BUSI7280 · Managing In A Global Context
Leadership
“Failing organisations are usually over-managed and under-led” (Bennis). Management is the machinery that keeps the unit running; leadership is vision, direction, motivation and adaptability — the influence that makes people want to follow. The field answered “what makes a good leader?” three times, each better than the last: trait (who the leader is) → behaviour (what the leader does: the Blake & McCanse grid, with Team 9,9 the ideal) → contingency (it depends: House & Mitchell path–goal matches style to situation). Then DeRue et al. integrate the lot — behaviour explains more variance than trait and mediates it — and George adds emotional intelligence. Underpinning all of it is self-awareness (the Johari window). The single most-tested discrimination is trait vs behaviour vs contingency; the A+ move never picks one but escalates to fit-the-situation.
What this chapter covers
- 013.1 Management vs leadership — not the same job
- 02The progression: trait → behaviour → contingency
- 033.2 Blake & McCanse grid — five styles (Team 9,9 ideal)
- 043.3 House & Mitchell path–goal — four styles to match
- 053.4 DeRue et al. integration + the four behaviour categories
- 063.5 Emotional intelligence (George): 4 aspects → 5 effectiveness elements
- 07Self-awareness & the Johari window
Worked example: diagnose with path–goal theory
- +1(a) Name the framework: House & Mitchell path–goal theory — effectiveness = style × situation, with four styles (directive, supportive, participative, achievement-oriented) matched to follower and task contingencies.
- +1(a) Name the mismatch: the followers are capable, experienced, internal-locus and the task is structured — yet the manager runs a directive style.
- +2(b) Why it misfires: the directive style suits novices and ambiguous tasks; over-directing experts reads as distrust and removes their autonomy, so engagement falls.
- +1(c) Recommend: switch to participative (share decisions, consult) and/or achievement-oriented (set stretch goals, signal confidence) — the styles that fit capable, self-directed followers.
- +1Escalate (the A+ beat): note the contingency principle — the “right” behaviour depends on the situation; expect engagement to recover once the style matches the followers.
Key terms
- Trait vs behaviour vs contingency
- The three classic answers to “what makes a good leader?”, in the order the field discovered them. Trait = who the leader is (born). Behaviour = what the leader does (learned). Contingency = what the situation needs (fit). Read the verb in an MCQ stem: “is” → trait, “does” → behaviour, “depends” → contingency.
- Blake & McCanse Leadership Grid
- Plots concern for people against concern for production, 1–9 each, giving five named styles: Impoverished (1,1), Country Club (1,9 — people high), Authority–Compliance (9,1 — production high), Middle-of-the-Road (5,5), and Team (9,9) — the ideal, high on both. Don't flip Country Club and Authority–Compliance.
- Path–goal theory
- House & Mitchell's contingency model: the leader's job is to clear the path to the goal, choosing the style that fits the followers (ability, experience, locus of control) and the task. Four styles — directive (ambiguous task, inexperienced), supportive (dull/stressful task), participative (capable, want a say), achievement-oriented (skilled, need challenge).
- DeRue et al. integration
- Meta-analysis resolving the trait-vs-behaviour fight: traits and behaviours together explain ≥31% of variance in effectiveness, but behaviour explains more than trait and mediates it (traits load the gun, behaviour pulls the trigger). Four behaviour categories: task-oriented, relational-oriented, change-oriented, passive.
- Johari window
- A 2×2 of known/unknown to self × known/unknown to others, giving the Open/Arena, Hidden/Façade, Blind spot and Unknown quadrants. The goal is to grow the Arena: self-disclosure shrinks Hidden (you tell them), soliciting feedback shrinks the Blind spot (they tell you). Self-awareness is the prerequisite to every leadership style.
Leadership FAQ
How do I tell trait, behaviour and contingency apart in an MCQ?
Read the verb. “Is” / “born with” → trait; “does” / “acts” → behaviour; “depends” / “in this situation” → contingency. And don't stop at one in a short-answer question — the A+ move escalates: traits are an ingredient, behaviour explains more, and the winning behaviour depends on the situation.
What are the grid coordinates I keep flipping?
The classic mix-up is Country Club vs Authority–Compliance. Country Club is (1,9) — high concern for people, low for production; a club is about people. Authority–Compliance is (9,1) — high concern for production, low for people; authority is about getting the work out. Team (9,9) is high on both and is the ideal.
What's the difference between task-oriented and change-oriented behaviour?
Task-oriented = make today's work clear and efficient (structure, schedules, contingent reward). Change-oriented = move the team somewhere new (vision, intellectual stimulation, transformation). “Set a clear schedule and reward hitting it” is task; “painted a compelling future and got everyone to rethink the mission” is change. Don't conflate them.
How is EI different from cultural intelligence (CQ)?
Emotional intelligence works within a culture — perceiving, using, understanding and regulating emotions whose rules you were socialised into. CQ (a later theme) works across cultures. They are distinct capabilities, and the quiz tests the boundary.
Exam move
Learn the progression as a spine you can walk left-to-right — trait → behaviour → contingency → DeRue integration → EI — and lock the six discriminations the quiz lives on: trait/behaviour/contingency (born/does/depends), the grid coordinates (Country Club 1,9; Authority–Compliance 9,1; Team 9,9), task vs change behaviour, EI ≠ CQ, the Johari expansion moves (disclosure shrinks Hidden, feedback shrinks Blind), and the DeRue headline (behaviour explains more variance than trait and mediates it). In short-answer questions never just label the leader: escalate through the lenses, name the exact grid style and path–goal match, fold in EI and Johari, and land a concrete, defensible action. That is the full NAER.
