The leadership studies initiated by the Bureau of Research at Ohio State University attempted to identify various dimensions of leader behavior.
Ohio
State Leadership Studies
The leadership studies initiated
by the Bureau of Research at Ohio State University attempted to identify
various dimensions of leader behavior.
Ultimately,
these studies narrowed down to the identification of two dimensions
of leader behavior: Initiating Structure
and Consideration.
Initiating Structure refers to
the leader’s behavior in delineating the
relationship between himself and members of the work group and of
communication, and methods or procedures. On the other hand,
Consideration
refers to the leader’s behavior indicative of
friendship, mutual trust, respect,
and warmth in the relationship between the leader and the members of his staff.
The research studies also showed that initiating structure and consideration
are two distinct dimensions and not mutually exclusive. A low score on one does
not require high score on the other. Thus, leadership behavior can be plotted
on two separate axes rather than on a single continuum. The four quadrants in
Fig. 16.1 show various combinations of initiating structure and consideration.
In each quadrant, there is a relative mixture of initiating structure and
consideration and a manager can adopt any one style.
Tags : Management Concepts & Organisational Behaviour - Leadership
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