pace of technological change and the large amount of information which must be generated and disseminated among subordinates and superiors.
At the heart of a leader's role is the job of motivation (Kouzes & Posner, 1997, p. 40. If a leader is unable to provide motivation to the organization, it matters little how important the leader's vision is. Effective leaders combine motivation with their vision with the result that their essential message is inspirational. Members of the organization are not only convinced of the validity of the leader's vision, but are motivated to take the steps necessary to help achieve that vision. In short, they take "ownership" of their participation within the organization (Wheatley, 1994, p. 66). The ways in which successful leaders achieve this motivation vary from one individual to the next, and leaders who are successful in one organization may find that they are not successful in others, since organizational culture has much influence over the leadership and motivational styles which are effective in any particular situation (Kouzes & Posner, 1997, p. 65).
Politicians must convey their vision to staff members; it is then the employees' within individual government agencies who are responsible for implementing that vision. Managers help to administrate these policies, but leaders, both in the form of elected officials as well as managers, are necessary to ensure that the political mission is understood at all levels of the organization.
Transactional leadership suggests that leaders respond to lower level subordinates' basic and security needs (Deluga & Souza, 1991, p. 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...