Types of Leaders

When we look at leaders' types (or styles), we can consider transactional versus transformational leaders or even a blended approach to leadership. We may fall into the trap of our thinking about leadership and think one way of leading is right for all situations. Instead, This text should help you understand that different situations may require us to exhibit different leadership skills. Consider a manager at a fast-food restaurant that mostly hires teenagers to work versus a senior manager with well-experienced professionals on their team. This section compares transactional and transformational leadership. Be attentive to the key differences between them. The section on transactional leaders explores how transactional leaders operate within the organization. This type of leader uses extrinsic motivational tools. The key behaviors of transformational leaders are more focused on how they interact with and inspire their followers. This leader fosters teamwork and has a broad, inclusive vision. Finally, the text explores the blended approach of transactional and transformational leadership.

A Blended Approach to Leadership

The full-range leadership theory blends the features of transactional and transformational leadership into one comprehensive approach.


LEARNING OBJECTIVE

  • Assess the intrinsic value of blending transactional leadership behaviors with transformational leadership behaviors

KEY POINTS

    • Transactional and transformational leadership are not mutually exclusive, and leaders often demonstrate traits associated with both approaches.
    • The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire is used in diagnosing leadership styles and for developing leadership.
    • Leaders use elements of transformational and transactional leadership as the situation calls for them.

TERMS

  • Transactional Leadership

    A theory of leading that focuses on the role of supervision, organization, and group performance; leader promotes compliance through rewards and punishments. Also known as managerial leadership.

  • Transformational Leadership

    A theory of leading that enhances the motivation, morale, and performance of followers through a variety of mechanisms.

The full-range theory of leadership seeks to blend the best aspects of transactional and transformational leadership into one comprehensive approach. Transactional leadership focuses on exchanges between leaders and followers. Transformational leadership deals with how leaders help followers go beyond individual interests to pursue a shared vision. These two approaches are neither mutually exclusive, nor do leaders necessarily exhibit only one or the other set of behaviors. Depending on the objectives and the situation, a leader may move from using one approach to the other as needed.

Management researcher Bernard Bass developed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), consisting of 36 items that reflect the leadership aspects associated with both approaches. The MLQ also includes several characteristics of a more passive leadership approach known as laissez-faire. Respondents are asked to think about a leader they work with and to rate how frequently the individual exhibits the leadership behaviors. The MLQ is used to help leaders discover how their followers perceive their behaviors, so they can develop their leadership abilities. The questionnaire is most effective with eight to twelve respondents, as this feedback gives leaders a broad set of perspectives from the people who interact with them.