Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership
When evaluating transactional vs. transformational leadership, there are unique differences that come to light. Qualities that can be easily noticed and some that cannot.
Transactional Leadership
- Tends to be short actions or projects
- More task- oriented
- Focuses more on polices and rules and regulations
- The role of supervision, organization, structure, and group performance are crucial
- Give and take concept, where leader- follower relationship is an exchange
- More Authoritative Management style
Work Place Examples include:
* Military with that short transactions and authoritative style.
* Universities organization, it has more of an authoritative hierarchy than one might realize. The policies and rules of this organization is
very coherent and important to the success of the university.
Famous Examples:
* Bill Gates- "I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions they will be moved to act."
- From the quote above, shows that any leadership style
or behavior can be a transaction rather than developing
others.
Transformational Leadership
- Definition: A process where "leaders and their followers raise one another higher levels of morality and motivation.
- Group - orientated
- The leaders goal is to visual and help the group succeed their goal
- Inspirational
- Promotes positive change through vision and motivation
- Equally beneficial for leader and follower
- However, this is very difficult to define and assumes followers want to work together toward a larger goal.
- It has potential to be abused and treats leadership more as a personality trait.
Examples in Organizations:
* Apple
* Starbucks
Examples of Famous People:
*Nelson Mandela in Invictus
- He knew how to motivate and inspire others
- His past and experiences he has lived through has helped shaped his
leadership style today
Both Transactional and Transformational Leadership show different and unique characteristics that make them completely different from one another. In my past work experience, I encountered a manager that showed characteristics of a transformational leader. This manager was an inspiration to me but also allowed me the opportunities to grow myself while still keeping the values and culture of the company. This also meant keeping to the policies and procedures of the workplace. This manager wasn't about trying to meet a quota or just trying to get a task completed to move on to the next, this manager really took the needs of the company and the department I was working in. They listened and understood our needs as employees and tried to tailor the projects and opportunities to help fill those needs. One that can inspire but allow you to grow are qualities of a great transformational leader.