Student Leadership Demand and Problem of the Educational System

Vol. 2 No. 2

Year: 2006

Issue: Sep-Nov

Title: Student Leadership Demand and Problem of the Educational System 

Author Name: Adeyanju L.J 

Synopsis: 

Leadership is a subjective concept that can be applied in diverse ways, depending on the circumstances either negative or positive (Ubong and Wokocha, 2001) Subjective as the concept of leadership is, it is definable in relationship with power. Galbraith (1984) used Max Weber’s definition of power to make leadership more understandable. In the authors’ view, power is the possibility of imposing one’s will upon the behaviour of other persons. Leadership therefore becomes practicable when one person or group can be influenced by another. Stressing further, Koontz, O’ Donnel and Weihrich (1980) define leadership as the art or process of influencing people so that they will strife willingly toward the achievement of group goal. Katz and Khan (1966) synthesize leadership as definable in three categories. The authors put it that leadership can have an attribute of position, leadership as character of a person and leadership as a category of actual behaviour. Most definitions of leadership fall within all or some of the above categories. However, a leader is a person who carries her/his subjects along and it demands cooperation. Bass (1981) sees leadership as a process of influencing group activities towards the achievement of goals.