Trait theory of leadership - Read a Free Informative Essay.
Although it is not a fully articulated theory with well-developed hypotheses, the trait approach formed the basis of most early leadership research. This approach focuses on the personal attributes.
Leadership trait theory is one of the earliest theories of leadership, which can be traced back to Thomas Carlyle’s 1849 assertion that “the history of the world was the biography of great men”.
Again, the trait theory also states that people are born with inherited talents. It also assumes that these talents are particularly suited to leadership. The theory relates good leadership to people who have the right combination of natural traits and talents.
Theories of leadership are developed to enrich professional knowledge of the leadership phenomenon and enable future leaders to acquire skills and traits in order to succeed in a dynamic environment. Before World War II, leadership theories and researchers focused on identifying the personal traits of leaders that distinguish them from followers.
Traits of leadership. Hypothesis shows that history has since been shaped by extraordinary leadership; this forms critical starting point for the trait theory of leadership (Zaccaro, 1991). Trait theory argues that leadership fully depends on the personal qualities of the leader.
The trait theory of leadership proposes that certain traits differentiate leaders from other individuals. Tests of trait theory, searching for the traits of effective leaders, dominated leadership research during the first half of the twentieth century. However, the results of these studies were often inconsistent.
The trait theory of leadership is modeled on both unsuccessful and successful leaders. The list of traits that is obtained by this method is compared to the traits of all individuals identified as potential leaders. This process is used to predict the chances of failure or success of the person being considered to exhibit traits of leadership.