領導是由一個人影響別人來完成一個目標的一個過程，使組織以一種使之更加連貫一致的方式來指導組織。這個定義類似于諾思豪斯的（2007）定義：“領導是一個過程，通過一個人影響一批人來實現共同的目標”，并根據帕克（1993）的說法，領導的意思是-讓其他人跟隨或讓人們心甘情愿地做事情。

領導風格結合了特征、技能和行為，領導人利用他們的風格與追隨者互動。行為組成被認為是更重要的，因為一致的行為模式會刻畫出一個領導者的形象。二次世界大戰后，領導行為的顯著性出現，并有一個轉變，從探究個性特征尋找行為，使其追隨者表現或滿意。

在19世紀30年代，第一項任務是由勒溫、利皮特和懷特在愛荷華州的一所大學中執行的。他們將結果分為兩種基本的領導風格。

 

Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. This definition is similar to Northouse's (2007) definition - "Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal" and according to Parker (1993), leadership means - getting others to follow or getting people to do things willingly.

 

領導風格--Leadership styles:

 

Leadership style is the combination of Traits, skills and behaviors leaders use as they interact with followers. The behavioral component is considered to be more important since consistent pattern of behavior that portrays a leader. After the Second World War, the prominence for leadership behavior emerged and there was a shift from search for personality traits to search for behavior that makes a difference in the performance or satisfaction of the followers.

 

The first study was carried out by Lewin, Lippit and White at the University of Iowa in 1930s. They categorized the outcome into two basic leadership styles as

 

Autocratic leadership style demand centralizing of authority and dictating how work is to be done. Autocratic leaders limit subordinates' participation and make unilateral decisions. Instructions are given to subordinates as to what to do and they are closely monitored on the task assigned. Democratic leadership style encourages subordinates to participate in decision making and work methods. They are not closely supervised. The leader delegates authority and makes use of feedback to coach subordinates. The autocratic and democratic styles produced results from subordinates, however quality of results and levels of satisfaction among subordinates were higher in groups that were led by democratic leaders (Robbins and Coulter, 1996).

 

In 1940s and 1950s, when two separate groups of researchers from the University of Michigan, and Ohio State University began to systematically look at the behaviors exhibited by effective leaders. The team led by Rensis Likert , from the University of Michigan used the employee-oriented and the production-oriented dimensions as shown in Appendix Figure 2. Employee-orientation style emphasizes interpersonal relations that take interest in subordinates' needs and accepting subordinates' differences. Production-orientation style refers to a leadership style that emphasizes technical or task aspects of a job.

 

The Ohio State University used a two dimension model as shown in Appendix Figure 3, the initiating structure and the consideration dimensions. Initiating structure is the extent to which a leader structures and defines his role and that of subordinates. Consideration is the extent to which a leader has trust, respect for subordinate's ideas and regard for his feelings. The studies concluded that leaders that applied the high initiating structure and high consideration styles were effective while those that employed other styles were ineffective.

 

Robert Blake and Jane Mouton from university of Texas developed the managerial grid and published it 1964 as shown in Appendix Figure 3. The Grid had five management styles, based on concern for people and for production (task)

 

The Impoverished style (1,1) has a low concern for both people and the task. Leaders operating on this style virtually abdicate from their responsibility. The authority- compliance leadership style (9,1) focuses on task accomplishment at the expense of followers' welfare. This style is effective for short term, but very doesn't work for long run. The Country-club-management style (1,9) the leaders focus on people welfare at the expense of organizational objectives. The team leader style (9,9) consider both people and task and strive for maximum performance and employee satisfaction. Apart from giving rise to efficiency and effectiveness, this style also creates a team environment. The middle of the road leader style (5,5) has a balanced and minimum concern for both production and people. Leaders strive to achieve both efficiency and satisfactory subordinates' morale.

 

領導對組織的成功產生影響--Leadership Impact on organization success

 

Leadership can have a significant impact on an organization's performance. The practice of actually leading an organization or team of people effectively and successfully is a challenging task. There are many different ways or styles of leading. The style in which leaders lead, has an immediate impact on their direct reports. A leader's style can also affect the climate of an entire team and/or organization and its overall performance

 

Leadership is at its best when the mission is strategic and results tangible. It is a relationship through which one person influences the behavior or reactions of the other people. Levine (2001) states that leaders need to focus on moving people and organizations forward by increasing the competency of staff and the cooperation of teams in order to improve the organization. . This means that the process of leadership cannot be separated from the activities of groups and with effective team-building. Leadership is also important in maintain the employee's satisfaction to improve the organization performance.#p#分頁標題#e#

 

The leadership relationship is not limited to leader-behavior resulting in subordinate behavior. Leadership is a dynamic process. The leader - follower relationship is reciprocal and effective leadership is a two-way process which influences individual and organizational performance. Good management of leadership helps to develop teamwork and the integration of individual and group goals. It aids intrinsic motivation by emphasizing the importance of the work that people do.

 

結論--Conclusion

 

Effective leaders do not use one leadership style in isolation of other styles. Leaders adjust their styles to the operative situation. Although not mentioned explicitly, culture is certainly an important situational variable in determining which leadership style is the most effective. Culture of subordinates can affect leadership style. A leader cannot choose his/her style at will. What is feasible depends on the cultural conditioning of a leader's subordinates. For example, a manipulative, autocratic or directive style is compatible with high power distance. Power distance rankings should also be good indicators of employee willingness to accept participative leadership. Participation is likely to be most effective in lower power distance culture. An achievement - oriented style that is focused on setting challenging goals and expects employees to perform at their highest levels, is likely to be most effective in cultures where uncertainty avoidance is low. Leaders must be able to operate under complex and uncertain circumstances