Leadership applied to Human Resource Management Essay

Leadership applied to Human Resource Management - Essay Example This paper discusses different leadership styles along the concept of change management. Throughout human history there have been individuals who have stepped up and accomplish great things by leading people. In the 1960’s Martin Luther King was an inspirational leader that was instrumental in the civil rights movement. Organization such as Microsoft which was founded in 1984 started as small start-up companies, but thanks to the efforts and commitment of its leader Bill Gates Microsoft become the world largest software company. People that become leaders achieve such abilities through their efforts, self-study, formal education, training, and experiences (Clark, 2008). Leadership in itself is an organizational behavior topic that is taught at all major universities. There are different theories, concepts and styles associated with topic of leadership. Three theories that attempt to explain how leadership is developed are trait, behavioral and contingency theories. It is also important to know that leadership can manifest itself in formal and informal ways. Managers are typically the employees who job description requires them to display leadership shills, but sometimes a employee within a company may exert informal leadership by methods such as leading by example. The trait leadership perspective assumes that traits play a central role in differentiating between leaders and non-leaders or in predicting leader or organizational outcomes (Schermerhorn, et al., p.287). Some of these traits include self-confidence, energetic personality, tenacity, high intellectual and emotional intelligence among others. The behavioral theory perspective places a high level of importance on the impact leadership has on the performance of a company. The theory deals with the capability of a person to manipulate others by understanding human