Leadership Principles & Styles Flashcards

Which scenario best illustrates the 'individualized consideration' component of transformational leadership?

Answer: A leader provides each team member with personalized mentoring based on their unique development needs

Individualized consideration involves attending to each follower's unique needs and acting as a mentor or coach to support their personal development.

A plant manager gives experienced, highly skilled technicians complete freedom to organize their own work schedules and methods. This approach is an example of:

Answer: Laissez-faire leadership

Laissez-faire leadership (hands-off style) grants employees autonomy to make decisions with minimal leader interference, which can be effective with highly competent teams.

An organization in a highly regulated industry relies on strict adherence to rules, policies, and procedures to guide employee behavior. The leader reinforces compliance above all else. This leadership style is called:

Answer: Bureaucratic

Bureaucratic leadership is characterized by strict adherence to established rules and procedures, which suits highly regulated environments where deviation can have serious consequences.

Which of the following best describes 'intellectual stimulation' in transformational leadership?

Answer: Encouraging followers to challenge assumptions and approach problems creatively

Intellectual stimulation involves encouraging followers to question existing assumptions, take risks, and think innovatively about challenges.

According to contingency theories of leadership, which of the following is NOT a situational factor that determines the most effective leadership style?

Answer: Leader's personal charisma

Fiedler's Contingency Model identifies task structure, positional power, and leader-member relations as the three situational factors; personal charisma is not one of them.

A team leader notices that a new employee knows the technical skills but lacks confidence. According to Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership model, the most appropriate style is:

Answer: Coaching (S2)

Coaching (S2) is appropriate for followers with moderate competence but low commitment—the leader provides direction while also explaining rationale and encouraging.

Which leadership principle emphasizes that leaders should model the behaviors they expect from others, creating credibility through personal example?

Answer: Leading by example (role modeling)

Leading by example establishes credibility and trust by demonstrating the standards, behaviors, and values the leader expects from the team.