Emergent Leadership
Emergent leadership occurs when a group member is not appointed or elected as leader, but rather that person steps up as the leader over time within-group interactions. Have you ever faced challenges in getting accepted into your new role of position as a leader? Groups don't automatically accept a new "boss" as a leader. Emergent leadership is what you must do when taking over a new group. Learn more about emergent leadership.
What is Emergent Leadership?
Have you ever noticed that the person who has been assigned to a leadership position does not always become the real leader in spite of having a formal leadership position in an organization? Similarly there exist informal leaders because of the way they are treated, their commands and directions followed, the respect they command, the way other group members respond to them. When others perceive an individual as the most influential member of a group or an organization, regardless of the individual’s title, the person is exhibiting emergent leadership. How a group member emerges and maintains a leadership position, has been a subject of study for more than a century now and since then various phenomena, theories, and techniques of emergent leadership have been identified, developed, and advocated. The individual acquires emergent leadership through the support and acceptance of other people in the organization and it is the “emergent leader” who is most respected and most followed in any leadership setting.
Theories on Emergent Leadership:
1. Valence model of Emergent Leadership:
This model is based on Tuckman's (1965) group-development sequence proposed by Stein, Hoffman, Cooley, & Pearse in 1979. According to this model, the process of emergent leadership passes through three distinct stages; Orientation, Conflict, and Emergence. During the orientation stage potential leaders announce their candidature, during the conflict stage there is more than one leader competing for the same emergent leadership position and finally, in the emergence stage, group members willingly start following and obeying the leader who has passed the "emergence threshold."
2. Theory of Idiosyncrasy Credit:
This theory was proposed by Hollander (1958, 1961) where he theorized that the group member who emerges as the leader is perceived by other group members as meeting expectations that the group has for the leader. The more leaders are believed to meet the groups' expectations, the more leaders accumulate credits. Thus, leaders both assert their influence and have their influence accepted as a result of the credits they earn. If the leader does not innovate and does not conform in accordance with the group's expectations, the leader will lose credits. If enough credits are lost, then the leader can be replaced by another group member.
3. Social Identity Theory:
This theory provides a unique perspective on leadership emergence. According to this theory, leadership emergence is the degree to which a person fits with the identity of the group as a whole. As groups develop over time, a group prototype also develops. Individuals emerge as leaders in the group when they become most like the group prototype. Being similar to the prototype makes leaders attractive to the group and gives them influence with the group.
4. Neo-Emergent Theory:
The neo-emergent leadership theory (from the Oxford school of leadership) supports that leadership is created through the emergence of information by the leader or other stakeholders, not through the true actions of the leader himself. Leaders can only be recognized after a goal is met, and that follower’s perception of leaders is heavily influenced by the accounts of how those goals were accomplished.
Characteristics of Emergent Leadership:
1. This type of leadership emerges over a period through communication, they are outspoken and perceived by others as contributing great ideas
2. Emergent Leaders are verbally involved with their team members
3. Emergent Leaders seek others’ opinions, are innovative, and seek new ideas
4. Emergent Leaders are more dominant, more intelligent, and more confident about their own performance
Conclusion:
Emergent leadership is a leadership style that is based on creating a collaborative culture that is proven to dramatically increase innovation and profit. Emergent Leaders are armed with persistence and effective communication skills which help them get involved with people, seek information firsthand, and be innovative taking inputs from the entire group. This form of leadership is more adaptable to change and emergent leaders are more effective and have a greater chance of succeeding in any setting.
Related Links
You May Also Like
-
There are four major factors in leadership called Leader, Follower, Communication, and Situation. The success of the leader is dependent on how the leader is effectively able to communicate and motivate followers to perform desired tasks using the appropriate leadership style best suited for the given situation. Interdependencies and dynamics of these four factors of leadership must be considered by a leader to be effective.
-
Facilitative Leadership is all about involving the employees in the decision-making process at all levels enhancing their sense of ownership, responsibility, and motivation. Facilitative leadership style uses a number of indirect communication patterns to help the group reach consensus and build commitment for the decision taken. To be effective in modern organizations, managers need to become facilitative leaders, learn what it means to be a one.
-
There are four characteristics of leadership that help us to understand the character of leadership as a concept. 1. Leadership is a process, 2. Leadership involves influence, 3. Leadership always occurs in a group context and 4. Leadership involves goal attainment. These are the four components that make up the character of the 'leadership' term and help us to define the leadership concept. All of these components of leadership have common characteristics.
-
Charles Darwin had once commented that “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” Agility means the capability of rapidly and efficiently adapting to changes and recently, agility has been applied in the context of software development, agile enterprise, and agile leadership. Agile leaders play an important, even essential, role in scaling agility in an organization. Understand how being an agile leader helps in effectively catalyzing organizational change.
-
What are the functions which a leader does to establish as a leader? What are the activities undertaken by them to become great leaders, rather revolutionary leaders? The most important tasks done by a leader in all situations are defining the vision, mission, and goals, leading the team, administrative functions, motivating followers, decision making and conflict resolution, and continuous development.
-
Authentic leadership is an approach to leadership that emphasizes building the leader's legitimacy through honest relationships with followers which value their input and are built on an ethical foundation. The authentic leader acts upon his or her values and beliefs, and inspires others to do the same, is committed to know and develop oneself. Are you committed to developing yourself; know your motivations and the purpose of your leadership? Read this article to know more about authentic leadership style and discovering your authentic self.
-
Authoritarian Leadership Style
Although generally considered as a traditional, outdated, and non-preferred style of leadership, the autocratic style still can be used effectively in certain situations. It is a leadership style characterized by individual absolute control over a group. If you work for an autocratic leader, your job is usually to do what you're told. Learn more about this style and situations where this could be an effective style to use and when to avoid this type of approach. Analyze the characteristics of this style to evaluate if your followers consider you an authoritarian leader!
-
Participative leadership is one of the most effective styles and creates higher productivity, better contributions from group members, and increased group morale. The democratic leadership style consists of the leader sharing the decision-making abilities with group members by promoting the interests of the group members. Learn more about this leadership style and situations when it is effective.
-
Adaptive leadership is a style of leadership that emphasizes the importance of each and every person and role within the company. Adaptive leadership views the organization as an ever-changing, living organization, where employees can learn, adapt, and grow. Adaptive leaders mobilize people towards a common goal and also have the courage to experiment with new ideas and approaches. Adaptive leadership is the practice of mobilizing groups of people to tackle tough challenges and thrive. Learn how to adopt this style and how to become an adaptive leader!
-
Narrative leadership is interpreted as the leader who aspires to construct leadership by telling stories. Leadership is a task of persuasion, of winning people’s minds and hearts. Storytelling is thus inherently suited for the task of leadership. Learn about the narrative leadership style and how to use this style to inspire and motivate followers or to manage change.
