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.
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