What are the University of Michigan leadership styles?

Michigan Leadership Studies is one among the behavioral approaches to leadership. Researchers at the University of Michigan, lead by Rensis Likert begun studying leadership within the late 1940s.

The most purpose of this Michigan Leadership Study was to spot the behavioral characteristics of leaders that were associated with performance effectiveness. After studying an outsized number of supervisors in several factories, the Michigan group came up with two dimensions of leadership behavior employee-centered and production-centered.

Managers using employee-centered leader behavior allowed sufficient freedom and provided necessary assistance to subordinates. They emphasized interpersonal relations and took a private interest within the hands of their employees. Their primary concern was the welfare of subordinates. They’re strongly concerned about the employee’s behavior, what motivates them to try to work and check out create a mutual relationship between employees and dealing environment. They believe employee’s welfare is more important than the to force them to try to job.

On the opposite hand, a production-centered leader paid close attention to subordinate’s work, explained work procedures, and regarded group members as a focus. it’s also called the job-centered leadership style. These sorts of leaders are less concerned about the employee’s welfare rather they only want to urge the work done the maximum amount as possible within a brief period of their time. They think employees should do their work the maximum amount as they will.

Michigan researchers strongly favored employee-centered leadership behavior. Employee-oriented leaders were related to high group productivity and high job satisfaction. And, the production-oriented leaders were less related to low group productivity and lower job satisfaction.

A series of studies on leadership were done in Michigan University, starting in the 1950s. Under the general direction of Rensis Likert, the focus of the Michigan studies was to determine the principles and methods of leadership that led to productivity and job satisfaction. Two types of leadership behaviours were identified:

• employee orientation (stress the human-relations aspect, employees are viewed as human beings with personal needs)
• production orientation (stress on the technical and production aspects of the job, employees viewed as the means of getting the work done).

Leaders with an employee orientation showed genuine concern for interpersonal relations. Those with a production orientation focused on the task or technical aspects of the job.

The conclusion of the Michigan studies was that an employee orientation and general instead of close supervision yielded better results. Likert eventually developed four "systems" of management based on these studies; he advocated System 4 (the participative-group system, which was the most participatory set of leader behaviors) as resulting in the most positive outcomes (Encyclopedia of Management, 2009).

The Michigan Leadership Studies were the well-known series of leadership studies that commenced at the University of Michigan in the 1950s by Rensis Likert, with the objective of identifying the principles and types of leadership styles that led to greater productivity and enhanced job satisfaction among workers. The studies identified two broad leadership styles – an employee orientation and a production orientation. They also identified three critical characteristics of effective leaders – task-oriented behavior, relationship-oriented behavior and participative leadership. The studies concluded that an employee orientation rather than a production orientation, coupled with general instead of close supervision, led to better results. The Michigan leadership studies, along with the Ohio State University studies that took place in the 1940s, are two of the best-known behavioral leadership studies and continue to be cited to this day.

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Michigan Leadership Studies led to behavioral Leadership Theory as a result of a leadership study conducted at the University of Michigan. Michigan studies identified three important behaviors of leadership called task-oriented behavior, relationship-oriented behavior, and participative leadership. Two leadership styles associated with studies are employee orientation and production orientation.

The University of Michigan Leadership Studies:

A famous series of studies on leadership were done in Michigan University, starting in the 1950s with the objective of identifying the principles and types of leadership styles that led to greater productivity and enhanced job satisfaction among workers. The research team investigated the relationship between supervisory behavior and employee productivity and satisfaction. This study was led by the famous organizational psychologist, Dr. Rensis Likert at University of Michigan Survey Research Centre and identified two major styles of leadership orientations-Employee Orientation and Production Orientation. The Michigan studies were conducted around the same time as the Ohio State Leadership Studies, which identified the focus on task ('Initiating Structure') and people ('Consideration'). 

Introduction to Dr. Rensis Likert: 

Rensis Likert (5 August 1903–3 September 1981) was an American educator and organizational psychologist best known for his research on management styles. Rensis Likert was a founder of the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research and was the director from its inception in 1946 until 1970, when he retired and founded Rensis Likert Associates to consult for numerous corporations. Early in his career Likert sought to find effective and systematic means of studying human attitudes and the factors that influence them. He developed scales for attitude measurement and introduced the concept of participative management. 

Findings of the Study: 

The studies founded three critical characteristics of effective leaders; two of which were previously observed in studies that had been conducted at Ohio State University: 

1. Task-oriented behavior: 

First, they identified task-oriented behavior in managers who did not do the same types of tasks as their subordinates. This group of managers spent time planning, coordinating, and overseeing their subordinates’ execution of tasks. The production oriented style of the leader emphasizes production and technical aspects of the job. He looks at subordinates or employees as tools to accomplish the goals of the organization. Work, working condition and work methods are tried to be understood better in his style of the leadership orientation. 

Effective managers studied did not do the same kind work as their subordinates. Their tasks were different, and included planning and scheduling work, coordinating activities and providing necessary resources. They also spent time guiding subordinates in setting task goals that were both challenging and achievable. 

2. Relationship-oriented behavior:

A second type of leader exhibited relationship-oriented behavior. These managers concentrated on the task results, but also developed relationships with their subordinates. They were supportive and focused on internal rewards as well as external rewards. The employee oriented style of the leader emphasizes the relationship aspect of the jobs of the individual. Such a leader takes interest in every one and accepts the individuality and personal needs of the individual. He has complete confidence and trust in all matters in his subordinates. His subordinates feel free to discuss things about their jobs with their superior. He always asks subordinates for ideas and opinions and always tries to make constructive use of them. 

Effective managers not only concentrated on the task, but also on their relationship with their subordinates. They were more considerate, helpful and supportive of subordinates, including helping them with their career and personal problems. They recognized effort with intrinsic as well as extrinsic reward, thanking people for effort. Overall, the effective preferred a general and hands-off form of supervision rather than close control. They set goals and provided guidelines, but then gave their subordinates plenty of flexibility as to how the goals would be achieved. 

3. Participative leadership: 

The third style of leadership was participative leadership. Here, the manager facilitated rather than directed, working to build a cohesive team to achieve team results rather than focusing on individuals. Effective leaders use a participative style, managing at the group level as well as individually, for example using team meetings to share ideas and involve the team in group decisions and problem-solving. By their actions, such leaders model good team-oriented behavior.

The role of the manager is more facilitative than directive, guiding the conversation and helping to resolve differences. The manager, however, is responsible for results and is not absolved of responsibility. As such, they may make final decisions that take recommendations from the team into account. The effect of participative leadership is to build a cohesive team which works together rather than a set of individuals. 

Conclusions from the Study: 

These studies are part of what is referred to as the Human Relations Movement in organizational behavior. In the earlier studies, employee-centered and production-centered supervisors were treated as if they represented opposite ends of a single band.  However, in later studies it was discovered that these two dimensions were independent and could occur simultaneously. The study showed that task- and relationship-oriented behaviors weren't of major significance within the world of organizational psychology. Managers were urged based on these studies to become more employee-centered to improve their effectiveness. This study introduced a new concept, one of participative leadership and participative management and teams were encouraged based on these studies. Likert related these orientations to the performance of the employees. He showed that the employee oriented style brought high-producing performance compared to production-oriented style. In Likert’s study the satisfaction of employees was not directly related to productivity. Although an early study, this is still often referenced. The Michigan studies added 'Participative leadership' to the Ohio findings, moving the debate further into the question of leading teams rather than just individuals.

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