A Review Of Leadership Theories, Principles And Styles And .

8Rose Ngozi Amanchukwu et al.: A Review of Leadership Theories, Principlesand Styles and Their Relevance to Educational Management2.1. "Great Man" TheoryGreat man theories assume that the capacity for leadershipis inherent, that great leaders are born, not made. Thesetheories often portray leaders as heroic, mythic and destinedto rise to leadership when needed. The term great man wasused because, at the time, leadership was thought ofprimarily as a male quality, especially military leadership(See also, Ololube, 2013).2.2. Trait TheorySimilar in some ways to great man theories, the traittheory assumes that people inherit certain qualities or traitsmake them better suited to leadership. Trait theories oftenidentify particular personality or behavioural characteristicsthat are shared by leaders. Many have begun to ask of thistheory, however, if particular traits are key features ofleaders and leadership, how do we explain people whopossess those qualities but are not leaders? Inconsistencies inthe relationship between leadership traits and leadershipeffectiveness eventually led scholars to shift paradigms insearch of new explanations for effective leadership.2.3. Contingency TheoriesContingency theories of leadership focus on particularvariables related to the environment that might determinewhich style of leadership is best suited for a particular worksituation. According to this theory, no single leadership styleis appropriate in all situations. Success depends upon anumber of variables, including leadership style, qualities offollowers and situational features (Charry, 2012). Acontingency factor is thus any condition in any relevantenvironment to be considered when designing anorganization or one of its elements (Naylor, 1999).Contingency theory states that effective leadership dependson the degree of fit between a leader’s qualities andleadership style and that demanded by a specific situation(Lamb, 2013).2.4. Situational TheorySituational theory proposes that leaders choose the bestcourse of action based upon situational conditions orcircumstances. Different styles of leadership may be moreappropriate for different types of decision-making. Forexample, in a situation where the leader is expected to be themost knowledgeable and experienced member of a group, anauthoritarian style of leadership might be most appropriate.In other instances where group members are skilled expertsand expect to be treated as such, a democratic style may bemore effective.2.5. Behavioural TheoryBehavioural theories of leadership are based on the beliefthat great leaders are made, not born. This leadership theoryfocuses on the actions of leaders not on intellectual qualitiesor internal states. According to the behavioural theory,people can learn to become leaders through training andobservation. Naylor (1999) notes that interest in thebehaviour of leaders has been stimulated by a systematiccomparison of autocratic and democratic leadership styles. Ithas been observed that groups under these types ofleadership perform differently: Autocratically led groups will work well so long as theleader is present. Group members, however, tend to beunhappy with the leadership style and express hostility. Democratically led groups do nearly as well as theautocratic group. Group members have more positivefeelings, however, and no hostility. Most importantly,the efforts of group members continue even when theleader is absent.2.6. Participative TheoryParticipative leadership theories suggest that the idealleadership style is one that takes the input of others intoaccount. Participative leaders encourage participation andcontributions from group members and help group membersto feel relevant and committed to the decision-makingprocess. A manager who uses participative leadership, ratherthan making all the decisions, seeks to involve other people,thus improving commitment and increasing collaboration,which leads to better quality decisions and a more successfulbusiness (Lamb, 2013).2.7. Transactional/Management TheoryTransactional theories, also known as managementtheories, focus on the role of supervision, organization andgroup performance and the exchanges that take placebetween leaders and followers. These theories baseleadership on a system of rewards and punishments (Charry,2012). In other words, on the notion that a leader’s job is tocreate structures that make it abundantly clear what isexpected of followers and the consequences (rewards andpunishments) associated with meeting or not meetingexpectations (Lamb, 2013). When employees are successful,they are rewarded and when they fail, they are reprimandedor punished (Charry, 2012). Managerial or transactionaltheoryis often likened to the concept and practice ofmanagement and continues to be an extremely commoncomponent of many leadership models and organizationalstructures (Lamb, 2013).2.8. Relationship/Transformational TheoryRelationship theories, also known as transformationaltheories, focus on the connections formed between leadersand followers. In these theories, leadership is the process bywhich a person engages with others and is able to “create aconnection” that results in increased motivationand moralityin both followers and leaders. Relationship theories are oftencompared to charismatic leadership theories in which leaderswith certain qualities, such as confidence, extroversion, andclearly stated values, are seen as best able to motivatefollowers (Lamb, 2013). Relationship or transformational

Management 2015, 5(1): 6-14leaders motivate and inspire people by helping groupmembers see the importance and higher good of the task.These leaders are focused on the performance of groupmembers, but also on each person to fulfilling his or herpotential. Leaders of this style often have high ethical andmoral standards (Charry, 2012).2.9. Skills TheoryThis theory states that learned knowledge and acquiredskills/abilities are significant factors in the practice ofeffective leadership. Skills theory by no means refuses toacknowledge the connection between inherited traits and thecapacity to lead effectively, but argues that learned skills, adeveloped style, and acquired knowledge, are the real keys toleadership performance. A strong belief in skills theory oftendemands that considerable effort and resources be devoted toleadership training and development (Wolinski, 2010).3. Principles of LeadershipIn addition to leadership theories, the principles ofleadership are a commonly studied phenomenon. The UnitedStates Army (1983) has identified eleven basic principles ofleadership and the means for implementing them: Be technically proficient: As a leader, you must knowyour job and have a solid familiarity with the tasks ofyour different employees; Develop a sense of responsibility in your workers: Helpto develop good character traits that will help themcarry out their professional responsibilities; Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised, andaccomplished: Communication is key. A leader must beable to communicate effectively. Leaders should spendmost of their day engaged in communication. Olderstudies, in fact, noted that organizational leaders(managers) spent 70 to 90 per cent of their time eachday on communication and related activities (Barrett,[n.d]); Keep your workers informed: Know how tocommunicate with not only junior staff, but senior staffand other key people as well; Know your people and look out for their well-being: Bewell versed in basic human nature and recognize theimportance of sincerely caring for your workers; Know yourself and seek self-improvement: In order toknow yourself, you have to understand what you are,what you know, and what you can do lystrengthening your attributes. This can be accomplishedthrough self-study, formal education, workshops,reflection, and interacting with others; Make sound and timely decisions: Use good problemsolving, decision making, and planning tools; Seek responsibility and take responsibility for youractions: Search for ways to guide your organization tonew heights. When things go wrong, do not blame9others. Analyze the situation, take corrective action,and move on to the next challenge; Set the example: Be a good role model for youremployees. Employees must not only be told what isexpected of them, but see leaders embodyingorganizational qualities and ethics. Leaders mustembody what they wish to see in their employees; Train as a team: Do not focus on just your department,section, or employees, but envision the wholeorganization as an entity that must learn and succeedtogether; and Use the full capabilities of your organization: Bydeveloping a team spirit, you will be able to employ theabilities of your entire organization towardsorganizational goals.Effective educational leadership is very essential toschool effectiveness and improvement (Ololube, Egbezor,Kpolovie, & Amaele, 2012). To sustain educationalleadership, leaders must develop sustainability on how theyapproach, commit to and protect teaching and learning inschools; how they sustain themselves and followers aroundthem to promote and support teaching and learning; howthey are able and encouraged to sustain their vision andavoid burning out; and how they consider the impact oftheir leadership in school management. Most leaders wantto do things that matter, to inspire others to do it with themand to leave a legacy once they have gone (Hargreaves &Goodson, 2006). To a large extent, it is not leaders whomismanage their schools; however, it is the systems inwhich they lead (Mulford, 2003). Questionably, sustainableleadership certainly needs to become a commitment of allschool leaders. Therefore, to sustain effective educationalleadership, Hargreaves and Fink (2004) presented sevenprinciples of sustainable leadership vis-à-vis: Sustainable leadership creates and preserves sustaininglearning Sustainable leadership secures success over time Sustainable leadership sustains the leadership of others Sustainable leadership addresses issues of social justice Sustainable leadership develops rather than depleteshuman and material resources Sustainable leadership develops environmental diversityand capacity Sustainable leadership undertakes activist engagementwith the environment4. Leadership StylesLeadership styles are the approaches used to motivatefollowers. Leadership is not a “one size fits all” phenomenon.Leadership styles should be selected and adapted to fitorganizations, situations, groups, and individuals. It is thususeful to possess a thorough understanding of the differentstyles as such knowledge increases the tools available to leadeffectively. Below are a number of leadership stylesarticulated in the Toolkit (n.d):

10Rose Ngozi Amanchukwu et al.: A Review of Leadership Theories, Principlesand Styles and Their Relevance to Educational Management4.1. Autocratic Leadership StyleAutocratic leadership is an extreme form of transactionalleadership, where leaders have complete power over staff.Staff and team members have little opportunity to makesuggestions, even if these are in the best interest of the teamor organization. The benefit of autocratic leadership is that itis incredibly efficient. Decisions are made quickly, and thework to implement those decisions can begin immediately.In terms of disadvantages, most staff resent being dealt within this way. Autocratic leadership is often best used in crisessituation, when decisions must be made quickly and withoutdissent.4.2. Bureaucratic Leadership StyleBureaucratic leaders follow rules rigorously, and ensurethat their staff also follow procedures precisely. This is anappropriate leadership style for work involving serioussafety risks (such as working with machinery, with toxicsubstances, or at dangerous heights) or where large sums ofmoney are involved. Bureaucratic leadership is also useful inorganizations where employees do routine tasks (Shaefer,2005). The drawback of this type of leadership is that it isineffective in teams and organizations that rely on flexibility,creativity, or innovation (Santrock, 2007).4.3. Charismatic Leadership StyleCharismatic leadership theory describes what to expectfrom both leaders and followers. Charismatic leadership is aleadership style that is identifiable but may be perceivedwith less tangibility than other leadership styles (Bell, 2013).Often called a transformational leadership style, charismaticleaders inspire eagerness in their teams and are energetic inmotivating employees to move forward. The ensuingexcitement and commitment from teams is an enormousasset to productivity and goal achievement. The negativeside of charismatic leadership is the amount of confidenceplaced in the leader rather than in employees. This can createthe risk of a project or even in an entire organizationcollapsing if the leader leaves. Additionally, a charismaticleader may come to believe that s/he can do no wrong, evenwhen others are warning him or her about the path s/he is on;

A Review of Leadership Theories, Principles and Styles . Each section ends with an identification of contemporary issues and possible means of amelioration. This article . also known as transformational theories, focus on the connections formed between leaders and followers. In these theories, leadership is the process by