Definition of leadership(5)

This is not to say that leadership is purely a business phenomenon. Most of us can think of an inspiring leader we have met in our lives who has nothing whatever to do with business. It might be a politician, it might be an officer in the armed forces, it might be a Scout or Guide leader, it might even have been a teacher or head teacher. Similarly, management is not a purely business phenomenon. Again, we can think of examples of people that we have met who fill the management niche in non-business organizations. In non-business organizations it should be easier to find an inspiring vision that is not money driven that will support true leadership. However, this is often not the case.

Differences in the mix of leadership and management can define various management styles. Some management styles tend to be relatively weak on leadership. Included in this group one could include participatory management, democratic management, and collaborative management styles. Other management styles, such as authoritarian management and top-down management depend more on a leader to provide direction. It should be mentioned, however, that just because an organization has no single leader giving it direction, does not mean it necessarily has weak leadership. In some cases group leadership (multiple leaders) can be effective. The advantage of a single leader is that decisions can be made quickly and decisively when needed. Group decision making is sometimes given the derisive label "committee-itis" because of the time required to make a decision. The advantage of group leadership is it can bring more expertise, experience, and perspectives to a process.

Patricia Pitcher (1994) has challenged this bifurcation into leaders and managers. She used a factor analysis technique on data collected over 8 years, and concluded that three types of leaders exist, each with very different psychological profiles.

✧One group is imaginative, inspiring, visionary, entrepreneurial, intuitive, daring, and

emotional. She calls these "artists".

✧There are also "craftsmen". They are well balanced, steady, reasonable, sensible, predictable,

and trustworthy.

✧Finally there are "technocrats" who are cerebral, detail oriented, fastidious, uncompromising,

and hard-headed.

She speculates that no one profile is a preferred leadership style. She claims that if we want to build, we should find an "artist leader"; if we want to solidify our position we should find a "craftsman leader"; and if we have an ugly job that needs to get done (like downsizing) we should find a "technocratic leader". She claims that a balanced leader exhibiting all three sets of traits is extremely rare. She found none in her study.

Leadership Metaphors

•An effective leader resembles an orchestra conductor in some ways. He/she has to somehow get a group of potentially diverse and talented people -- many of whom have strong personalities-- to work together toward a common output. Will the conductor harness and blend all the gifts his or her players possess? Will the players be happy with