Constraints on Leadership Behavior

Constraints on Leadership Behavior

In thinking about leadership as mutual influence process we are taking in to account the fact that the behavior of subordinates has a casual influence upon the behavior of the leader. In other words, leaders do not decide how they are going to behave in total isolation from their subordinates. Leader must select and adjust their leadership style in light of how their subordinates are performing and responding. But acknowledging that the behavior of subordinates can influence how leaders behave raises the question of what other factors may be influencing and constraining what leaders do. In fact, it turns out that leaders are far from totally free and unencumbered in choosing their leadership style.

Subordinate Behavior

As was pointed out in our discussion of leadership as a mutual influence process, the evidence is quite clear that the performance of subordinates has a critical casual impact upon that a leader does and how he or she behaves toward followers.

Characteristics of Subordinates

In addition to what subordinates do and how they perform, other identifiable traits, or characteristics, of subordinates may influence the leader’s behavior as well as the behavior of the subordinates themselves.

For example, a leader may behave differently toward males and females, older and younger people, and those with similar as opposed to different personal backgrounds from his or her own.

Characteristics of the Leader

The leader’s abilities and personal characteristics obviously influence and constrain what the leader does and how he or she behaves toward subordinates. On the ability side, task relevant knowledge and skill, as well as supervisory skills and sensitivities, will have an important impact. In terms of trait, personality characteristics such as assertiveness, dominance, and self-confidence all have an influence on leadership behavior.

Leaders Superiors

How leaders treat their subordinates is strongly influenced by how the leaders themselves are treated by their own immediate superiors. Superiors serve both as role models for the leadership behaviour of individuals toward their own subordinates and as sources of rewards and punishments. Leaders with immediate superiors who preach, practice, and reward a participative management style, for example, are unlikely to treat their subordinates in a directive and authoritarian fashion.

Leaders Peers

As in almost all thing, peers have an important influence upon how leaders behave. Peer pressure has a potent homogenizing impact upon leadership behavior in an organization. Other managers in an organization ar likely to exert both direct and indirect pressure on individual leaders to behave toward their subordinates in a fashion that is consistent with that practiced by other managers at that level in the organization.

Organizational Policies, Norms and Climate

Some organizations are characterized by a very open, democratic, and participative management style. Such an organizational climate and policy ill obviously influence a leader to behave as a participative manager. Very different leadership behaviors would be expected in an organization characterized by a very closed and authoritarian policy of management.

Nature of Subordinates – Tasks

The nature of the tasks that subordinates are performing also influences the behavior of leaders

toward subordinates. A very vague and ambiguous task such as developing the design of a new product from scratch is bound to elicit different types of leadership behavior than is a highly structured and routine task such as producing a particular number of units on an assembly line.