Definition (1):
The initiating structure is the extent to which leaders define their roles and the group members ‘roles in attaining goals.
Definition (2):
The initiating structure indicates-“The level at which the task and achievement-oriented behaviors are articulated among school administrators (Hoy et al., 1991).”
Definition (3):
The initiating structure means the degree, to which a leader defines a leader and team member roles, begins actions, organizes group functions, and defines the way tasks are to be done by the group.
According to the Ohio State Leadership Studies in 1945, leader behavior has two dimensions such as consideration and initiating structure. The study suggested that leaders show two kinds of behaviors to ensure the achievement of the goal:
- People-oriented and
- Task-oriented
Here, we are discussing the second dimension of leader behavior. This style of leadership is task-oriented. In 1945, at Ohio State University, a team of researchers attempted to recognize the leaders’ observable behaviors rather than recognizing their personality traits. They developed a list of 1790 statements to achieve this. This list was shortened to 150 statements planned to measure 9 separate dimensions of leader behavior. These statements were applied to formulate the Leaders Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ).
Some of the mentioned statements used for measuring this structure in the LBDQ are:
- Helping group members to be informed about what is expected of them
- Maintaining specific standards of performance
- Scheduling the tasks to be done
- Ensuring that group members follow standard rules and regulations