Taxonomy Of Leadership Theories Business & Marketing Essay (Essay Sample)

Taxonomy of Leadership TheoriesNameInstitution
Taxonomy of Leadership Theories
Introduction
Leadership theories, for decades, have been the epicenter of various studies. In practice as well as in reality, numerous research works have attempted to define the distinctive factor(s) differentiating leaders from the masses. Therefore, a plethora of theories on leadership are available. Leadership theories are often classified by the aspect is believed to be part and parcel of the leader the most (Judge et al., 2004). The most dominant theories on leadership discussed in the paper include the Great Man Theory, Trait Theory, Behavioral Theory, and Contingency Theory.
Great Man Theory
The Great Man theory came into existence around the mid-19th century (1840s). This theory was developed and/or popularized by Thomas Carlyle, by then a teacher and writer. Convinced by the fact of being great in his profession, the inspiration to develop the Great Man theory came from the study of great or influential heroes, and in fact in his celebrated book, “On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History,” he did a thorough comparison among a broad range of heroes (Grinin, 2010, p.116). On assumption, the theory claims that leadership traits are intrinsic and that great leaders are given birth to with such endowments. Therefore, great leaders are destined to be even before they are born. Additionally, great leaders can also evolve upon confrontation with a particular situation. On this basis, the Great Man theory was disputed by Herbert Spencer in 1860 in that heroes are simply products of their times and actions toward social conditions (Hoffman et al., 2011). In short, great leaders are made.