Syllabus: Pearson Edexcel AS Business
Module: Managing People
Lesson: 1.4.5 Leadership

Introduction

This article supports the teaching of Unit 1.4.5 of the Pearson Edexcel AS Business specification: Leadership, part of the “Managing People” section. It explores the nature and impact of different leadership styles and their role in managing people effectively within business organisations.

Understanding leadership is essential not only for exam success but for preparing students to apply theoretical frameworks to real-world contexts. This unit helps students evaluate the influence of leadership on motivation, productivity, and organisational culture – building essential links to enterprise skills and future pathways in business or management careers.

Key Concepts

According to the Pearson Edexcel specification for 1.4.5 Leadership, students need to understand:

• Definition of leadership – how it differs from management.

• Leadership styles, including:

  • Autocratic

  • Paternalistic

  • Democratic

  • Laissez-faire

• Factors influencing leadership style, such as:

  • The task at hand

  • The workforce’s skills and experience

  • Time constraints

  • Organisational culture

• Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum – showing a range from authoritarian to democratic behaviours.

• Blake Mouton Managerial Grid – focusing on concern for people vs concern for production.

These models allow students to critically evaluate the effectiveness of different leadership approaches in various business scenarios.

Real-World Relevance

Leadership isn’t a theoretical nice-to-have – it shapes performance outcomes and culture across sectors. Recent examples include:

• Tim Cook at Apple: Cook’s democratic style has shifted Apple from Steve Jobs’ more autocratic approach to one that empowers teams and supports collaboration – critical during remote work expansion.

• James Dyson: Known for a more paternalistic style, Dyson involves himself in product innovation while ensuring his teams are supported with high expectations and close involvement.

• Jacinda Ardern’s COVID leadership (as a non-business example with transferable leadership lessons): Demonstrated democratic and empathetic leadership, prompting discussion about leadership traits that apply across contexts.

Use short case scenarios like these to help students link models to real leadership practice.

How It’s Assessed

Assessment for 1.4.5 Leadership may appear in Section A or B of the exam and will typically require:

• Short-answer questions that test recall and understanding (e.g. define leadership styles).

• Data-response questions applying leadership theory to a scenario.

• Analyse and evaluate style questions – command words like analyse, assess, evaluate, and to what extent are common.

• Expect integration with other managing people topics, such as motivation or organisational structure.

Exam Tip: Students should practise linking leadership style to outcomes, e.g. “A democratic style may lead to higher staff morale, but could slow decision-making during a crisis.”

Enterprise Skills Integration

Leadership connects directly with enterprise skills such as:

• Decision-making – selecting the right leadership style for the context.

• Teamwork – understanding how different styles affect collaboration.

• Communication – especially under democratic and laissez-faire models.

• Problem-solving – adjusting leadership approach when challenges arise.

Use the MarketScope AI tool to simulate a scenario where students must select an appropriate leadership style for a growing start-up, considering task urgency, team dynamics, and external pressures.

Careers Links

Leadership is woven through many career pathways, aligning well with Gatsby Benchmarks 4, 5, and 6:

• Management traineeships, e.g. retail, hospitality, logistics.

• Public sector roles – where leadership is critical even in non-commercial settings.

• Entrepreneurship – students exploring start-ups must understand their own leadership style and its impact.

Invite local managers or alumni to discuss how they adapted their leadership style in different roles or industries.

Teaching Notes

Common pitfalls:

• Students often confuse leadership with management. Clear this up early.

• Overuse of labels without context, e.g. “He’s autocratic, so bad” instead of evaluating the situation’s needs.

• Weak application – students name models but don’t use them to structure analysis.

Quick wins:

• Use a “Leadership Bingo” warm-up: students match real-life leaders to styles.

• Integrate Tannenbaum and Blake Mouton using sliding scale visual aids or role-play tasks.

• Practice applying theory to case studies with a mix of structured and open-ended questions.

Extension activities:

• Students can analyse a film or docu-series character (e.g. from “Dragons’ Den” or “The Apprentice”) using leadership theory.

• Group task: each group defends a leadership style as best for a business start-up in a crisis. Class votes after debate.