Leadership has always been one of the major concerns of human society as it conditions the peculiarities of its functioning and contributes to its beneficial development. However, there have been a number of various approaches to the understanding of the main terms peculiarities and the way it should be realized. The modern epoch also introduces the new and unique environment that impacts the idea of leadership and the role a leader should play in society.
In these regards, the improvement of the comprehension of the main concepts of the issue becomes one of the major concerns of management as this phenomenon is closely connected with the performance and final results. That is why Robbins and Coulter in their book Management also delve into the investigation of the question.
Chapter 17 of the work is devoted to leadership. The chapter is subdivided into 5 parts that complete and support each other. First, the authors tend to define the terms to create the basis for the further cogitations. They state that a leader is a person who can influence others and has a certain managerial authority while leadership is his/her activity (Robbins and Coulter 460). The simplicity and correctness of the given definition contribute to the better understanding of the phenomenons nature and introduce the possibility of its analysis.
Therefore, Robbins and Coulter state that not all managers are leaders as there are many other aspects that impact the image of a person and acquisition of leadership skills (460).
Having defined the terms, the authors provide the early leadership theories to promote the better understanding of the evolution of the concept and the main concerns related to it. The chapter suggests two big groups of theories which are trait and behavioral ones. The first block includes the approaches based on the idea that leadership results from certain characteristics that differentiate leaders from non-leaders (Robbins and Coulter 461).
The acquisition of specific qualities might help a person to become influential and manage people. However, the further investigation of the issue proved the idea that there were also some other factors impacting the formation of a leader and his/her image. For this reason, the leadership behavior theories insist on the great significance of the actions of a person and the way these actions are performed. Besides, suggesting the given approaches, the book helps to realize the nature of leadership and guarantees readers involvement in the analysis.
Yet, Robbins and Coulter also introduce three main contingency models of leadership to continue cogitations about the issue and consider its core aspects. The suggested Fiedler model states that a certain leadership style would be the most efficient in various situations (Robbins and Coulter 464). That is why it is crucial to determine the most important leadership styles and be able to analyze any situation. Additionally, the peculiarities of an individual are accepted as the key to general success.
Furthermore, Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory rests on the idea of followers readiness (Robbins and Coulter 465). They chapter states that the success of any group or project is determined by the ability of the collective to follow a leader and accomplish the tasks given by him/her. Finally, path-goal model “assumes that the leader’s job is to assist followers in attaining their goals and to provide direction or support needed to ensure that their goals are compatible with the goals of the group or organization” (Robbins and Coulter 467). These models are extremely vital for management as they describe the relations within the collective.
Another section of the book is devoted to the investigation of the contemporary approaches to leadership. As stated above, the process of the alteration of the idea of leadership is constant as new conditions predetermine the appearance of new tendencies. At the moment, the question of leadership is one of the managements core aspects as it impacts the level of performance and final results of any project.
For this reason, there is the tendency towards the appearance of a number of new theories that define the new aspects and highlight the spheres that might contribute from the improvement of leadership skills. For instance, Robbins and Coulter suggest the concept of team leadership. In terms of this idea a leader should guide all team members to promote their personal and professional development and increase their significance (Robbins and Coulter 471).
Finally, the book initiates the discussion based on the above-mentioned data to improve the comprehending of the question and outline the possible spheres of application. The authors state that the reasonable and informed approach to leadership could help to increase the efficiency of employee and empower the top managers (Robbins and Coulter 474).
To summarize, the given book could be taken as an important source that revolves around the importance of leadership in terms of the modern approach to management. The analyzed chapter provides the crucial information related to the theories of leadership and the main factors that impact the ability of a person to manage others. Therefore, the work contributes to the better understanding of the importance of this aspect.
Works Cited
Robbins, Stephen and Mary Coulter. Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2012. Print.