Leadership - Research Paper Example

Contingency leadership Contingency theory of leadership emphasizes that effective leadership depends on matching a leader’s style to the appropriate situation (Da Cruz et al, 2011, p 7). The theory is based on the assumption that people’s styles and behaviours cannot be influenced or modified in any way. The leadership theory is formed by a combination of three factors, which are, leader-member relation, task structure and positional power (Da Cruz et al, 2011, p.9). Leader-member relation measures acceptance between all hierarchies within the organization where acceptance is determined by trust, confidence a feeling of adequacy and motivation by leaders.

In relation to task structure, it refers to a measure of clarity that a project or a defined task carries and the methods used to achieve the product. These allows progress to be tracked, this is because of the presence of clear guidelines as to how a task should be performed. Positional power, on the other hand, is a measure of the amount of authority that a leader has, ad its ability to influence the productivity of the workers. This is in reference to the ability that a leader when it comes to reward and punishment.

It also has a part in hierarchies where the workers are required to report to their leaders. . on, in order to exert influence on one’s workers or followers, there is the need to use people skills and communicative skills in order to influence the outcome of their followers (Da Cruz, 2011, P. 17). Concerning contingency theory, there are several groupings of leaders and their outright performance situations based on the power and influence they exert. The theory proposes that a task-oriented leader stands a better chance at getting better performance due to its dynamic nature.

The nature is it can be used when there is too much control or too little control over workers. In addition, in positions where a leader has moderate power, the theory proposes that best performance is yielded for relationship-oriented leaders. Transformational leadership Transformational leadership is a leadership style in which leaders and followers elevate each other to levels above present level of morality. In order to account for power, influence and leadership in transformational leadership, it is based on four components.

Influence is exerted on followers or workers according to how admirably the leader behaves. This, in turn, has an influence on the followers on whether they would like to emulate them (Hoffman et al., 2011, p. 781). Leaders in this theory follow a set of clear values that they demonstrate in their actions. This allows the leader to be a role model for their followers creating trust between leaders and followers. Therefore, the leader does not just wield the power to lead his or her followers but works by appealing to their values to the followers.

  However, the leadership style holds an unethical edge, as unscrupulous leaders to suit their own purpose or personal interests can exploit it. Therefore, it