Compare The Roles And Characteristics Of A Manager

Proper management of institutions is the key to the success of such a firm. The kind of leadership being dispensed directly affects the motivation of employees and their productivity. The two most prominent kinds of leadership are transformational and transactional leadership. This article seeks to discuss the two kinds of leadership and eventually propose the most efficient kind of management.

Transformational leaders and transactional leaders differ from one another in the manner that they encourage and motivate those who follow them. Transactional leaders are defined as those who focus on monetary and tangible rewards as motivational tools for the daily operations (Marquis & Huston, 2015). Transactional leadership is associated with a clear organizational structure in which managers and subordinates understand their roles and know from whom to receive reward and feedback (Cherry, 2015). This type of leadership style focuses on motivation for the here and now to accomplish daily tasks at hand. This leadership does not focus on forward thinking or growth towards the future (Gellis, 2001).

5. Transactional leadership includes a deal between the leader and his/her followers. The workers are basically doing tasks for the organization, in order to receive some kind of benefits, money, etc.

Transactional leadership is built on reciprocity, the ways in which leaders and followers influence one another, and the idea that the relationship between leader and their followers develops from the exchange of some reward, such as performance rating’s, pay, recognition, or praise (Marturano, 2004). This style of leadership does not promote a close relationship amongst the boss

Transactional leadership styles are more concerned with maintaining the normal flow of operations. Transactional leadership is described as making contact with others for the

Transactional leadership on the other hand was first described in 1947 by Max Weber; he first coined "rational-legal leadership — the style that would come to be known as transactional leadership — as the exercise of control on the basis of knowledge” (Spahr, 2014). According to Spahr (2014), characteristics of transactional leaders include: focus on short-term goals, favor structured policies and procedures, thrive on rule following and doing things correctly, revel in efficiency, left-brained, inflexible, and opposed to change.

“Transactional leadership is a style of leadership focused on contingent rewards of followers” (McGuire & Kennerly, 2006, p.180). Goals are set, directions are given, and rewards are used to reinforce employee behaviors associated with meeting or exceeding established goals. Followers are manipulated and controlled with rewards of praise and recognition, merit raises, and promotions, which can be given or withheld according to the employee’s performance. The outcome of such behavior is enhanced role clarity, job satisfaction and improved performance (McGuire & Kennerly, 2006).

Organizational leadership builds on traditional theories in order to form new and exciting directions. Transactional leadership is a traditional theory, which has been used as a platform to understand leadership and further develop techniques for higher organizational performance. The three components of transactional leadership help shape and define the style, but are not always strictly adhered to. There are many advantages and disadvantages of transformational leadership. Knowing how and when to apply this style will prove useful for most successful organizational leaders. President Dwight Eisenhower was a good example of how transactional leadership could be used successfully.

Transformational leadership encourages individuals to be innovative and strive to perform beyond expectations. Transactional leaderships rewards individuals for meeting specific targets or goals. An example of transactional leadership would be rewarding a department for contingent upon hitting a particular target. Inspiring a department to reach a target through inspiration and motivation would be transformational leadership. Regardless of the leadership style the objective of any leader is to achieve goals with a particular department or organization.

Task Oriented Leader: Leaders that focus more on the task at hand than anything else. These leaders believe that if they want the task to get done right, they need to do it themselves. They have to be in charge and will seek out ways to get the task done quickly. When they assign their employees a task to do to, they have to supervise every step of the way.

Transformational leadership is a theory of leadership that describes the process by which leaders transform a group of individuals into a cohesive team that is committed to the highest levels of success (Griffith, Dunham 2015). The difference between transactional leadership and transformational leadership is transformational leadership relies on the ability of leaders to inspire others to basically take on the roles of leaders by going above and beyond what is required to complete a task without being given to how too. These leaders have to be able to lead by example. Transformational leaders require members to take responsibility for their actions during the completion of the project whether good or bad. Transformational leaders are leaders who have a vision that they work to get other on board with by empowering them and giving them the confidence they can complete the challenge. Transactional leadership focuses on the management of tasks and is defined as the transaction between the manager and the employee (Griffith, Dunham 2015). If you are using the transactional style of leadership you must have structure, be accountable, and have a reward system in place to ensure that work is being done (Griffith, Dunham 2015). People who use this style of leadership also use punishment as a means of ensuring work is being done properly (Cherry 2017).

Transactional leadership is a style that lays out clear goals and objectives. To encourage staff members to act in accordance with these goals, punishments and rewards are utilised (Business Dictionary, n.d.).

Transactional- Transactional leaders are more concerned with maintaining the normal flow of operations. Transactional leadership can be described as "keeping the ship afloat." Transactional leaders use disciplinary power as well as rewards or incentives to motivate employees to perform at their best. The term "transactional" refers to the fact that this type of leader essentially motivates subordinates by exchanging rewards for performance. A transactional leader generally does not look ahead in strategically guiding an organization to a position of market leadership; instead, these managers are solely concerned with making sure everything flows smoothly today. Transactional leaders handle all the details that come together to build a strong reputation in the marketplace, while keeping employees productive on the front

According to Avolio, Bass, and Jung, (1999) transactional leaders motivate to perform by using positive or negative feedback. Employees work is determined by the reward or punishment that the leader prescribes to achieve mission accomplishment. The leader’s effectiveness is determined by task completion. Breevaart, Bakker, Hetland, Demerouti, Olsen, and Espevik, (2014) suggest that the transactional leader is involved in sustaining operational flow. Zhu, Sosik, Riggio, and Yang, (2012) argue that the transactional leader uses the exchange of rewards to increase performance and is not concerned with strategic planning, as much as daily operations.

Daft (2014) defines the Contingency approaches as approaches look at the leadership styles that can be used effectively, and seek to outline the physiognomies of followers and situations ( p.67) I am by nature a creative thinker, so this approach has worked well for me in