("Leadership Styles," 2006, Changing Minds) For example, when the quality of the decision is important to the future of the organization and subordinates have useful information, then the leader making the decision alone, or even soliciting input and then making an autocratic decision is less effective than using a more participative or democratic style of decision-making.

Vroom and Yetton, rather than conducing field studies, took a more 'game theory' oriented approach, breaking down leadership decision-making styles according to decision importance, informational determinacy, and other relevant factors. ("Leadership Styles," 2006, Changing Minds)

Likewise, House and Mitchell's Path-Goal Theory (1974) is also quite theoretical and even more optimistic about the possibility of psychological change within the character of the leader. It suggests that there are four different leadership approaches -- telling, selling, participating and delegating -- that the leader should carefully tailor the approach to the psychology of the subordinate and the task. Telling is appropriate when simply completing the task is important, a subordinate is uncertain or incompetant, and completing the task is more important than the relationship. Selling a new approach...

A less important task with a competant but unmotivated subordinate might require more supporting or mentoring, if the relationship between the two employees is important, while delegating less important but relevant tasks to competant subordinates is the last leadership approach. ("Leadership Styles," 2006, Changing Minds)
More theoretical approaches imply that the supervisor or manager is quite self-concious about his or her leadership style. But while this assumption that people can change may be an effective educational approach, and provides guidance as to how to deal with different types of employees and different types of decisions, the ability of a supervisor or manager to change his or her leadership personality simply through rigorous self-analysis or sheer force of will is more difficult to quanitfy.

Works Referenced

Leadership Styles." (2006). Changing Minds. Retrieved 8 Jan 2007 at http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/theories/leadership_theories.htm

War, Peter. Psychology at Work. (2002). 5th edition. London: Penguin.