How to Cope with the Problematic Situation Essay

How to Cope with the Problematic Situation - Essay Example The common feature of any social group or any size is that its members differ in the degree of their influence, and â€Å"†¦ the person who exerts the most influence on the rest of the group thus affecting group beliefs and behavior is usually addressed as the leader† (Hollander 1985, p. 14). However, while this definition of leadership highlights the essence of leadership, it is only one of the numerous of definitions that have been proposed in the literature: the second edition of The Handbook of Leadership by Bass lists more than 130 definitions of this phenomenon and 13 major approaches (Bass, 1990, p. 12). Availability of such versatile data significantly facilitates analysis of problems related to leadership because in many cases the existing approaches and definitions are not mutually exclusive but rather complementary. The present report is an attempt to analyze a situation that provides valuable insights into the essential aspects of leadership and is directly li nked to the effectiveness of managerial work. The story of Ted Willis who has been hired as the new supervisor suggests he is likely to face the classic type of leadership problem: the new leader vs. the old leader. One should not get misled by the fact that Ted is the new supervisor and the old supervisor has been fired. The so-called ‘workers of influence’ theory of leadership is particularly important to understand the distinction between managers and leaders. The key idea of this theory is that leadership may be exhibited by anyone in the organization in any type of position (Yukl 1989). According to this theory, leaders may operate at different levels within the organization and within the same hierarchical level as their followers. Such perception of leadership conflicts the traditional theories which treat it as a set of attributes and behaviors exhibited by persons with legitimate.