Contemporary Leadership Theory Literature review

Contemporary Leadership Theory - Literature review Example According to the paper findings there is a wide range of leadership theories which have been developed through the years. The theories are classified into seven. The first is the known as the Great Man theories, which are founded on the idea that leaders are extraordinary individuals whose leadership qualities are inborn. The use of the term â€Å"Man† was intentional since it was generally held throughout the early half of the twentieth century that leadership is a male attribute; in fact, William James wrote that the course of history is determined by great men, without whom the masses could not progress. The next group is the trait theories, referring to the focus on traits or qualities that a good leader is thought to possess (though which are not necessarily inborn). The study of â€Å"great men† that preceded this yielded very few commonalities among them, giving rise to the idea that what defines a leader would be the set of admirable characteristics he possessed , such as intelligence, self-confidence, determination and integrity . Behaviourist theories are anchored on the actions of leaders rather than their attributes. Behaviour patterns are studied and categorised to comprise â€Å"leadership styles†. The next school of leadership theories is known as situational leadership. This set of theories views effective leadership not in terms of traits or actions, but the match between these and the situation being addressed. The situational leadership model holds that â€Å"the style of leadership should be mathed ot the level of readiness of the followers†. ... 66). Behaviourist theories, which came next, are anchored on the actions of leaders rather than their attributes. Behaviour patterns are studied and categorised to comprise â€Å"leadership styles†. Behaviourist theorists conceive of leadership in terms of the roles they fulfil, and the manner in which they are expected to fulfil them (Crainer & Dearlove, 2003, p.1). The next school of leadership theories is known as situational leadership. This set of theories views effective leadership not in terms of traits or actions, but the match between these and the situation being addressed. The situational leadership model holds that â€Å"the style of leadership should be mathed ot the level of readiness of the followers† (Hellreigel & Slocum, 2007, p. 221). The model (also known as contingency model) is comprised of three basic components – a set of possible leadership styles, a taxonomy of alternative situations which leaders are likely to encounter, and a stipulatio n of which style constitutes appropriate response to which situation. More recently, the transactional theory of leadership has emerged, focusing on task orientedness and ability to direct groups in a particular way so as to accomplish specific goals. Compliance is ensured through different approaches, such as offering incentives, threatening sanctions, appealing to the group’s sense of duty or selflessness, or prevailing upon their followers’ rational judgment, with the leader having little personal involvement with the group other than driving them to achieve an objective (Martin, et al., 2006, p. 47). Finally, the transformational leadership theory is based on the belief that leadership is not just the sole prerogative of people at the

Essay on Police and the Community Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

On Police and the Community - Essay Example A lesser barricade could be people’s self-esteem and self-perception (Morris, 2008). This is because they do not view themselves as activists or leaders. This perceptual concern is a barrier for over 36% of the adults in America. Not being an activist or leader is a barrier for 42% of adults who are not involved but wish to be. Disengaged participants in several focus groups stated that they wish for a fearless director with organizational skills, knowledge, plans, enthusiasm, a selfless attitude, and honesty. This group also puts more weight in disliking politics than adults on not knowing anyone else taking part in the activity. In order to overcome these obstacles, authorities that are involved in public participations should ensure that those who are involved in the activity are protected. Authorities need to educate people on these barriers and assure them that they will be safe after they take part in the activity (Thurlow, 2008). Question 2 Policy makers have a tough ta sk of carrying out what is best for their constituents plus their countries. This makes them the voice of the citizens. It is extremely vital that a police chief should be a policy maker for his constituent or country due to several reasons. These reasons are: police chiefs have interests of constituents and interests in the country. They also defend the constitution. Since policy makers are elected by the public, this will also give a chance to police chiefs to be elected by the public. Each policy maker has an obligation of defending the constitution. Police chiefs are also obliged to defend the American constitution, and this makes the liable policy makers (Chief of Police, 2007). A policy maker is a person who is responsible for making the policies of an organization. This includes the government or any other institution that requires regulations. A statesman refers to a diplomat or politician who has had a long, as well as respected duty at the national or international level. It has been said that police chiefs should be politicians. This is not a brilliant idea. Politicians have an obligation of representing and responding to the constituents, voting on legislation, participating in budget discussions and taking part in committees. Even though, police chiefs need to realize these factors, their central duty is to implement the law. This is a vital duty. They need to be separated from political matters so that they could execute their tasks to the fullest. If police chiefs are allowed to be statesmen, then this would interfere with the neutrality of the police force from politics. It will interrupt with the activities of the police force (Samuels, 2000). Question 3 Similarities Community oriented policing as a philosophy that encourages organizational strategies, which hold up the organized use of problem-solving techniques and partnerships, to tackle the immediate factors that give rise to public security issues. The security issues are social disorders , crime as well as fear of crime. Community oriented policing also comprises of three key components in America as well as other nations. These components are: community partnership, organizational transformation as well as problem solving. Most countries, including the United States, think that