Transactional and Transformational Leadership

The leader demonstrates to the followers loyalty, trust, respect and admiration, with these the qualities of the transformational leader, they tend to work harder than originally expected that tends to have a link between effort and reward. These outcomes occur because the transformational leader offers followers something more than just working for self-gain; they provide followers with an inspiring mission and vision and gives them an identity. They believe in the organizational culture they find and specific methods of performing tasks. Transactional leaders are effective in getting specific tasks completed by managing each portion individually. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, transactional leaders focus on the lower levels of the hierarchy that is the very basic levels of need satisfaction. One way that transactional leadership focuses on lower level needs is by stressing specific task performance (Hargis et al, 2001). They are more concerned with processes rather than revolutionary ideas hence under their leadership change is least expected. Unlike them, transformational leaders end up changing existing organizational cultures by implementing new ideas.

They constantly practice integrity and commitment. Transformational leaders seek to engage and re-engage their followers with a high level of commitment to the vision. While transformational leaders seek to transform organizations, they simultaneously seek to transform the followers.

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).

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

There are many models of leadership that exist across a range of fields (e.g. social work, education, psychology, business, etc.). The ability to transform an organization successfully requires a different set of attitudes and skills. Transformational leadership is an approach where a leader utilizes inspiration, charisma, individualized attention, and intellectual stimulation with their employees (Iachini, Cross, & Freedman, 2015, p. 651). Transformational leadership helps to clarify organizational vision, inspires employees to attain objectives, empowers employees, encourages employees to take risks, and advocates the seeking of alternative solutions to challenges in the workplace (Transformational Leadership, 2015). It allows the leader to engage and motivate each follower identify with the organization’s values and goals.

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.

Devine and Winter (2012, p. 25) state, “there is nothing magical about leadership, and there is nothing magical about teaching it or learning it.” They go on to define leadership as the ability to influence those who work for you to want to accomplish and strive to reach organizational goals and objectives. Those who influence others must understand the theories of motivation so that these theories can be applied, communicated and taught in order to motivate followers (Devine and Winter, 2012). Different from supervision, leadership implores the desires of those around you to want to succeed in meeting a goal through you the leader’s motivational abilities.

Transactional Leadership was first described by Max Weber in 1947 and re-described by Bernard Bass in 1981. Recognized a traditional leadership, it focuses on the role of supervision, organization and group performance. Transactional leaders use an exchange model; they promote compliance of followers through both rewards and punishments. Not looking to change the future, transactional leaders are trying to keep everything the same (Odumeru & Ogbonna, 2013).

the clash and congruence of motives and goals of leaders and followers (Burns, pg. 460).” The

What distinguishes a transformational leader is the combination of head and heart, and the ability to understand and apply values effectively to connect with and influence the teachers and staff. Transformational leadership results in wide-ranging changes wherever it is introduced and is effective in solving problems in the school environment. The belief, commitment and the passion to ensure that Hawaii students experience the highest quality education and they soar above the rest when competing in the global economy, are what motivates me to serve as a transformational school

There is observed conflict between Transactional Leaders and Following-Leader, “The Following-Leader seeks to raise the level of the leader-follower relationship to one in which both leader and follower are responding based upon a common desire to honor God” (Ricketson 2014, 213). “Laissez-faire leadership (LF) is the behavior of those individuals in a group who, in the extreme, do not care what happens, avoid taking responsibility, cannot make up their minds, and are satisfied to sit and wait for others to take the necessary initiatives imposed by the tasks at hand” (Avolio 2011, 55). In Full Range Leadership and Following-Leader the LF is not an effective approach. “In terms of building the full range of leadership potential, how often you exhibit a certain set of behaviors along the range ultimately determines how effective you are over time as a leader “Avolio 2011, 56). Ricketson

This paper summarizes the article written by Cam Caldwell, Rolf D. Dixon, Larry A. Floyd, Joe Chaudoin, Johnathan Post, and Gaynor Cheokas regarding the need for a new type of leadership in today’s social work environment, defined as Transformative leadership. The article itself varies in the definition, however in a broad sense Transformative leadership is maintaining good moral standing and sound business ethics among employees and individuals inside and outside the workplace. However, in order to reach this theoretical level of business related moral and ethical leadership known as

Transformational leadership taps into the motives of followers in order to reach their goals, while transactional focuses on the exchanges that occur between leaders and followers (Northouse, 2013). The branches of the military in general would be considered transactional leadership organizations. This type of leadership encourages followers to perform tasks at a high level in order to achieve advancement or increase in pay or rank. Conversely, transformational leadership would be focused on creating a connection between the leader and the followers, in order to perform tasks in such a way as to increase the feeling of morality in both the leader and the follower (Northouse, 2013). Panorama did not exhibit any behavior that tried to motivate Bailey to feel a connection to him. Instead, Panorama tried to intimidate, coerce, and punish Bailey to execute the tasks he was required to perform.

For this paper, we were asked if we saw ourselves as a transactional leader or a transformational leader. This was a tough question. When I held managerial positions, I would not have my worker do anything I would not do. I would work beside my workers and encourage them along with overseeing their work. Overall I feel I am a mixture of both leader styles. I will discuss why below.