Leadership Principles & Styles Flashcards

A conflict manager notices that team members are highly skilled but lack motivation. Which leadership style is most appropriate?

Answer: Participative

Participative leadership engages skilled but unmotivated employees by involving them in decision-making, increasing buy-in.

Which leadership principle emphasizes adapting one's style based on the readiness and competence of followers?

Answer: Situational leadership

Situational leadership, developed by Hersey and Blanchard, holds that effective leaders adjust their style to match follower development level.

In conflict management, a leader who focuses on inspiring a shared vision and challenging the process is best described as:

Answer: Transformational

Transformational leaders motivate through vision, inspiration, and encouraging innovation rather than reward-punishment exchanges.

A leader who rewards compliance and corrects deviations primarily through contingent reinforcement is using which style?

Answer: Transactional leadership

Transactional leadership operates on exchange — rewards for performance and corrective action for non-compliance.

When a conflict mediator steps back and allows parties to self-direct resolution with minimal guidance, this reflects which leadership approach?

Answer: Laissez-faire

Laissez-faire leadership provides little direction, leaving decision-making entirely to the individuals involved.

Which principle of servant leadership is MOST directly aligned with effective conflict resolution?

Answer: Prioritizing follower needs over self-interest

Servant leadership centers on fulfilling others' needs, which directly supports empathetic, party-centered conflict resolution.

A CCM candidate is leading a high-conflict team where roles are unclear. According to path-goal theory, which leader behavior is most appropriate?

Answer: Directive

Path-goal theory prescribes directive leadership when tasks are ambiguous to clarify expectations and reduce role conflict.