RP1 - Types of Leadership and behavioral characteristic
722A23-09-2
Mooyoung, SON (Team blue, 811121-3776)
Analyzing Types of Leadership
And their behavioral characteristic
Reflection Paper #1
722A23-09-2
Leadership and Organization
Marie Bengtsson IADM
September 10, 2009
© SMIO 2009, Linköping University, Sweden
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RP1 - Types of Leadership and behavioral characteristic
Analyzing Types of Leadership
And their behavioral characteristic
Contents
Step 1: Introduction
Purpose of Study
Definition of Leadership
Step 2: Types of Leadership
Types by Motivating Style
Types by Delegating Style
Types by Training Style
Types by Risk taking Style
Step 3: Case Comparison
Democratic
Democratic
Conclusion
Step 4: Conclusion
© SMIO 2009, Linköping University, Sweden
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RP1 - Types of Leadership and behavioral characteristic
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Step 1: Introduction
Purpose of Study
Humanity has been kept focus on leadership for a long history and the leadership
lecture is regarded to be a basic course at the business school. There are millions of books
related on leadership in library and many books and articles are still on progress to be
published. No matter they want or not, they may lead others sometimes and they may be
lead by others. As organizations are being bigger and professionalized, the role of leader
is being more important than ever. The Chinese proverb, “强將下無弱兵 (there is no
dumb soldier with powerful general)” also insists the importance of leader.
Traditionally, they thought the leader is just a man who has a right to make a decision
but this is so not true. The role of leader is to help organization to achieve target through
strategic planning and suggesting a direction to follow. Excellent leader should suggest
vision for organization so that the organization can work through. If the leader didn’t
suggest vision properly, he/she may drive the organization to threat.
According to textbooks about leadership, leader should have (1) humbleness (2) fairness
(3) patient to be listener (4) self-passion.
“A great leader never sets himself above his followers
except in carrying responsibilities.” (Jules Ormont)
However many leaders in real life are not very like as what textbooks says. Besides,
there are more fast-grown up companies with dictators (strict and strong leader) than with
angels (humble and kind leader). This is because organization’s pattern is related with
social structure, culture, leader’s characteristic. Many cases can be found especially from
far-east countries like as Korea, Japan. This is because Japanese business technique is
oriented from United States which they put “time is gold” on the first and Japanese
samurai culture with Korean military culture (2 years of military service is a duty in
Korea) also might affect so that recognition that “what boss says is a peremptory
command” is prevalent.
Hence this paper will be a comparison and analysis on leaders’ characteristic and their
style between (A) dictators and (B) angels who are leading big companies.
© SMIO 2009, Linköping University, Sweden
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Definition of Leadership
The leadership is a compass that shows followers direction to their visionary target.
Cooperate environment of 21th century is like sailing to unknown ocean. When they sail
to Unknown Ocean, the compass is essential. Once compass makes wrong direction, no
one may predict whether they are sailing to new continent or to hell.
Many scholars studied on leadership and made their own definition. Following are
major representatives. (Kibok Baek, 2000)
Bass(1990)
Communicating process between members to structure or
re-structure on their recognition and expectation.
Hersey &
Blanchard (1982)
The affection on activities of organization
Yukl(1998)
Nanus(1992)
Katz & Kahn
(1978)
Jago (1982)
The affection on analysis, targeting, strategic choice,
structuring, motivation, relation, technique and support.
Transformation process that make an organization to be
one with bigger latent faculties through suggesting vision
The affection that makes a business routine to be better that
creates more result.
Non-coercive affection that suggest direction and control
their behavior.
Lord &
Maher(1993)
The process that get recognized as a leader by followers.
Bryman (1986)
It happens when one get nomination as a leader.
Peter F.Drucker
(1997)
The definition of a 'leader' is someone who has 'followers.'
Although many scholars discussed on this, they couldn’t make agreement. (Keesan
Cheong, 2002) Bennis & Nanus (1985) insisted that there are more than 350 definitions
on leadership. As a result, there are many definitions on leadership as the numbers of
scholars who studied it. (Bass, 1990)
Basically leadership is (1) affect to followers (2) responsible for what organization did (3)
it happens by interaction (4) not related with title of position.
However sometimes, reaction on leader definition on leadership is different by groups.
For example, conservative group seems fond on official title as a leader.
© SMIO 2009, Linköping University, Sweden
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Step 2: Types of Leadership
Classification of leadership is made by Burns and organized by Bass at first. (Burns,
1979; Bass, 1985) They regarded Instrumental leadership transactional leadership as a
traditional than Transformational leadership. However their classification is incomplete.
Their classification is from leader’s general character. Type classification should be
divided by situation like as motivating styles, delegating styles, training styles and risk
taking styles because leaders’ characteristics can be changed by situations.
Types by Motivating Style

Instrumental leadership – this is related with control low-class employees,
organizing, directing. It motivates employees with rules and specific work schedule.

Transactional leadership – this is related with transaction. It stimulates employees’
desire through providing compensation like as position and salary so that.

Transformational leadership – The method to motivate their employee is different
with Instrumental Leadership or Transactional leadership. Once the former method
was a “vertical descent” type of motivation that followers are being stimulated by
leaderships’ decision, transformational leadership is a “vertical ascent” type of
motivation that organization’s vision is being stimulated by members’ vision. It
describes the organization can be transformed through leader’s inspiring and
intellectual stimulation on each of followers. It requires more leaders’ charisma
than traditional way.

Servant leadership - This insists that leader is to serve their followers before order
them. Followers can get autonomy, morality, collective through leaders’ respect on
each follower’s opinion. (Robert K. Greenleaf, 1977)
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Type
Instrumental
Transactional
Transformational
Servant
Action base
Order
Desire
Royal summon
Sense of collective
Motivation
rule
Compensation
Personal development
Respect
Age
Traditional
Modern
Control
In addition, there are strategic leadership, empowering leadership, visionary and issue
leadership. Choosing on leadership type is depends on their situation and condition. For
example, the McDonald’s leader can’t insist their part time worker who is just hired to
have a sense of collective or royal summon. Instrumental way or partially transactional
way will be effective. On the other hand, If the leader of a nonprofit organization like as
NGO tries to make strict rule or compensation system for volunteers, repulsion will be
happened. The leader needs to make unity and collectivity through respect his/her
followers.
To make a conclusion, if leader values much on business process and never care
followers, they never will enjoy their work. Leader should create chance that let
followers to learn more and accord followers’ vision with organization’s vision.
Types by Delegating Style
Traditionally, leader was used to make a decision and order to his/her employees.
However many of present leaders delegate their power to their followers. This also can be
classified by its style.

Authoritarian (Autocratic) - the leader has all power to make a decision and
followers just can take orders from leader. This method was been used traditionally
in many countries and still being used in Conservative Asia countries like as Korea
or Japan, etc.
© SMIO 2009, Linköping University, Sweden
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
Participative (Democratic) – the leader shares his/her power to make a decision with
followers. This method is useful in team project and being used in many western
countries.

Delegate (Free reign) – the leader delegates all power to followers and takes charge
of only final approval. Usually many high-ranking officers use this method.
Although there are three kinds of delegating styles, leader should use all of them by
their situation or followers. For example, delegating all processes to new employee who
showed up for the first time makes no sense. Leader should use autocratic and help new
employee to get used to his/her job fast. And leader should use democratic for a
employee who is doing his/her job very well, and leader should delegate all power to a
employee who is doing better than leader. And in many case, leader will use those three
kinds of methods at the same time. For example, when CEO established new vision,
he/she will proclaim it (autocratic) and discuss with followers (democratic) and leave
them to activate it (delegate).
Types by Training Style
Various methods can be used when leader trains new employees.

Coercive – Just do what I tell you! - taking a coercive manner and ordering to new
employees. Sometimes this can make new employee can’t get used to new
environment.

Teacher – This is and that is – explaining every detail process. This prevent new
employee making mistakes. But it also intercepts creativity of new employees to
make process better through disturbing them estimate the process themselves.

Pacesetting – Just watch and learn – helping new employees to be assimilated to
organizational culture through doing what new employees should do without any
explanation. This can prevent conflict between new employees and culture. This is
being used by servant leaders.
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
Coaching – Try it. I’ll help you – advising and encouraging new employees to learn
business process themselves. This helps new employees to create their own way to
process business and being creative.

Laissez-faire – Okay, Do it! – letting new employees take responsibility on their
business without teaching anything. This helps new employees to study themselves
so that they can be active employees. But they can make many mistakes at first.

Competitive – I will see who is better – making new employees compete each other
so that they can learn business process faster. There are (1) individual competition
and (2) team competition.

Participative – Let’s do it together – processing a project with new employees as
team mates. This helps new employees to get acquaintance faster.
Types by Risk taking Style
They usually hesitate to take risk. Leader seems hesitate or afraid of risk, since leader
also is human. However, many successful leaders enjoy well-considered risk or they
sometimes even create new risk themselves.

Risk Avoider – Usually managers (not leaders) like as public officers or senior
officers with long-term tenure.

Risk Taker – Many leaders take considered risk to create new business chance.

Risk Creator - Many successful leaders don’t wait risks or business chances happen
in front of them. They sometimes create risky business chance themselves. Or they
create just risk to prevent their organization being indolent.
Conclusion
Korean economists are analyzing on the leadership style of the president of Korea (Lee
Myungbak) as “Opportunistic leadership” to compare with former presidents’ (No
moohyun, Kim daejoong) leadership which is “Paternalistic leadership”.
There are various kinds of leaderships and its number is just as many as successful
leaders. By business environment being changed, new type of leadership will be formed
continuously and studying of leadership style can’t be finished.
© SMIO 2009, Linköping University, Sweden
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Step 3: Case Comparison
Democratic

Google – Employees can use 20% of their working hours on the project whatever
they want. If they found no project on progress, they can suggest one and even lead
the project.

Microsoft – Employees can adjust working hours as they want. Some of them who
have severe night-owl symptoms can even work at mid-night. They just need to
finish their work before deadline.

Jack welch GE former-president met employees everyday to talk and encourage
them.
Autocratic

Samsung – Employees can’t even imagine seeing president. Planning department
takes charge of idea creation and rest of employees concentrate on general business.
Sometimes they have to arrive to office at 6AM and leave at 10PM.
Samsung is now one of world best companies. And its brand value is ranked on 20th,
estimated about $12,553,000,000. Many Japanese and Chinese companies have similar
structure. And they are still growing up even faster than Google or Microsoft!
Conclusion
Generally speaking, cooperate structures are different depends on culture, environment.
Each of autocratic leadership and democratic leadership has merit and demerit points.
Merit points for autocratic policy are; (1) the company can focus on exploration or vision
without any decentralization (2) they can minimize the possibility of failure. And demerit
points for autocratic policy are; (1) the company’s destiny is upon leader's ability (2) lack
of diversity, creativity, participation (3) exclusion of possibility of extra success
© SMIO 2009, Linköping University, Sweden
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Step 4: Conclusion
There are various styles of leadership and choosing of leadership is depends on
environment of the cooperation. Many autocratic companies including Samsung and
Sony grown up to be world best and there is no border between right and wrong answer.
However leader’s misjudgment can drive organization to crisis and leader’s ability affects
enormous to organization’s fortune. In consideration ability of followers are growing up
faster than stubborn leaders, leaders need more consideration on choosing leadership
style.
Peter F.Drucker (1997) wrote that there will be no division between boss and followers
and ordering and supervising will not be comprehensible in the knowledge management
age. Recent news articles on entrepreneur trend say many Korean companies including
Samsung re-educating their employees to induct servant leadership concept.
As knowledge develops there are many followers who are better than leader.
It is sure for organization can’t possess followers with traditional way. Hence, diversion
of paradigm to servant leadership which means leader should serve for followers rather
than traditional leadership is essential. Leaders should understand their responsibility,
analyze entrepreneur environment and suggest right vision to followers with right
strategic plan.
For further study; as knowledge and society developing, newer types of leaders are
getting focused. This study needs more type classification in more situations.
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References
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Schriesheim, Chester A. The Great High Consideration- High Initiating Structure Leadership Myth:
Evidence on its Generalizability. The Journal of Social Psychology, April 1982, 116, pp. 221-228.
Kwang-hyun Lee, (2002). 21C corporation survival strategy (2th ed.).
Keesan Cheong, Relationship between Middle Managers' Behavioral Characteristics by Leadership Style
and Followers' Trust, Seoul National University, Feb, 2002.
Kibok Baek, Issue Leadership, Changminsa, 2000.
Newstrom, John W. & Davis, Keith (1993). Organizational Behavior - Human Behavior at Work. New
York: McGraw-Hill.
Daniel goleman, Leadership that gets results. Harvard Business Review, March-april 2000 p.80.
U.S. Army Handbook (1973). Military Leadership.
Peter F.Drucker, The Leader of the Future: New Visions, Strategies and Practices for the Next Era, JosseyBass, 1997, ISBN:0787909351
Hofstede, Geert (1977). Culture and Organizations: Software of the Mind new York: McGraw-Hill.
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