Leadership is both a process and a property. Leadership as a process is the use of noncoercive influence to direct and coordinate the activities of group members to meet goals. As a property, leadership is a set of characteristics attributed to those who are perceived to use such influence successfully. Leadership and management are related but distinct phenomena.

Early leadership research attempted primarily to identify important traits and behaviors of leaders. The Michigan and Ohio State studies each identified two kinds of leader behavior, one focusing on job factors, the other on people factors. The Michigan studies viewed these behaviors as points on a single continuum, whereas the Ohio State studies suggested that they were separate dimensions. The Leadership Grid suggests that the most effective leaders are those who have a high concern for both people and production.

Newer contingency theories of leadership attempt to identify appropriate leadership styles on the basis of the situation. Fiedler's least-preferred coworker (LPC) theory stated that leadership effectiveness depends on a match between the leader's style (viewed as a trait of the leader) and the favorableness of the situation. Situation favorableness, in turn, is determined by task structure, leader-member relations, and leader position power. Leader behavior is presumed to reflect a constant personality trait and therefore cannot easily be changed.

The path-goal theory focuses on appropriate leader behavior for various situations. The path-goal theory suggests that directive, supportive, participative, or achievement-oriented leader behavior may be appropriate, depending on the personal characteristics of subordinates and the characteristics of the environment. Unlike the LPC theory, this view presumes that leaders can alter their behavior to best fit the situation.

Vroom's decision tree approach suggests appropriate decision-making styles based on situation characteristics. This approach focuses on deciding how much subordinates should participate in the decision-making process. Managers assess situational attributes and follow a series of paths through a decision tree that subsequently prescribes for them how they should make a particular decision.

Two recent perspectives that are not rooted in traditional leadership theories are the leader-member exchange theory and the Hersey and Blanchard model. The leader-member exchange model focuses on specific relationships between a leader and individual subordinates. The Hersey and Blanchard model acknowledges that leader behavior toward a particular group needs to change as a function of the "maturity" of the followers.