Despite the focus on leadership as a separate area of study unique from management, there continues to be debate about the roles of leaders in organizations, and how (or whether) to develop leaders. This research considers traditional approaches to the issue of leadership, and the approaches taken by seven leaders in the field.
Traditional Approaches to Leadership Theory
During the twentieth century, two primary approaches to leadership were developed: transactional and transformational (Deluga & Souza 7). Transactional leadership suggests that leaders respond to lower level subordinate basic and security needs (Deluga & Souza 50). Leaders and subordinates are viewed as bargaining agents where relative power regulates an exchange process as benefits are issued and received. There are two types of behavioral patterns used in transactional leadership: passive and active. The passive style is described as management by exception where employees do not receive notice for their positive contributions to the organization, but instead are paid attention by their manager only when an error or problem arises. Punishment or disciplinary action is often the medium used in this approach. Active transactional leadership uses contingent rewards. With this approach, employees are praised for their performance and may be eligible for pay increases or other incentives (Matey 600).
Transformational leadership incorporates transactional leadership approaches, but moves beyond them. Here, the leader-subordinate influencing relationship is one where relative power is used to pursue organizational and personal goals. Three types of transformational leadership approaches have been identified: charisma/inspirational, individual stimulation and consideration for the individual (Matey 601).
Under charisma/inspirational approaches, the leader demonstrates a high degree of popularity or celebrity status and is held in high esteem by p...