Leadership

Leadership is an extremely important subfield in I/O psychology. This is true because in order to have a strong organization, there needs to be a strong leader with the ability to guide a group to the achievement of goals.
When one studies leadership, it is important to know that there are three main sub-areas which are all made up of various different theories: universalist theory, behavioral theories, and contingency theories. The universalist theory looks for characteristics common in all effective leaders whereas the behavioral theories look at behaviors common in effective leaders. Contingency theory looks at characteristics involving both leaders and situations.

The following web sites focus on examples of leadership, leadership style,s and why the leadership topic is so important:

Functions of Leadership			This link gives examples of leadership functions to match shared leadership with the intent of creating a vision, fostering commitment, and helping others exert influence.

The Need for Leadership			This link defines leadership, provides keys to effective leadership, and talks about how leadership can provide motivation.

Positive Impact			This link is to a consulting firm that works with large corporations, schools, and universities to help create strong leadership skills.

Leadership Styles			This link talks about different styles of leadership and how some styles may be more effective than others.