Function and leadership

One approach to leadership identifies the fact that leaders play many roles within an organization. Hence what the leader does may well depend on the functions that the leader is performing at the time.

Leader's function	Actions
Executive	Coordinating group activities and overseeing the setting of policies and goals.
Planner	Deciding how the group will achieve its goals.
Policy maker	Establishing policies and goals.
Expert	A source of expert information.
External group representative	Speaking for the group with others.
Controller of internal relationships	Determining the social structure of the group.
Purveyor of rewards and punishment	Controlling members by punishing and rewarding.
Arbitrator and mediator	Resolving disputes in the group.
Exemplar	Behaving in a way that others should behave.
Symbol of the group	Acting as symbolic embodiment of the group, its goals and its values.
Substitute for individual responsibility	Relieving individuals of the need and responsibility of personal decisions.
Ideologist	Being the source of beliefs and values.
Father figure	Focus for positive emotional feelings of individuals and the object for identification and transference.
Scapegoat	Acting as a target for aggression and hostility. Taking the blame on behalf of the group.

Function and leadership

See also