Overview of John Adair's Leadership and Team-Building Theory

1. Leadership
Basic Theory
John Sweeney

2. Today’s Lecture
1. John Adair
2. Leadership
3. Teambuilding
To follow:
4. Motivation and People Management
5. Decision Making
6. Communication

3. John Adair
• Leading authority on leadership
& leadership development
• Successful Military Career
• World’s first Professor of Leadership Studies
(Surrey University)
• Pioneering work at ICI (Leadership
Development Strategy)
• Since 2006, he has been Honorary Professor of Leadership at the China
Executive Leadership Academy in Pudong

4. Adair asked successful Chief Executives:
What are the attributes most valuable at
the top levels of management ?

5. Exercise 1
Take some paper and make a list of the five or six
qualities expected in those working in your field.
Check it out with your neighbour
Notice that words may vary – ‘hard-working’ and
‘industrious’, for example – but the concepts of the
traits, qualities or abilities remain the same.

6. What do we think?
1. 6. 11. 16. 21.
2. 7. 12. 17. 22.
3. 8. 13. 18. 23.
4. 9. 14. 19. 24.
5. 10. 15. 20. 25.

7. What do we think?
1. Ability to take 6. Willingness to 11. Ability to 16. Ability to 21. Single-
decisions work hard adapt to quickly administer mindedness
to change efficiently
2. Leadership 7. Analytical 12. Willingness 17. Open- 22. Capacity for
ability to take risks mindedness lucid-writing
3. Integrity 8. 13. Enterprise 18. Ability to 23. Curiosity
Understanding ‘stick to it’
Of others
4. Enthusiasm 9. Ability to spot 14. Capacity to 19. Willingness 24. Skill with
opportunities speak lucidly to work long- numbers
hours
5. Imagination 10. Ability to 15. Astuteness 20. Ambition 25. Capacity for
meet unpleasant abstract thought
situations

8. Leadership v Management
Management Leadership

9. Leadership – 5 distinctive nuances
1. Give Direction
2. Provide inspiration
3. Build Teams
4. Set an example
5. Be accepted

10. The Seven Qualities of Leadership
Enthusiasm Integrity Toughness
Fairness Warmth Humility
Confidence

11. Functions of Leadership
The Leader The Situation The Group
• Qualities • Partly • The
• Personal Constant followers
Character • Partly • Their needs
varying and values

12. Leadership at Work
Task Needs Team Needs
Individual Needs

13. Levels of Leadership
• Team Leadership
– Teams of 5-20 people
• Operational Leadership
– A numbers of teams whose leaders report to you
• Strategic Leadership
– Overall responsibility for a whole business

14. What do leaders do?

15. What do leaders do?
Adair’s 8 functions of Leadership
Leaderships skills are required to handle the functions effectively

16. What do leaders do?
Adair’s 8 functions of Leadership
Defining Planning
Briefing Controlling
the task the task
Providing
Evaluating Motivating Organising
an example
Leaderships skills are required to handle the functions effectively

17. Leadership Qualities/Attributes to
exercise the functions?
1. Group Influence
2. Command
3. Coolness
4. Judgment
5. Application/responsibility

18. Team-building

19. Adair’s Theory of Team-building
Team-building is part of the leadership ‘holy’
trinity of Task, Team and Individual

20. 1. Task
Purpose Objectives Resources Responsibilities
Programme Target Authority Training
Priorities Progress Supervision Example

21. 2. Building & Maintaining Team
Team
Standards Objectives Team Spirit
Members
Size of Team Discipline Grievances Consultation
Priorities Briefing Represent Support

22. 3. The Individual
Targets Induction Achievement Responsibilities
Authority Training Recognition Growth
Performance Reward The task The person
Time/attention Grievances Security Appraisal

23. Bibliography
• Adair John, 2007, Leadership skills 2007, London, IPD
• Adair John, 2003, Adair on Leadership, London, Thorogood
Publishing

25. What do we think?
Ability to take Willingness to Ability to adapt Ability to Single-
decisions work hard to quickly to administer mindedness
change efficiently
Leadership Analytical ability Willingness to Open- Capacity for
take risks mindedness lucid-writing
Integrity Understanding Enterprise Ability to ‘stick Curiosity
Of others to it’
Enthusiasm Ability to spot Capacity to Willingness to Skill with
opportunities speak lucidly work long-hours numbers
Imagination Ability to meet Astuteness Ambition Capacity for
unpleasant abstract thought
situations