Application of theories to Myers Briggs results

In today’s business environment, leadership is essential.

In today’s business environment, leadership is essential. According to Nahavandi (2016), the function of leaders in an organizational environment comprises boosting the performance and productivity of employees. The primary role of leadership is to build and maintain a high-performing team. In this study, Latham (2014) observed that some of the most effective leaders had distinguishing characteristics that set them apart from the rest. Latham mentions abilities such as good interpersonal skills, proper communication skills, and the capacity to persuade others to follow their route in the organization. Based on the above perspective, this paper presents a review and discussion of the leadership approaches from the perspective of the principal leadership theories. The principal theories analyzed in this case include the great man theory, the trait theories, behavioral theories, and the contingency theories. To accomplish the above objective, this paper considers leadership theories, their application, and implications vis a vis the Myers Briggs outcomes.

Leadership theories

The success of any organization pegs on the leadership style adopted. Various researchers have suggested various leadership theories in an attempt to explain their significance and impact within the organizational settings. The study by Schyns and Riggio (2016 propounded that organizational leadership has evolved over the years with new theories emerging to explain the actions of the leaders. Tyssen, Wald, and Spieth (2013) cite key leadership theories to include the great man theory, trait theory, the behavioral theory, constructivist theory, situational and contingency theories, and the new leadership theories namely charismatic and transformational leadership.

The great man theory

Bannister and Fransella (2013) noted that the great man theory base on the individual accomplishments. Most of these accomplishments attribute to the prowess in their leadership styles, their visions, and the input placed to achieve the visions. From the theoretical perspective, the great men were born rather than made hence most of their leadership qualities inherited (Miner 2015). In the current leadership context, many scholars believe that great leaders are born with the innate leadership skills that enable them to stand out among the rest in the leadership perspective. Tyssen, Wald, and Spieth (2013) describe some of these great qualities to include intelligence, proper communications, charisma, and confidence among others. Most of these qualities enable leaders to establish proper relationship leading to quality results.

Application of theories to Myers Briggs results

The Myers Briggs results model presents an elaborate perspective to the theory of psychological types postulated by Jung (Furnham and Crump 2015). The Myers Briggs approach makes such theories understandable in the individual lives. Thus in the context of the great man, the Myers Briggs indicator would point at the INFJ (introversion, intuition, feeling, judging) category. In introversion, the great man tends to have inward tuning, with great insight, and the ability to judge the different situations. This enables them to understand the various approaches to motivate employees into delivering the desired outcome.

Implications for students Leadership development

This theory can play a significant role in student leadership. Most students have the innate leadership abilities, and as such, the great man theory can aid in identifying their leadership skills. From the perspective of the personality qualities described in the Myer Briggs indicator, the students can determine their leadership abilities and increase their prowess (Furnham and Crump 2015).

The traits theory

Dinh et al. (2014) noted that the traits theory emanated from the evolution of the great man theory. According to the study, the trait theory stems from the notion that leaders often possess characteristics that make them distinct from the others. This enables them to have a competitive edge over the others. in emphasizing this leadership approach, Spector (2014) noted that the fundamental distinction between the traits theory and the great man theory is due to the fact that the great man theory limits leadership to a few heroic persons while the traits theory lacks such limitation. Some of the attributes attached to this theory include dominance, integrity, desire to lead, and self-confidence among others (Johnson, Walczak, and Sy 2013). Such inborn traits enhance the leader’s ability and effectiveness.

Application of theories to Myers Briggs results

From the auspices of the Myers Briggs model, the traits theory falls under the Introversion, Sensing, thinking, and judging. The leadership ability of these individuals tends to emanate from within causing them to be quietly systematic, logical, details, and factual. In most cases, these attributes come with a great sense of responsibility. As a student, the traits model applies in enabling me to develop natural leadership abilities (Van de Ven, Ganco, and Hinings 2013). These innate abilities depict when a student shows the attributes shown in the Myers Briggs model.

Implications for students Leadership development

In the context of student leadership development, the traits theory enables students to develop natural traits applicable in the leadership domain. Upon identification of the traits prescribed in the Myers Briggs model, a student can gradually develop the desirable traits that align with the theoretical model (Amanchukwu, Stanley, and Ololube, 2015). The personalities such as Introversion, Sensing, thinking, and judging would enable the students to develop desirable skills for dealing with employees in distinct organizational contexts. For instance, the students may learn approaches to motivation and means of keeping employees productive.

The behavioral theories

Unlike the trait and the big man theories, the behavioral theories peg on the notion that great leaders are made rather than born. In Amanchukwu, Stanley, and Ololube (2015) study, the trio argued that the behavioral theories primarily peg on the leadership actions rather than the mental capacities or qualities possessed by the leaders. The theory, therefore, augments the notion that individuals can transform into leaders through the learning of new skills. Some of the behaviors prescribed by Spector (2014) include concern for individuals, responsibility towards tasks, participative and directive leadership styles. The adoption of such practices enables individuals to transform into effective leaders, capable of encouraging people towards achieving a common purpose.

Application of theories to Myers Briggs results

From the lens of the Myers Briggs model, the behavioral theories fall under the bracket of (extraversion, sensing, feeling, and perceiving). The students wishing to adopt a given leadership behavior can use the model’s outcome to build the desired behaviors in their leadership setting. Considering the theoretical perspective that leaders are made rather than born, students can develop leadership styles suitable for a given context to enable them to bring out the best in employees (Schyns and Riggio 2016). The Myers Briggs model attributes the behavioral leader as caring, sociable, enthusiastic, and practical among others (Foti et al. 2017). A student can develop similar attributes enabling them to suit a given leadership context.

Implications for students Leadership development

In terms of implications for student leadership development, it is evident that individuals can transform and attain the desirable leadership style to suit a given context. This eliminates the traditional perception that dwelt on the fact that leadership abilities are inborn. This makes it easy for students to adapt and fit into their desired leadership environment and context. This fulfills Tyssen, Wald, and Spieth (2013) perception that managers can learn various management styles within a classroom environment and build such behaviors through constant practice to attain perfection. For instance, the managers can learn communication and teamwork leading to the motivation of employees, hence improved productivity.

The contingency theories

According to Hall (2016), the contingency theories peg on the notion that there is no best way for leadership, and that leaders tend to adopt different styles depending on the nature of followers and the situations. The proponents of this theory believed in leadership flexibility among and that such leaders have the desirable cognitive abilities to adapt in various leadership situations (Blomme, Kodden, and Suffolk 2015). The contingency leaders could use the task-motivated approach or the relationship-motivated approach. The task-motivated approach could make the leader develop different leadership styles such as delegating, directive, consultative, and participating among others (Van de Ven, Ganco, and Hinings 2013). The leaders could develop suitable styles to use in the given situation. This enhances their effectiveness and ability to adapt to new environments. The contingent leaders thus become flexible and capable of adopting a desirable style based on the tasks and situations in perspective.

Application of theories to Myers Briggs results

In terms of the Myers Briggs model, the contingency theory leaders could exhibit certain personalities such as extraversion, sensing, feeling, and perceiving. Extraversion enables the leader to connect with the subjects and make them productive. Such leaders could adopt characters such as assertiveness and sociability to improve the relationship with the employees. Sensing, on the other hand, enables the leader to become sensitive to the demands of the work context in which they are. Having such knowledge enables sound decision-making on the most appropriate leadership approach (Lussier and Achua 2015). From a student perspective, the contingency theories present a plethora of options regarding the best and ideal leadership style. The Myers Briggs model, therefore, presents a valid option for students to exercise distinct leadership abilities in different contexts.

Implications for students Leadership development

The implications for the contingency theories vis a vis the Myers Briggs model outcome reveal a major correlation between the leader and the environment. The ability of the leader to remain flexible and adapt to different leadership environments enables the student to assess the leadership situation and apply the most appropriate style. From the Myers Briggs indicator depicted by Furnham and Crump (2015), the leader or manager can adopt a desirable leadership approach to enhance effectiveness. Issues such as the nature of employees or tasks executed could determine the ideal contingency approach that would increase the leadership effectiveness. Upon determination of the ideal leadership approach, the leader may learn the ideal means of motivating the leaders to enhance their productivity.

Conclusion

The above leadership theories constitute some of the major theoretical approaches to leadership and primarily define the behavior of a leader from distinct contexts. The adoption of the Myers Briggs results reveals the compatibility of the leadership styles with the respective theory. From this analysis, it is evident that the Myers Briggs results congruently fit into the leadership styles propounded by the theories. The articulation of the theories and the Myers Briggs results imply my flexible leadership ability. This lifts the limits set by the great man and the trait theories that great leaders are born rather than made (Ehrhart 2015). The latter theories, behavioral, and the contingency theories depict flexibility, the ability to shift from one leadership style to the other depending on the task performed, and the relationship with the employees would enable me as a leader to adopt the desirable style in distinct contexts.

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