Question

Describe the strengths and weaknesses of traits theories of leadership.

Organizational behaviour

Answer 1

Trait theory is the theory that attempts to identify the specific traits or characteristics that helps the leadership to become successful. It analyzes the physical, mental and personality traits while determining the effectiveness of leadership. The strengths of the trait theories of leadership include the credibility of the theory because trait theories categorize the traits based on the observable behaviors and we get enough evidence based on the observable behaviors in various situations that helps in categorizing those traits. Another strength includes the objective criteria used by the trait theories in categorizing the traits because though the trait theories were developed independently, they often arrived at similar traits when factor analysis was used to conclude the traits.

The weaknesses of trait theories include the limitations in predicting the behavior in various situations. There are chances of critical differences among the individuals which would be difficult to identify if the variability over situations are not considered. Another limitation is that trait theories rely on the personal observations and it is subjective which leads to inaccurate observations. Another limitation is that there is no evidence on the reason behind the particular behavior.