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Substitute for Leadership Theory

Satisfactory Essays

Substitute for leadership theory is founded on the principle that there are certain situational factors in which the leader’s influence is either neutralized or substituted i.e. the leader’s impact is limited. There are numerous factors that diminish a leader’s influence on task performance. The factors are broadly into: individual traits; features of the job; and organizational characteristics. Followers’ experience, ability and training may substitute leadership; if the substitutes are armed with the experience and skills essential in executing a task, they will not require leadership. Similarly, motivated employees enjoy their work and perform it well due to the satisfaction derived. Employees who are indifferent to organizational rewards may neutralize leadership. Highly structured jobs and organization with clear policies on goal reduce the need for leadership. Various work norms and strong feelings among members of a team influence their job performance rendering task and relationship leadership less crucial.
On the other hand, transformational leadership is a leadership that creates valuable and positive change in the followers. Transformational leaders motivate followers to accomplish by concentrating on the follower’s values and helping the follower align these values with the values of the organization. The premise of the transformational theory is the leader’s ability to motivate the follower to accomplish more than what the follower planned to accomplish. The

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