Introduction:
The great man theory argues that a few people
are born with the necessary characteristics to be great. Early research about
leadership was based on the study of men who were already considered great
leaders and were usually from the aristocracy.
Leaders may be well rounded and
simultaneously display both instrumental and supportive leadership behavior.
Instrumental activities include planning, organizing and controlling the
activities of subordinates to accomplish the organization’s goals. Obtaining
and allocating resources such as people, equipment, materials, funds, and space
are particularly important. Supportive leadership is socially oriented and
allows for participation and consultation from subordinates for decisions that
affect them. Men who use both instrumental and supportive leadership behaviors
were considered “great men” and supposedly can be effective leaders in any
situation. Contrary contemporary thought is that leadership skills can be
developed even when they are not inborn (Marquis & Huston, 2006).
The Great Man Theory is a 19th-century idea according to
which history can be largely explained by the impact
of "great men", or heroes: highly influential individuals who,
due to either their personal charisma, intelligence, wisdom, or political skill
utilized their power in a way that had a decisive historical
impact. The theory was popularized in the 1840s by Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle, and in 1860 Herbert Spencer formulated a counter-argument that has
remained influential throughout the 20th century to the present; Spencer said
that such great men are the products of their societies, and that their actions
would be impossible without the social conditions built before their lifetimes.
Leaders
are born and not made.
Great
leaders will arise when there is a great need.
Early
research on leadership was based on the the study of people who were already
great leaders. These people were often from the aristocracy, as few from lower
classes had the opportunity to lead. This contributed to the notion that
leadership had something to do with breeding.
The idea
of the Great Man also strayed into the mythic domain, with notions that in
times of need, a Great Man would arise, almost by magic. This was easy to
verify, by pointing to people such as Eisenhower and Churchill, let alone those
further back along the timeline, even to Jesus, Moses, Mohammed and the Buddah.
The
'great man' theory was originally proposed by Thomas Carlyle.
Gender
issues were not on the table when the 'Great Man' theory was proposed. Most
leaders were male and the thought of a Great Woman was generally in areas other
than leadership. Most researchers were also male, and concerns about
androcentric bias were a long way from being realized.
It has
been said that history is nothing but stories of great men. Certainly, much has
this bias, although there is of course also much about peoples and broader
life.
Criticism
Many of
the traits cited as being important to be an effective leader are typical
masculine traits. In contemporary research, there is a significant shift in
such a mentality.
Conclusion
Prompted
by the great man theory of leadership, and the emerging interest in
understanding what leadership is, researchers focused on the leader - Who is a
leader? What are the distinguishing characteristics of great and effective leaders?
This gave rise to the early research efforts to the trait approach to
leadership.
References:
Nursing Management and Leadership 8th
Edition pp. 182 Great Man Theory
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