Transformational leadership compare articles - Essay Example

Transformational Leadership Transformational Leadership Introduction This essay aims at comparing two articles about transformational leadership by critically examining the aims, methodologies, results and conclusions of each of the scientific articles. Transformational leadership is one that aims at increasing the morale, motivation and the general performance of followers using a variety of approaches and mechanisms by leaders. One of the articles to be analyzed is ‘The Relationship between Transformational Leadership and Followers’ perceptions of Fairness’, written by Eliane Bacha and Sandra Walker. The main purpose of this study is examine the relationship between transformational leadership in a business environment in France and how employees perceive fairness in terms of distributive, interactional and procedural fairness. This study is important, according to the authors because there exists very little if any, information about the relationship between leaders and other factors such as trust and satisfaction among followers. This study is very significant because it aims to tap in to this area and reveal important information that can help organizations improve relationships between leaders and employees (Bacha, and Walker,2012). The other article is ‘Ethical Preferences of Transformational Leaders: An Empirical Investigation’, written by Krishnan Venkat and Banerji Priyanka. The main objective of this article is to study the relationship between four main factors of transformational leadership and the individual preference of leaders regarding unethical behavior. According to the authors, this study is important because it aims at studying the impact that leaders have in managing unethical behavior in organizations through transformational leadership. The study examines five different ethical scenarios in an attempt to determine how transformational leadership can be used to manage such scenarios (Banerji, & Krishnan, 2000). Research Questions In the first article, Bacha and Walker (2012) focus on filling the gap in research with regard to transformational leadership by studying the relationship between transformational leadership and the perceptions of employees on the concept of justice or fairness. This area has been overlooked in most scientific studies and these authors aim at revealing substantive information to improve the relationship between employees and their leaders (Bacha, and Walker,2012). The main research question for this article therefore is to find out how transformational leadership can be used to improve the employees’ perception of the concept of justice and fairness. The main objective of the second article on the other hand is to focus on unethical behavior prevalent in business organizations and the various aspects of transformational leadership and how such leadership can be used to manage the common unethical situations in organizations. Priyanka and Venkat (2000), focus on four main qualities of transformational leadership including intellectual stimulation, charisma, inspiration, and individualized consideration. These qualities are studied in relation to various unethical scenarios in organizations. The key research question for this study therefore is to find out how transformational leadership can be used to manage unethical behavior in organizations (Banerji, & Krishnan, 2000). Sample Populations In order to achieve their objectives, the two studies were based on different sample populations that were studied to provide answers to the research questions. The two studies were conducted in different environments, France and India, for the first and second articles respectively. Each study was therefore influenced by different and unique factors that related to the business environments in the two countries at the time. The information can however be used to improve business organizations all over the world since the question of transformational leadership is applicable in all areas of leadership globally (Palanski, &Yammarino, 2009). In the first article, the research was based on French organizations and was based on a sample size of 100 respondents. The respondents were drawn from various companies in France. After sending out 2000 emails to various employees, only 100 of them were willing to participate in the study due to the difficulties in the French business culture to collect data on leadership. This gave the researchers a 5% response rate for their study (Bacha, and Walker,2012). The second study, based in India, was based on a sample size on 200 respondents forming 100 pairs of managers and subordinates from four different multinational organizations in the country (Banerji, & Krishnan, 2000). These respondents were the basis of the findings and results of this study. Results In the first article, the authors found out that there was a partial relationship between the perceptions of employees on transformational leadership and the concept of fairness or justice. The study specifically found out that interactional and procedural fairness are two most important concepts of fairness that are associated with transformational leadership in organizations (Bacha, and Walker,2012). The research in the second article on the other hand found out that the different qualities of transformational leadership related differently with different scenarios of unethical behavior. Inspirational leadership for instance is negatively associated with the preference of a leader for favoritism and bribery. Intellectual stimulation on the other hand is negatively associated with the preference of unethical behavior such as bribery (Banerji, & Krishnan, 2000). Other qualities such as individualized consideration and charisma were found not to be related to individual ethical preferences of leaders. This study revealed that organizational culture can be used to moderate on the relationship between ethics and transformational leadership. The two studies are closely related since they both deal with transformational leadership and its impact on organizations by focusing on the relationship between leaders and their followers. The older research is a little bit more general and had a huge impact in the second research study, forming part of the references. The older study raises very fundamental issues involving transformational leadership that could be used to guide the second study. The first study is based on general principles of transformational leadership and ethical behavior in organizations. The study deals with different qualities of transformational leadership and different ethical scenarios. The study was also based on a larger sample size as compared to the second study. All these qualities were critical for the second study in terms of informing the researchers the relationship between transformational leadership and employees with regard to ethical behavior (Bacha, and Walker,2012). The older study provides great support to the conclusions of the subsequent study. In the older study, the relationship between transformational leadership and employees is established. This forms the basis of the second study, which also affirms the relationship between the two hence providing a basis for the second study to proceed with its conclusion on the question of fairness and transformational leadership. Conclusion Like most other scientific studies, these two studies have their own share of limitations (Palanski, &Yammarino, 2009). One key limitation is the business culture in the respective environments that the studies were conducted. For the study conducted in France, it was difficult for the researchers to get a larger number of respondents due to the cultural reservation of the French employees when asked about leadership. The study in India was also influenced by the reports of unethical behavior in most organizations, hence the main focus of the study. Another limitation for these studies is the question of leadership and how it is perceived among different organizational cultures. These organizational cultures might have played a role in influencing the respondents to respond to the questions asked regarding the different topics (Bacha, and Walker,2012). The conclusions in the two studies both seem to effectively respond to the main research questions of the studies. In the first article, the conclusion that that transformational leadership has a relationship with employees’ perception of fairness lies within the confines of the research objectives and the research question. The study in the second article also seems to have a conclusion that is informed by the research question and various leadership and organizational hypotheses (Banerji, & Krishnan, 2000). At the end of the two studies, the authors have recommended certain studies that can be used to further explain the research issues and help readers get a better view of the whole topic. The various reference materials lie within the main topic of focus for the two studies(Banerji, &Krishnan, 2000). The various reading lists identified in both studies fall within the topic of leadership and management in organizations. In the first article, most of the recommended readings are centered around the question of justice and fairness in organizational leadership. The second article on the other hand recommends ethical books as well as several leadership readings that can help enhance the general understanding of the issues dealt with in the research. References Bacha, E. and Walker, S.(2012). The Relationship between Transformational Leadership and Followers’ perceptions of Fairness.Springer Science+ Business Media Dordrecht. Banerji, P., & Krishnan, V. R. (2000). Ethical preferences oftransformational leaders: An empirical investigation. Leadershipand Organization Development Journal, 21, 405–413. Palanski, M. E., &Yammarino, F. J. (2009). Integrity and leadership:A multi-level conceptual framework. The Leadership Quarterly,20, 405–420 Read More