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ACCA Strategic Professional · Strategic Business Leader · Qualities of leadership

Orrin Engineering's HR director lists qualities sought in future leaders: intelligence, self-confidence, integrity, determination and sociability. She plans to assess candidates against this list. Which feature of this list is characteristic of the trait approach rather than the behavioural approach?

The list is characteristic of trait theory because it describes personal attributes leaders are assumed to possess, such as intelligence and integrity. Behavioural approaches would look at what leaders actually do, such as task or people focus, rather than the qualities they have.

  1. AIt describes what leaders do, such as task-focused or people-focused actions
  2. BIt describes personal attributes that leaders are assumed to possessCorrect
  3. CIt describes how leaders adapt to the maturity of followers
  4. DIt describes the exchange of rewards for follower effort

Explanation

Intelligence, integrity and determination are personal attributes, which is the focus of trait theory. Behavioural approaches examine what leaders do, such as task or people orientation. Adapting to follower maturity is situational leadership and reward exchange is transactional leadership.

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