Journal 2 Transactional Vs Transformational Leadership
Transactional Leadership differs from Transformational Leadership primarily through means of communication amongst individuals within the organization and the results yielded from their associated communication styles. “Transformational leaders move followers to transcend their self-interests for the good of the group, organization or the country” (Crews et al.,
2019) while the Transactional leadership style moves followers through authority and reinforcement of successful completion of a short- or long-term goals or assignments. Transformational leaders take a personable approach to their leadership style exemplifying behaviors that inspire followers to achieve unity and support continuous education and growth within the company. These such leaders take the time to understand their followers’ personal motives and values and adjust their communication and actions in accordance with the individual
to achieve success within the company. They consistently reward their followers throughout the entire process of attaining a goal,
such as recognition for adapting a new perspective to their approach, motivating through personal satisfaction rather than task completion. Conversely, transactional leaders take an aggressive approach to their leadership style and are more task oriented when it comes to achieving success within the company. These leaders tend to focus more on getting the job done and only step in when giving direction or when corrective action must take place. These leaders tend to reward only when the task is complete, rather than rewarding throughout the entire process, motivating followers through task completion rather than personal satisfaction. Transformational leaders communicate with various stakeholders in a precise, expressive and curious manner. Whether one is communicating with followers, suppliers, customers or shareholders, transformational leaders speak with clarity, expressing the organizations values and
vision in a manner that sheds light on both an individual’s impact within the organization and overall growth and success within the company as a whole. They are collaborative with stakeholders, asking purposeful questions to not only understand the individuals’ personal values
and beliefs but how they can coincide with those of the company. Transactional leaders utilize similar styles of communication such as expressiveness, preciseness, and curiosity but take a more emotional approach than that of a transformational leader. As stated, transactional leaders are more task oriented meaning they have a clear and precise goal they are aspiring to achieve. They are able to clearly communicate the organization’s visions and goals to stakeholders but fail to understand the individual themselves, disregarding the alignment of the individuals’ values with those of the company. Though purposeful questions may be asked of stakeholders, it is more so with the intention of their productivity rather than impact on the organization and unity. A leader’s ability to adjust their communication style in accordance with their audiences needs has a direct impact on the organization’s culture, efficiency, performance and productivity.
The absence of adaptability within a leader stunts continuous growth and education from followers; ultimately depriving the individual of “unlocking one’s potential to maximize their own performance” (Ibarra, 2019).
