NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY COUNCIL

Correspondence Programme
National Certificate in Supervision
PRINCIPLES OF SUPERVISION PAPER I
LEADERSHIP CONCEPTS AND SOURCES OF POWER

PS-2.1

By
JOHN VIJAYARANGAN

PROGRAMME LEADER
M.M. JACOB

Manager, H.R.D.,
MRF Ltd.,
Anna Salai,
Chennai - 600 002.

Formerly Director,
Supervisory Development
National Productivity Council,
Chennai - 600 098

Instructional Objectives :

After going through the lesson, the leaner should be able to :I. define leadership
II. relate the leadership role with the supervisory role
III. state the benefits or rewards of leadership
IV. identify and distinguish between main sources of leadership power.
Teaching points :
1) Concept of leadership
2) Supervisor as a Leader
3) Formal and informal leaders
4) Rewards of Leadership
5) Source of Power and influence

T.P. 1 CONCEPT OF LEADERSHIP

11. Leaders are found in all walks of life. They are the people who inspire, influence
and
guide others to achieve goals. They are people whom others want to follow. For some
reason or other they are able to command the respect and admiration of others. Mahatma
Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, J.R.D. Tata, Mother Theresa are examples of outstanding
leaders who command the trust and loyalty of followers. People who influence others to
achieve goals are called ______________. Those who are influenced by the leaders are
called___________ .
* leaders

* followers

12. Followers are a group of people who need guidance and direction from the __________If this
guidence is properly given it would lead to achievement of ________________ Achievement
of goals will also depend on to what extent leaders ____________follows.
* leader

* goals

* influence

13. Now that we have understood the words leader and follower, let us see what is meant by
the term leadership.
Leadership involves influencing a groups activities towards
accomplishment of certain goals. It is therefore a process that involves the behaviour of both
the _____________ and the _____________.
* leader

* followers

14. Leadership is something that leaders do, not something that they have. Therefore
examining, leadership styles situations and processess will be more important than merely
studying personality traits of the leader. Studies by Psychologists have provided that
___________has little or no co-relation to personality traits such as height, colour of skin,
shape of nose etc. of the leader.
* leadership
15. To accomplish goals leaders make decisions, solve problems and inspire others to get things
done. Followers are willing to listen and take guidance because they acknowledge and
respect the knowledge, skills and capability of the ___________. In accepting the leaders
way of doing things __________________voluntarily give up some of their own freedom to
make decisions.
* leader

* followers

16. Rajiv Gandhi may be referred to as a great _____________of the present day since he has
___________ many people and groups to achieve national ___________. The growth and
progress of India will depend on the ___________ he will provide as the Prime Minister of the
country.

* leader

* Influenced

* goals

* leadership

T.P. 2 SUPERVISOR AS A LEADE

17. In the above examples, we see great leaders have a large number of followers and are able
to achieve great feats. A Supervisor too, is a leader because he has group of people to lead.
In his day to day work the Supervisor has to issue instructions, maintain discipline and
motivate his group to achieve targets. The achievement of his departmental goats will
depend on how effectively he performs his _______________role.
* Leadership
18. A. Supervisor can become a more effective leader if he :a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

has thorough knowledge of the job

is able to make decisions and solve ___________
is able to enthuse others to achieve ___________
is able to command the respect and admiration of his____________
has better perspective of organisational objectives and policies.

* b) problems
9.

* c) goals

* d) followers

Which of the following facts indicate that the supervisor is a leader :a)
b)
c)
d)

he directs his subordinates to achieve departmental goals

he works at the place where the subordinates work
he is tall, dresses well and looks smart
handles grievances of workers and solves problems

* a)

* b)

T.P. 3 FORMAL AND INFORMAL LEADERS

10. How do leaders arise ? In many cases they are formally designated as the leaders by the
organisation. For example, a new Supervisor may be formally appointed to be incharge of a
department or section and therefore assumes the leadership role. Sometimes a group may
formally elect its own Leader as is done in democratic societies, clubs, unions etc. In other
groups the existing leader may choose his own successors, as is done by dictators. These
leaders are called
*

formal leaders

11. 1. In the Union elections Ramu won 20% votes more than Vinod and was made Union
President Ramu may be called a
leader. At the same time Vinod is
also a leader, may be informal for those who voted for him.
2. Kumar has been recently recruited as Works Manager. Kumar may be called a formal
leader
(True or False)
* formal

* True

12. There are however many cases where leaders are not formally designated, but still function
as leaders. These people are called informal leaders. They are able to help, inspire and
guide others to
. At tiome they may even have more expertise
than the formal leader and group members would turn to them for direction and advice.
* achieve

* goals

13. Sundar who is a workman in the maintenance department is an expert in diagnosing causes
for machine b reak down. Very often people go to him, not to the Supervisor, when they
have a problem. Sundar may be called an
leader. A person who is
formally appointed and also commands the respect and admiration of subordinates can be
called bothe a formal and informal leader.

Informal

T.P. 4. REWARDS OF LEADERSHIP

14. Persons who strive to become leaders have definite reasons for wanting to be leaders. In
most cases it is the inner urge to excel and succeed. Leadership provides the tremendous
satisfaction that one gets from guiding, controlling and directing others to achieve goals.
There can be no doubt that the leadership experience, positively influences personal growth.
Leadership leads to and influences _______ ________ and development of an individual.

personal growth

15. A company that develops leaders is a company that stays sheed. Organisations boast of and
complete not only with products but also with their leaders. If we look around we would find
that the better the quality of the leaders the better the growth of the department or
organisation. Leadership contributes to personal growth. An organisation with better leaders
naturally will produce better products and services which in turn will lead to
_______________growth.
When Raju was appointed as Supervisor in the Production Department he initiated the
following changes:
three months production increased by 20% Management and workers were happy. he asked
the workers to clear the aisles which were cluttered with rubbish.
he conducted special training classes on Job Methods for his team
he took special care to know more about his group and develop repport with them
he enforced preventive maintenance drills, within
Which of the above would you consider as example of good leadership ?
* organisational

* all

16. There is a scarcity of leaders in Indian industry today. Organisations are therefore willing to pay
more to persons who can effectively perform leadership roles. Leadership therefore provides
economic rewards. Which of the following are not economicrewards :
(a) Salary (b) Ego satisfaction (c) Personal growth (d) Office car (e) Furnished flat
* b) ego satisfaction

* c) personal growth

17. We often find however that leadership is sought and desired even when economic rewards
are absent. In positions such as Club President, Union Secretary, Chairman of Institute of
Personnel Management, Leader of Social Service Group etc. there are no economic rewards.
The leader spends a lot of his personal time and energy to fulfil his leadership role. Why ?
Leaders seek recognition, esteem, acceptance and status which may be referred to as
Psychic needs though economic rewards are not provided some people aspire for leadership
position to fulfill their
needs.

psychic

The success and growth of an organisation will largely depend on achievement of goals
(True or False)
Achievement of goals will depend on how leaders provide guidance and direction to followers
(True or False)
One factor that can greatly influence the success of an organisation is the nature and kind of
It provides.
To sum up we may say that the main rewards and benefits of Leadership are :
(i) E

rewards.

(ii) Satisfies p

c needs

(iii) Leads to o

l growth

(iv) Contributes to P
* (a) True

* (b) True

l growth and development

* (c) Leadership

* (d) (I) economic, (ii) psychic, (iii) organisatrional, (iv) personal

T.P. 5 SOURCE OF POWER AND INFLUENCE

19.

Have you ever wondered How do leader emerge? Where do leaders get their power from
? These are interesting questions that have intrigued many scholars. Recent studies
indicate that sources of leadership may be classified into five broad categories. Let us
examine them one by one. Raju a supervisor in the purchase department has five workmen
reporting to him. By virtue of his grade and position in the organisation, Raju is allowed to
pass bills, employ casual workmen and make decisions in specific areas. When Raju uses
these powers he is using his legitimate power. This type of power is also referred to as
formal authority in an organisation. This power he has because of his position in the
company. This power that Raju has as a Supervisor is called
power.
Some Supervisors use their legitimate power, some do not, for lack or confidence, fear or
ignorance. For a Supervisor dependence on legitimate power alone is week, and must be
supported by power from other sources.

legitimate

20.

Workmen at times approach Raju for leave, salary advances, permission to leave early,
recommend wage increases etc. Raju used his discretion to accede to or refuse the
requests. He rewards them to the extent he can, provided their performance has been
satisfactory. Some workers act in a manner that would please Raju because they believe
their behaviour will be rewarded when the opportunity arise. This type of influence stems
from the Supervisors control of
valued by the workmen. Reward power
therefore depends on the Supervisors ability to provide either psychological or economic
rewards in return for work.

rewards

21. Some leaders control their followers by use of threat or coercion. The basis of this power is
fear. The Supervisor for example, can threaten to use his authority to charge sheet a
workman, transfer him, withhold promotion, or make work assignment unpleasant. The
subordinates behaviour resulting from use of this kind of coercion is highly uncertain. It may
step undesired behaviour but may not produce desired behaviour. A worker who is severely
warned for sleeping in the night shift, may stop sleeping in those shifts, but may not
necessarily start working. This type of power whereby threat and fear of punishment is used
to get work done is called
power. It should be used only as a last resort.

Coercive

22. Many employees look up for leadership to the person who is the expert on the job. They go to
him for advice and seek clarifications. Even if this person is not formally designated as the
leader, people still go to him and look up to him as the leader. This kind of power that a
person has by virtue of his knowledge of the job and a high level of skill is called
___________ power. Vijay Amirtharaj is accepted as captain of Indian Tennis Team
because of his
power.
* expert

* expert

23. A few people who have admirable personal characteristics, charisma and a formal position
are looked up to and imitated. Followers like to identify themselves with this kind of leader
and REFFER to him as a model. This kind of power is called referent power. Mahatma
Gandhi wasloved and admired by millions of people in many countries, since the possessed a
considerable amount of ___________ power. People want to imitate him and follow him in
many ways. Referent power is acquired by a leader generally through his behaviour and
acquired skills. Self discipline, communication, ability, reliability, timely decision making,
consistancy are some of the characteristics which give ________________ to leader.
* referent

* referent power

a. Leaders who give promotions and award privileges to control subordinates are using
________ power.
b. People who are looked upto because of their through job knowledge, skill and competence
have __________ power.
c. The power that a supervisor uses by virtue of his position in an organisation is called
________power.
d. Persons who are able to win the admiration and respect of others because of their ideals
personality and Charisma have _____________ power.
e. Supervisors who get things done by using threat and fear use __________ power.
* (a) reward

* (b) expert

* (c) legitimate

* (d) referent

* (e) coercive

SUMMARY
It is important for every supervisor to try and identify what is the sources for his leadership power,
What kind of power does he rely on most, what sources are ignored. For greater effectiveness
the Supervisor should try to develop and use where appropriate, more than one source of power,
Referent power, reward power, and expert power are more effective ones than the other two.

CRITERION

TEST

1. Which of the following best characterises leadership :a) administration and discipline
b) position of authority in an organisation
c) very friendly and cordial relationship
d) a relationship between two or more people where one influences the others to achieve
goals.

2. Tick in the appropriate box, which of the following are the rewards or benefits of leadership.
a) Economic gains
b) Opportunity to boss over others
c) Organisational growth
d)

Job security for follows

e)

Psychic rewards

f)

Personal growth

3. Which of following statements do you agree with :

One can easily understand the leadership process by identifying the physical traits required of
a good leader. (True or False)
Though usually seen as a negative approach in management, one kind of power that can be
used as a last resort is _____________ power.
Match the following by identifying the source of leadership power in the following situations. If
you feel certain situations have more than on source of power, please mention this against the
situation.
Situation

1) If you dont sell these fans before the end

of this month. Iam afraid we wilkl have to
look for another Sales Rep.
2) Dont waste your time talking to the boss,
Lets ask Krishnan, Hes the only one who
Has the skill and knowledge to fix this
Machine and solve your problem.

Power used by Leader

Referent

Legitimate

3) I have a great admiration for Jawaharlal

Nehru-his outlook, his ideals, his dedication
and sincerity are something to be followed.

Coercive

4) Id like to inform you Ramu that I have put

Your name up for a grade promotion this
Year, I hope this will be approved. Please
However, note that I will be looking for some
definite improvement in your work.

Expert

5) As senior Supervisor Raju is allowed,

According to the rules of the Company, to
Pass and sanction overtime for his
Subordinates. Any one in his grade and
Position can do this.

ANSWERS

1. d
2. a, c, d, and f
3. b
4. false
5. coercive
6.

i) coercive
ii) expert
iii) referent
iv) reward

Reward