Theories of Leadership

There have been a number of different theories outlining styles of leadership, however the most prevalent 8 appear to be;

1) "Great Man" Theories
2) Trait Theories
3) Contingency Theories
4) Situational Theories
5) Behavioural Theories
6) Participative Theories
7) Management Theories
8) Relationship Theories

1) "Great Man" theories assume that the capacity for leadership is inherent - the great leaders are born, not made.

2) Trait theories are similar, in some ways, to Great Man theories. Trait theories assume that people inherit certain qualities and traits that make them better suited to leadership.

3) Contingency theories focus on particular variables, related to the environment, that might determine which particular style of leadership is best suited to the situation.

4) Situational theories propose that leaders choose the best course of action based upon the situation. It suggests that different styles of leadership may be more appropriate for certain types of decision-making.

5) Behavioural theories are based on the belief that great leaders are made - not born. It is basically the opposite of the Great Man theory. According to this theory people can learn to become leaders through teaching and observation.

6) Participative theories suggest that the ideal leadership style is one that takes the input of others into consideration. These leaders encourage group participation and contribution.

7) Management theories focus on the role of supervision, organisation and group performance. These theories base leadership on a system of rewards and punishment.

8) Relationship theories focus on the connections formed between leaders and followers. These leaders motivate and inspire people by helping group participants to see the importance of the task at hand.


In Relation to Coach Carter

Point 7 is in bold as this theory of leadership jumps out as the perfect way to describe the leadership style adopted by Coach Carter in the film. The procedure of punishment and reward is clearly visible throughout the film. For example when Carter closes the gym, in order to ensure students met their academic requirements, this would be seen as a punishment for not having achieved. However when students had achieved he rewarded them by re-opening to the gym and allowing the boys to pursue their passion of basketball. Coach Carter supervises and organises the students throughout the entirety of the film and puts a strong emphasis on the importance of group performance - further displaying characteristics of the Management theories approach.

In Relation to Health and Social Care

A common difficulty when considering leadership theories, and leadership styles, of health care professionals is the fact that most theories were not developed within a health and social care setting, but were usually developed within a business context and then applied to healthcare. 

Within large organisations, such as the health and social care systems, many subcultures occur who can either support or be in conflict with one another. As stated by Al-Sawai (2013), leadership therefore needs to capitalize on the diversity of the subcultures within the organisation as a whole to efficiently utilize all resources when designing leadership and management processes.