Leadership theories aim to identify specific qualities that distinguish leaders from followers. The Great Man, Trait, Contingency, Situational, Behavioral, and Participative theories are common. The Big Man theory assumes leadership skills are intrinsic, while Trait theory believes some people are born with leadership qualities. Situational and contingency theories focus on environmental variables, while Behavioral theory focuses on actions. Participatory theory involves incorporating subordinates’ ideas.
A theory of leadership is a prerequisite for distinguishing the characteristics of a particular type of leader. Theories focus on determining specific qualities, such as skill levels, that separate a leader from a follower. The Great Man, Trait, Contingency, Situational, Behavioral, and Participative theories of leadership are among the most common.
The Big Man theory of leadership assumes that leadership skills are intrinsic, not taught. These types of leaders have within them a seemingly heroic ability to lead whenever needed. An example of the Big Man theory might include heroic leadership in stressful military situations.
Trait leadership theories are also based on the belief that some people are born with qualities that make them good leaders. Many people who believe in trait theories cite particular shared behavioral or personality characteristics of current leaders to support their beliefs. Some critics of this leadership theory argue that there are people who have such characteristics, but are not leaders.
Theories of emergency leadership usually focus on environmental rather than personal variables. These theories state that leadership ability is situational. Some people who lead well in one situation may not be in another, or one leadership style may be more effective than another. Environmental variables may include characteristics of subordinates and how much everyone agrees on the specific task.
Situational and contingency leadership theories are often thought to be similar because both involve choosing leaders based on situations. Situational leadership, however, focuses more on leadership skills in decision making than on how subordinates might influence leadership ability. Some types of decisions generally require corresponding leadership skills. For example, if a political position was required to be filled, the candidate would be chosen not only for their leadership qualities, but for a previous role in politics that would allow for the best situational decisions.
Like the Big Man and Trait theories, behavioral leadership theory includes the idea that people can be born with leadership qualities. The difference is that behavioral leadership theory focuses on the actions of leaders rather than intrinsic characteristics. This means that people can also learn to become leaders.
Participatory theories are usually based on the thought that great leaders are those who incorporate the suggestions or ideas of their subordinates. This in turn can help subordinates feel more valued and encourage more support from leaders. Leaders, however, usually reserve the right within their leadership role to select which subordinate contributions are most relevant to a situation.
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