Leadership Essay - PE

AS and A Level Physical Education (Sport & Coaching)

What factors contribute to make a good leader and how might your style of leadership vary to be successful when involved in individual, racket and team activities?

The role of a leader can be essential. Barrow (1977) defines leadership as “the behavioral process of influencing individuals and groups towards set goals”. This definition is important because it places emphasis on the vision of a leader (i.e. goals, objectives) while also highlighting the necessary interaction between the leader and group members. A team without good leadership can cause it to fail; this is the consequence of a team without organisation and a sense of direction. The approach of the leader is very important but this depends on the situation, and the group size or members. Research has been carried out which focuses on weather leaders are born with leadership qualities or if they develop through time. There is no evidence to say that leadership qualities are skills that people are born with, overall it is suggested that leadership qualities are a mixture of the both. There are no certain characteristics which need to be present in a leader, but it appears that some important factors need to be present. Some of the main factors are; sport specific skills/knowledge, interpersonal skills, peer respect, good communication skills, empathy, consistency and fairness.

Leaders are most obvious if they have specific leader titles, such as a coach or a captain of a team. Other leaders may emerge out of a sports group, as they are seen as a leader by the other members of the group and are accepted by them. Carron (1981) suggests that there are two different types of leaders and this was discovered from researching how the leader achieves the position of power. The two different types of leaders are prescribed leaders and emergent leaders. Emergent leaders come from within the group itself, either informally because of the skills and abilities or formally through nomination or selection. For example, candidates for a team captain may be selected by the manager and then voted by the players. Therefore the captain has emerged from the choice of the team. Otherwise the leader can be prescribed, this means that they have be put in the position by an organising body. For example the chairman of a football club will employ a manager to lead the team, normally without consulting the team members. There are advantages and disadvantages in both methods of becoming a leader.

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A leader has to change their approach in different situations and with the individual. Three specific styles of leadership have been identified by Lewin, (1935). A leader which takes total control in the situation is called an Autocratic leader. The characteristics of an Autocratic leader is that he or she dictates what should be done and makes certain rules of which the group is expected to follow. This type of leader suits dangerous situations, in which the group needs to be fixed and cooperative with the leader. Another style of leadership is a democratic leader. This involves the leader taking advice from others, and acting on the opinions of the group. Often they will go with the majority opinion of the group and sometimes take votes. Finally, the last style of leadership is the Laissez-faire leader. This involves little direction, and could be argued that this style of leadership does not involve leading. The leader allows the group to make their own decisions, and for them to carry the task out by themselves.

Fielder (1967) concluded leadership characteristics as a continuum. He identified that there were two styles, in which the leader would gain the best outcome of the group. The two styles are task-orientated leadership and person (or relationship) - orientated leadership. Task-orientated leaders are those which have good knowledge on the sport. They focus on group goals rather than the needs of individual group members. Also they lead the group through with knowledge, understanding and experience of the task. Person-orientated leaders are those with strong interpersonal skills. Instead of focusing on the goals, they focus on the individual needs and relationships. They are able to achieve the best out of the individual as they are motivators. Fielder’s contingency model relates effective leadership style to what he called ‘situational favorableness’. Task-orientated leaders are most effective in situations that are at the extremes, most favorable or least favorable. Whereas, person-orientated leaders are most effective in situations, that are moderately favorable. Therefore being an effective leader involves adapting one’s style to the situation.

Chelladurai (1978) identified three factors that affect leadership. He indicates that ‘the athletes performance and satisfaction are the required outcomes of the coaching process and that the extent to which these occur depends on the way in which three aspects of leader behavior interact. Chelladurai identified that the three factors affecting leadership where; the characteristics of the situation, the characteristics of the leader, and the characteristics of the group members. A leader will be more effective if their qualities match the expectations of the group and the demands of the situation. Shown below is Chelladurai’s Multi-dimensional Model of Leadership. The model shows a clear example of the relationship between the leader, the group and situation.

Chelladurai developed his multi-dimensional model which relates to preferable leadership behavior. He identified five categories of leadership, these are; training and instruction, democratic, autocratic, social support and reward. The five categories of leadership are all suited to different situations, individuals and groups. These will be identified when considering how the style of leadership varies in individual, racket and team activities.

Considering Lewin’s, Fielders and Chelladurai’s theories of leadership, provides evidence that different styles of leadership suit different situations and have different outcomes. In order for a leader to be successful, he or she needs to choose which leadership style will have the best positive outcome.

In a team activity, for example Netball, the chose of leadership will vary depending on the ability of the team. In a less experienced, beginners netball team, an autocratic leader is best suited. In a team sport, players look for a captain or coach who is directive and uses authority to organizes and structure the group. Beginners need to have knowledge on the techniques and skills involved in the sport; therefore an autocratic leader will give strict guidelines on how to complete a task. In an experienced, advanced netball team, members of the team will look for a leader who will help achieve team ambitions/goals. A beginner’s team will need motivation and confidence, therefore a person-orientated leader is ideal. They will act as a motivator and will be aware of how to get the best out of the team. A task-orientated leader is still ideal, as they focus on the goals of the team, therefore can help the team achieve. They also have good activity related knowledge which can provide good demonstrations for the less experienced team. A less experience team may prefer rewards and social support. This will provide good encouragement.

Leadership style varies with different individuals. For example a more experienced athlete will prefer a person-orientated, democratic leader. Athletes prefer a coaching focus that is strong on technical and tactical aspects (training and instruction) in which the coach gives plenty feedback and reward. Some prefer a more autocratic style of leadership, in which the coach has total control, which will help them to achieve their goals. A less experienced athlete will also prefer a similar leader to an experienced leader, but a more autocratic leader may broaden their knowledge and help them set goals on a certain task.

In a racket activity, such as tennis, a less experienced tennis player will prefer an autocratic leader, with more task-orientated leadership skills. They will need to learn the basic skills of the sport; therefore an autocratic leader will provide total control. A task-orientated leader will have good knowledge of tennis, and be able to provide demonstration and also carry out a one on one demonstration with the individual.

Compared to an experience tennis player, they will need little guidance; therefore a democratic leader will best suit them. They may also prefer a person-orientated leader which will provide support and motivation during an event.

In conclusion the type of activity and situation influences the style of leadership chosen. In summary a good leader provides the context in which a group or individual can be successful and has the style to thrive and commit them to the sport. Poor leadership can result in a lack of commitment, frustration and motivation. Therefore it is essential that the style of leadership is correctly chosen, otherwise it could have negative consequences on the individual or group, and also the leader. When choosing the style of leadership, it is also important to consider, age and gender. This generally affects the style of leader chosen by the individual or group.

Bibliography:

Advanced PE for Edexcel: Frank Galligan, Colin Maskery, Jon Spence, David Howe, Tim Barry, Andy Ruston, Dee Crawford.

Honeybourne

Physical Education and the Study of Sport, fourth edition: Bob Davis, Rps Bull, Jan Roscoe, Dennis Roscoe.