Leadership Behaviors: Task and Relationship Focus
In the middle of the 20th Century, researchers turned their attention from how leaders are, to what to what they do. With a suitable behavioral theory of leadership, we can more easily train leaders. They found the key concepts are task and relationship.
Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*.
🔎 See below for details
Introduction to Leadership
Program 3: Managing and Leading Individuals
Course 11: Leadership
Section 2: Models of Leadership
Other videos in our Introduction to Leadership:
🎬 Traits based Models of Leadership
https://youtu.be/yeaJ8ZhX8w4
🎬 Action Centered Leadership – A Roles-based or Functional Leadership Model
https://youtu.be/mTNLCBJnxXQ
🎬 Goleman’s 6 Leadership Styles – A Styles Models of Leadership
https://youtu.be/8YVyG2AbHqw
🎬 What is Transactional Leadership?
https://youtu.be/MF_UHssYlSA
LESSON NOTES
Two major studies of leadership behavior suggested that it falls in two dimensions were conducted by:
• the Bureau of Business Research at Ohio State University
• the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research
The Two Dimensions of Leadership Behavior
Task Focus
Ohio State University authors called this behavior ‘Initiating Structure’. University of Michigan researchers referred to Production-oriented leaders. It corresponds most closely to Douglas McGregor’s Theory X.
Relationship focus
Called Consideration at Ohio State University, and Employee-oriented Leader by the Universe of Michigan. This corresponds most closely to Douglas McGregor’s Theory Y.
These two dimensions give rise to a 2 x 2 grid.
Neither set of behaviors is ‘superior’ to other. What matters is the particular situation – so, we’ll look at models of ‘situational leadership’ later in the course.
RECOMMENDED EXERCISE
Thinking about your own leadership behaviors…
1. what activities fall under Task Focus? (2 MC CPD Points)
2. what activities fall under Relationship Focus? (2 MC CPD Points)
3. How does this model help you understand your role as a leader? (2 MC CPD Points)
DOWNLOADS
Free Resources
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Paid resources
🧳 Management Courses Onboarding Kit – https://gum.co/MC-ObK ($3)
RECOMMENDED READING
There are a vast number of Leadership books – perhaps more than on any other management-related topic. And there is also a huge range represented in different lists of the best. This no-doubt reflects the different contexts for leadership.
So, any recommended reading list of leadership books must be particularly subjective. I have chosen those that made me think, and which are of particular value to managerial leaders: not sportspeople, military leaders, or CEOs. In no particular order:
📖 Leaders Eat Last
https://geni.us/ZIawP8Y
📖 Start with Why
https://geni.us/D8ZSs
📖 Humble Leadership
https://geni.us/KMuCl
📖 The Leadership Challenge
https://geni.us/nyQ3
📖 The New Leaders
https://geni.us/5ziIw
📖 Shackleton’s Way
https://geni.us/Oicsj
📖 Why should Anyone be Led by You
https://geni.us/xugbBk1
📖 The Habit of Excellence
https://geni.us/VIz8Z
⭕️ Links to our book recommendations are affiliated through Amazon and help support our free videos
Managers Need a Basic set of kit to do your job well. Here are my top recommendations: https://kit.co/MikeClayton/manager-s-work-kit (the links are affiliated)
MANAGEMENT COURSES CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD) POINTS
You can record your Management Courses CPD points on our free, downloadable CPD record log.
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Each video has two levels of MC CPD points. For this video:
– If you simply watched the video, record 2 MC CPD points
– If you also carried out all of the recommended exercises, score a total of 8 MC CPD points
CHAPTER MARKERS
00:00 – Task and Relationship Focus: A Behavioral Model of Leadership
00:29 – Two OG studies of leadership
00:50 – The Two Dimensions of Leadership Behavior
01:02 – Task Focus
01:59 – Relationship Focus
02:44 – The Classic Grid
03:33 – Leadership efficacy
04:21 – Cultural impact on leadership behaviors
05:00 – Summing up
#ManagementCourses #Leadership #LeadershipBehaviors
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