Transformational Leadership Theory and Effective Leadership - Coursework Example

THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP AND EFFECTIVE LEADERHIP Name Course Tutor Date Introduction Leadership has become of the widely discussed concept in the contemporary business as well as scholarly domains. Leadership is actually one of the key pillars of management (Hernon, 2010). This is based on the fact that it has a direct influence on the general well being of organizations as well as nations (Northouse, 2010). Leadership is the process of influencing teams or groups towards the achievement of a goal (Northouse, 2010). Simply put leadership ensures that the objectives of an entity are achieved as well as the right path is taken in the organization (Hernon, 2010). Leaders influence others who are referred to as subordinates through their skills and knowledge (Winkler, 2010). There are four factors of leadership: the leader, followers or subordinates, communication and situation. The situation and types of followers determine the type of leadership that will be applied. The leadership style is one aspect of leadership that has far been identified to contribute to the effectiveness of leadership (Nohria & Khurana, 2010). A plethora of theories exist since time in history (Northouse, 2010). However, the widely discussed theories include transformational leadership, transactional leadership and charismatic leadership. Leaders who have acted as per the three theories have been able to address issues arising from different situations including crises thus their effectiveness. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the three leadership theories outlining how each of them has contributed to the effectiveness of leadership. Transformational Leadership Theory and effective leadership Transformation leadership theory is one of the new theories in the history of leadership. It contributes to the effectiveness of leadership in different ways (Winkler, 2010). This type of leadership is also referred to as superior leadership performance and occurs when the leaders elevate and broaden the interests of the subordinates while generating awareness and acceptance so that the mission of the group is accomplished (Sadeghi & Pihie, 2012). A transformational leader inspires or transforms the followers so that they achieve extraordinary results. These leaders pay close attention to the concerns and developmental requirements of each follower. Through this they are able to change the awareness of the followers helping them to view the old issues in new dimensions (Odumeru & Ifeanyi, 2013). Sadeghi & Pihie (2012) assert that, transformational leadership theory is just about a leadership type that generates positive change in the followers. The approach used by the leaders is taking care of the interest of the subordinates and acting holistically to the interest of the group as a whole. In the contemporary business world groups and teams are arsenal of workforce. This type of leadership can greatly be applied in manning such groups. This is mainly because it enhances motivation, performance and morale of the followers through various methods (Sadeghi & Pihie, 2012). One of the methods is using the follower’s sense of identity as well as self to project and collectively identify an organization. According to McCleskey (2014), the leader here becomes the role model of the followers and in this sense applies the skills of charismatic leaders for effective leadership (Sadeghi & Pihie, 2012). The leaders are also able to pose a challenge on the followers so that they feel as if they own the work. The leaders using this form of leadership have an in-depth knowledge of the strengths as well as weaknesses of their employees (Odumeru & Ifeanyi, 2013). This means that transformational leaders are able to align the followers with the tasks at hand so as to achieve better performance (David, 2015). The leaders are able to develop different characteristics when applying this form of leadership. First off, as already mentioned, the leader will have idealized influence better known as charisma so that they behave in desirable ways that will make the followers to identify themselves with them. Second, the leader must be motivational or inspirational (Sadeghi & Pihie, 2012). This will make it possible to articulate the vision of the organization among the employee groups. The leaders are also able to set pace with the future in their mind (Northouse, 2010). The leaders must also have intellectual stimulation so as to be able to challenge the assumptions, inspire and stimulate the employees from an informed background. Additionally, the leaders are able to innovate new ways of overcoming obstacles. Lastly, the leaders must pay close attention to themselves as well as individual follower (Sharma & Jain, 2013). This will make it possible and easy to attain self fulfillment and self worth so as to reflect the personal success to the followers. Transformational leadership has been applied in may field including management, military and business and has been successful (Sadeghi & Pihie, 2012). Transformational leaders are high performers and interpersonally insensitive making them effective leaders (Sharma & Jain, 2013). Leaders yearning to lead effectively in different situations and settings should try out this form of leadership (Nohria & Khurana, 2010). The transformational leaders are more effective in leading compared to all other leaders. This is mainly because of their relationship with the subordinates (Sadeghi & Pihie, 2012). The relationships have the capacity to create well being of either sides or thus performance. Additionally, the transformational leaders are able to connect with individuals thus creating loyalty through developing a sense of self worth and belonging to the subordinates (McCleskey, 2014). Transactional Leadership Theory and effective leadership Transactional leadership theory focuses not on the individual attributes of the followers neither does it support the individual development as is the case with charismatic and transformational leadership (Winkler, 2010). However, it is more concerned with the exchange relationship that happens between the subordinates and the leader where there are mutual benefits on both sides. In this form of leadership, the subordinates follow the leader with the benefits in mind as well as the need to avoid punishment (Nohria & Khurana, 2010). For this form of leadership to roll out successfully, there must be motivational value attached to it (Odumeru & Ifeanyi, 2013). It is through this value that the leader gets a leeway of aligning the followers in the direction of the goals of organizations (David, 2015). Transactional leaders are therefore effective in situations where there is need to develop mutual reinforcing environments where there is synchronization of organizational goals and that of the individuals. The above attributes of transactional leadership has made it be referred to as managerial leadership in some literature. The leaders supervise the roles of the subordinates and check group performance. Rewards and punishments apply in the course of this leadership (Odumeru & Ifeanyi, 2013). When the leaders notice deviations or faults in the workers, they are able to tell them so that necessary adjustments are made (Northouse, 2010). The leaders effectively manage the whole processes and are least concerned with forward-thinking ideas. Their main focus is the contingent reward or penalization (Odumeru & Ifeanyi, 2013). These types of leaders have been able to institute various ways in the organizations that can be used to motivate the performing employees as well as punish the non-performers (McCleskey, 2014). In ideal situations these leaders lay focus on the lower levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs through stressing the need for task performance. The leaders in this case are motivated to offer necessary solutions either passively or actively concerning the performance of the employees. As the leaders do this they are able to lead organizations to successful heights (McCleskey, 2014). Worth to note is that all the other attributes and skills of an ideal leader must be applied in this type of leadership for it to work. If not then the subordinates are likely to collude and overwhelm the leader (Odumeru & Ifeanyi, 2013). The leaders might decide to use the concept of management by exception active where they closely monitor the followers for any role violations (McCleskey, 2014). Here the leaders are able to develop a predictive mind on problems likely to be faced and take corrigible measures once the problems occur (Sharma & Jain, 2013). The second manner of leadership format the transactional leaders may take is passive and if referred to as management by exception passive where they wait for the problems the proactively solve them (Sharma & Jain, 2013). Charismatic Leadership Theory and effective leadership Charismatic leadership theory gives a description of what to expect from the followers as well as the leader. In this form of leadership, the leader engages in extraordinary behaviors and displays expertise altogether (Winkler, 2010). Charismatic leadership is applicable in crisis situations as well as other substantial realities. The leader in this context inspires the subordinates who in turn return the favor by being submissive (Bell, 2013). Bell (2013) further notes that, charismatic leadership applies the use of one novel concept that is emotion since the leader has to control self as well as the influence over others emotions. As such these types of leaders have the ability to modify the individual interests of the subordinates so that they are in tandem with theirs for effective accomplishment of goals (Bell, 2013). Most leaders who fall into crises use this form of leadership so as to leverage on the employees (Odumeru & Ifeanyi, 2013). This has led to the accomplishment of organizational goals despite chaotic situations. There are certain attributes of charismatic leaders that add up to the effectiveness of a leader. Charismatic leaders are good communicators (Bell, 2013). Despite being an essential quality in every leadership style, effective communication is very important in charismatic leadership. This enables them to disseminate information to the subordinates (Odumeru & Ifeanyi, 2013). Through good communication skills these leaders are able to show emotional appeal through their rhetoric and body language (Nohria & Khurana, 2010). They are then able to be inspirational and motivational to their followers. The charisma of the followers is ideally brought out by passion, emotion, motivation as well as inspiration instituted as these leaders communicate (Sharma & Jain, 2013). These leaders must emerge with a vision that is geared towards offering solutions to the problems at hand depending on the status quo. The vision is always new and very different from the norms of an organization. This makes this form of leadership style effective in critical situations where other styles cannot work well (Bell, 2013). Through the vision the leader is able to radically change the followers for the best of the organization (Northouse, 2010). Backed up with the communication skills that the charismatic leaders have, they are able to articulate the vision and this lead the followers in attributing charisma (Northouse, 2010). The leaders continuously communicate the vision so that it is internalized for the followers to attribute charisma to the leader. Thirdly, the leaders must also strive to establish trust between them and the followers. This is maintained through integrity that is envisioned in honesty and consistency between personal actions of the leaders and their values (Sharma & Jain, 2013). Charismatic leaders have to manage their impression at any given time. The impression is what the followers view the leader as (Bell, 2013). This is always ensured by courage and conviction as well as confidence. Lastly, the leaders must also express expertise in all their transactions. This is actually identified as the power source of charismatic leadership (Bell, 2013). This is usually two ways. Negative charismatic leaders instill fear on the coordinates while positive charismatic leaders delegate duties and authority to the subordinates (Northouse, 2010). When there is social crises the charismatic leaders are able to use the aforementioned characteristics for effective leadership in organizations. Conclusion Leadership is one of the roles of management and is eminent in nearly every nook of life. Without good leadership the tasks that are set cannot be accomplished in time. There are various forms of leaderships as well as theories that explain them. These include the situational theories, transactional, charismatic, transformational, and leadership member exchange theories among others. The scope of this paper is transactional, transformational, and charismatic leadership theories and their contribution to effective leadership. As seen in the paper different situations calls for different leadership styles. For example, charismatic leadership suits well in social crises. There is a very big difference between the three forms of leadership that give different styles of leadership. The style that is mostly linked with effective leadership is transformational leadership style being that it depends on the relationship between the leader and the followers. However, this is not to mean that other forms of leadership discussed are not geared towards effective leadership as each has its own merits, demerits and justifiable critics as well. Different situations will call for different leadership styles thus making the leader effectively achieve the leadership depending on the style that is chosen. Organizations should invest in leadership programs for their management teams so that effective leadership can be achieved. Bibliography Bell, R. M. 2013, “Charismatic Leadership Case Study with Ronald Reagan as Exemplar”. Emerging Leadership Journeys, 6(1), 66-74. David, I. 2015, “Transformational Leadership Vs. Transactional Leadership Definition | Chron.com”. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/transformational-leadership-vs-transactional-leadership-definition-13834.html Hernon, P. 2010, “Shaping the future: Advancing the understanding of leadership”. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited. McCleskey, J. A. 2014, “Situational, Transformational, and Transactional Leadership and Leadership Development”. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 5(4), 117-130. Nohria, N., & Khurana, R. 2010, “Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice: An HBS Centennial Colloquium on Advancing Leadership”. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press. Northouse, P. G. 2010, “Leadership: Theory and practice”. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Odumeru, A. J., & Ifeanyi, G. O. 2013, “Transformational vs. Transactional Leadership Theories: Evidence in Literature”. International Review of Management and Business Research, 2(2), 355-361. Sadeghi, A., & Pihie, Z. A. 2012, “Transformational Leadership and Its Predictive Effects on Leadership Effectiveness”. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(7), 186-197. Sharma, M. K., & Jain S. 2013, “Leadership Management: Principles, Models and Theories”. Global Journal of Management and Business Studies, 3(3), 309-318. Winkler, I. 2010, “Contemporary leadership theories: Enhancing the understanding of the complexity, subjectivity and dynamic of leadership”. Heidelberg: Physica-Verlag. Read More