) • Expert power (knowledge)
4. Leadership Theories • Traits approach (born to win) • higher IQ, taller, more attractive, larger • leadership emergence approach • Styles approach • democratic • Laissez-faire • autocratic
Theories cont. • Contingency • Needs of group members • Downs & Picket study (high social needs) • Functional approaches • Task vrs. People • Leader as medium - assist group in creating an organizing scheme (rules/procedures) for problem solving (how - through leader)
Theories cont. • Specific functions • Leaders provide sufficient info. • Leaders enact a variety of functions • Leaders make sense of decisions • Leaders focus on the here-and-now • Contingency approach (Task & Relationship) • You can not adapt (Fiedler) • You can adapt (Hersey & Blanchard)
Theories cont. • Communication competencies of effective leaders: • encode ideas clearly & concisely • firmly understand the group’s task • skilled in mediating info. & ideas supplied by group (critical thinking) • express opinions provisionally • express group centered concerns • respect others when they speak • share rewards and credit with the group
5. Distributed leadership • a group may be able to function without a leader, but it cannot function without leadership • Basic idea - group members share leadership functions
6. Key leadership skills • Leader as completer • Equalize opportunity to participate • Address comments to group • Be a gatekeeper • Actively listen to those who speak less often • Avoid commenting after each speaker • Request opinions of others on key issues
Leadership skills cont. • Stimulate critical thinking • Focus on analysis 1st, solutions 2nd • Encourage evaluation of info. • Clarify assumptions, standards, & criteria • Test solutions against standards & criteria
Leadership skills cont. • Foster meeting-to-meeting improvement • Determine areas of improvement • Routinely assess strengths/weaknesses • Establish & Maintain Trust • Establish norms, stick to them • Confront trust violators • Be a principled/ethical leader
Leadership skills cont. • Promote teamwork & cooperation • Use the right pronouns • Create symbols of group identification • Watch out for hidden agendas • Share rewards with all the group • Argue about facts/issues, not personalities • Make it fun!