Leadership Style and

for Engineers
Leadership and Professional Ethics
Situational Approach
Dr Syed Shatir A. Syed-Hassan
CEng MIChemE
 What have we learned?
Ways of Conceptualising Leaderships
Definition of Leadership

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Leadership and Professional Ethics
Trait versus Process Leadership
Assigned versus Emergent Leadership
5 Bases of Power
Leadership versus Management
 Leadership Style
The style approach emphasises the
behaviour of the leaders

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Leadership and Professional Ethics
Focus exclusively on what leaders do and
how they act towards subordinates
Two general kinds of behaviours:
Task behaviours (directive behaviours)
Relationship behaviours (supportive behaviours)
 Directive Behaviours
Directive behaviours help group members
accomplish goals:
By giving directions, establishing goals &

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Leadership and Professional Ethics
methods of evaluation, setting time lines,
defining roles and showing how the goals are
to be achieved.
Often one-way communication
What is to be done, how it is to be done,
and by whom
 Supportive Behaviours
Supportive behaviours help group
members feel comfortable about

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Leadership and Professional Ethics
themselves, their co-workers and the
situation:
Involve two-way communication
For example: asking for input, praising,
sharing information and listening
 4 Categories of Leadership
Style
S1: High Directive Low Supportive
(Directing/Telling):

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Leadership and Professional Ethics
S2: High Directive High Supportive
(Coaching/Selling)
S3: High Supportive Low directive
(Supporting/Facilitating/Participating)
S4: Low Supportive Low Directive
(Delegating/Observing)
Situational Leadership
Modern situational leadership theory was
developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard
Different situations require different style of
leadership.
Leadership style is determined by the

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Leadership and Professional Ethics
development level of followers.
Leaders must match their style to the competence
and commitment of their subordinates/followers.
The subordinates development level can also be
classified into 4 categories
 Situational Leadership
Development Level of Followers:
D1: Low Competence High Commitment
D2: Some Competence Low

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Commitment
D3: Moderate to High Competence Low
Commitment
D4: High Competence High
Commitment
(High) THE FOUR LEADERSHIP STYLES
S High Supportive and High Directive and
U Low Directive High Supportive
P Behavior Behavior
P
O
R
T
I
V S3 S2
E

B
S4 S1

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Leadership and Professional Ethics
E
H
A
V
I
O Low Supportive and High Directive and
R Low Directive Low Supportive
Behavior Behavior

(Low) DIRECTIVE BEHAVIOR (High)

HIGH MODERATE LOW

D4 D3 D2 D1
DEVELOPED DEVELOPING

DEVELOPMENT LEVEL OF FOLLOWER(S)

Development Level of Followers

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High skill & Moderate to Low to Low skill
High high skill moderate Motivated
motivation level development Need
Needs low Just Unsure they specific
direction or adequate can do it. direction
support motivation Leaders give Need close
Leaders Leaders key direction but supervision
empowers role is also seeks
followers facilitating input
Peak Reluctant Disillusioned Enthusiastic
performer contributor learner Beginner
Leadership and
Organisation:

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Leadership and Professional Ethics
Understanding Individual
Differences
Dr Syed Shatir A. Syed-Hassan
CEng MIChemE
ORGANISATION.....???

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Leadership and Professional Ethics
An organisation is a collection of
people who work together and
coordinate their actions to
achieve a wide variety of goals
Some Questions To Think
Why some people in an organisation
embrace change and others are fearful of
it?

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Why some employees will be productive
only if they are closely supervised, while
others will be productive if they are not?
Why some workers learn new tasks more
effectively than others?
Individual Difference

Individual differences have a direct impact

on the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors of
each member of an organization

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Leadership and Professional Ethics
People who perceive things differently behave
differently
People with different attitudes respond differently to
directives
People with different personalities interact differently
with bosses, co-workers, subordinates, and customers
Individual Difference

Effective organisational leadership practice

requires that individual behavior differences
be recognized, and when feasible, taken

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into consideration while carrying out the job
of managing the organisation.
Two categories of individual difference:
Personality
Ability
 The nature of personality
Personality = The overall profile or combination
of characteristics that capture the unique nature
of a person as that person reacts and interacts
with others.

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Leadership and Professional Ethics
Predictable relationships are expected between
peoples personalities and their behaviors.
Examples of personality:
Perfectionist, critical, impatient, demanding,
Relaxed, easy-going,
Fun, friendly
Shy and quiet
The Big Five Personality
Dimensions

Extroversion Agreeableness

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Conscientiousness

Neuroticism Openness to
(Emotional Experience
Stability)
The Big Five Personality
Dimensions
Outgoing, talkative, sociable,
assertive.
Extroversion The opposite (introversion): quiet,

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shy, cautious

High Conscientiousness: Careful,

Conscientiousness dependable, self-disciplined
Low Conscientiousness: Careless,
less thorough, more disorganised,
Openness to irresponsible
experience
The Big Five Personality
Dimensions
High Agreeableness: Courteous,
good-natured, emphatic, caring
Agreeableness Low Agreeableness:

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Uncooperative, short-tempered,
irritable

High Neuroticism: Anxious, hostile,

Neuroticism depressed
Low Neuroticism (high emotional
stability: poised, secure, calm
The Big Five Personality
Dimensions

High: Flexible, creative,

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curious
Openness to
experience Low: more resistant to
change, less open to new
ideas,
 Personality Determinants

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Nature Personality Nurture

Biological heritage Life experiences

The interaction of
personality and situational
factors

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Feelings
Personality
Thoughts
Nature
Personality Situational
Nurture
Attitudes Factors
Behaviours
The nature of ability

Ability = what a person is capable of

doing

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Two types of ability affect performance
Cognitive ability/mental ability
Physical ability
 Ability Determinants

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Cognitive
Nature & Physical Nurture
Abilities
Biological heritage Education, practice,
and experience
Class Discussion

Which matters most:

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Personality or Ability?