History of Leadership

HISTORY OF LEADERSHIP How has leadership evolved over the years? 6th A Chinese general, Sun Tzu, wrote the Art of War in the 6th century BC. It may be the first book on leadership-specifically leadership in war. century BC Art of War Early 1900s The Great Man Theory emerged i the early 1900s and suggested that great leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Julius Caesar and Mahatma Gandhi The Great Man Theory were born to lead. 1930s Group Theory In the 1930s, social scientists explored Group Theory and how leadership may be learned and emerges and develops in small groups. 1940s-50s Trait Theory During the 1940s-50s, studies were conducted to see which traits were inherited + and common among great leaders. This ideology was called Trait Theory. It is similar to the Great Man Theory. 1950s-60s Behavior Theory came about in the 1950s-60s and focused on what key behaviors resulted in leadership. This revelation reflected a shift in e thinking since it focused on actions of leaders, Behavior Theory not traits and attributes. 1960s-70s In the 1960s-70s, Contingency Theory was born as leadership studies looked at which behaviors succeeded in specific situation: Contingency Theory O 1980s From the 1980s and beyond, there have been numerous studies into what interaction of traits, behaviors, and + Excellence in Leadership Studies situations prompts people to lead organizations to excellence. eLearnersom Source: http://www.nexuspartners.co.nz/articles.php?article-62 .com