Transformational, Transactional, and Servant Leadership
Transformational leaders try to motivate followers to change or to transform themselves. They are responsive to the individual needs of the followers; inspire followers; align the goals of the organization, leader, group, and invididuals.
Transactional leaders try to motivate followers by providing resources and offering payment. Considered “old style” leadership.
Transformational leadership has four dimensions:
Idealized influence
Part 1: The charismatic behaviors of the leader
Part 2: The elements of leadership attributed to the leader by the followers
AKA the emotional component of leadership
Inspirational motivation
Leaders set high expectations and inspire the followers to meet these expectations
Intellectual stimulation
Encouraging creativity and innovation
Creating a space that is safe to try new things in
Individualized consideration
Creating a supportive environment
Providing mentorship
There is also pesudotransformational leadership that violates ethical foundations, and demands unconditional loyalty from subordinates
Transactional leadership also has four dimension:
Contingent reward
Receive this benefit for completing this task (bonuses, etc)
Active management by exception
Monitoring work of subordinates and intervene to correct issues
Passive management by exception
Solving problems as they happen rather than preventing them
Laissez-faire
Absence of leadership entirely
There’s a two-page section of examples that I will probably try to read later
Servant leadership: primary objective is to help others
Anytime chapter 1 is titled anything with Theories in it, you know this book is gonna be good.
Sun Tzu, Plato, and Dan Rooney are named as philosophers of leadership. I mean…… not wrong.
Leadership is a prolific area of study with several theories, many reaching back decades.
Common elements of oft-quoted leadership definitions:
“A process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” –Norhouse 2012
“Interpersonal influence exercised by a person or persons, through the process of communication, towards the attainment of an organization’s goals” –Russell 2005
“The ability to influence people to willingly follow one’s guidance or adhere to one’s decisions” –Rue and Byars 2009
“An influence relationship aimed at moving organizations or groups of people toward an imagined future that depends upon alignment of values and establishment of mutual purposes.” –this text
Power: French and Raven (1959) describes five sources of leadership power, plus a sixth added later.
Reward power: The power to grant benefits to subordinates (the famous carrot)
Financial bonuses, etc.
Especially effective on employees who are extrinsically motivated
Coercive power: The power to distribute punishment
The threat of punishment is common in sport, for the players as well as coaches and administrative personnel
Legitimate power: The power granted by societal norms, such as a job title or org chart that shows that one person has authority over another
Referent power: AKA charisma, this is based on personal qualities and characteristics exhibited by the leader. The subordinate receives satisfaction by avoiding the discomfort of the boss’s displeasure
This is probably the power I wish I had but I’m pretty sure I don’t
Expert power: The power that is derived from having great knowledge or skill. This power materializes when a subordinate is in a position of need, and the leader has desirable information.
May be a formal or entirely informal relationship.
A doctor has this power over their patients.
Informational power: The leader explaining how a job or task should be done differently. This is fueled in part by the referent or reward power but also by the logic employed to reinforce the need for a different way to do something.
In Moneyball, Billy Beane asked his scouts to use new sources of information such as OBP instead of the Five Tools
It is vital to note that different sources of power can exist simultaneously in a single individual. An athletic director can have multiple sources of power at once:
Ability to reward coaches with contract renewals
Able to punish malfeasance and incompetence with early termination
The authority and expectations of their title
Having charisma
Expertise in coaching and administration
Attending conferences and getting information on how to be a more effective AD
The effective leader uses these sources of power dynamically as the need changes for different leadership styles. Very key.
When considering what leadership style to employ, consider these factors:
The Leader
The Subordinates
The Situation
The leadership style must be adapted to the target group. An executive leads their executive staff differently than their interns. The position of the group itself also dictates differences in leadership style.
Paths to Leadership:
Appointment
Appointment suggests a relationship, responsibility, and shared values
Election
Leader has appealed to the electorate, which is still a relationship that is formed
Emergence
Spontaneous and nebulous in new or informal organizations
Charisma
This type of leadership depends on personality, not knowledge, experience or skill
This is the most dangerous type of leadership to wield
LEADERSHIP THEORIES:
Great Man Theory
The idea that a few are born to lead
Trait Theory
Five factors that prepare one to lead (modern list):
Leadership behaviors can be more employee-oriented or product-oriented
Likert’s System of Management
Exploitative authoritative (no trust in subordinates, driven by threats and coercion)
Benevolent authoritative (low trust, but uses rewards to achieve motivation)
Consultative (enhanced trust in subordinates and calls on them to provide input, group is motivated by ability to be involved in decision making, has agency)
Participative team (The leader has high trust in subordinates, motivation comes from shared achievement)
Situational Theory: Leadership styles are dependent on the environment in which a leader needs to act.
Essential key: there are two dimensions that coexist to change the leader’s behavior: supportive behavior and directive behavior.
Supportive: showing socio-emotional concern for subordinates
Directive: the need to delegate tasks and watch over subordinates
If the workforce is more mature and responsible, need fewer of both types of gestures
An immature, insecure or inexperienced workforce needs more supportive and directive behaviors
Lewin, Lippitt and White studies:
Leadership behavior studied in boys’ hobby clubs. Three types were found:
Authoritarian: dictator-style, the leader is separate and distributes all praise and criticism.
Led to enhanced aggression and domination.
Democratic: Leader facilitated group’s activities with input from group.
Led to development of collective planning and individual decision-making
Laissez-faire: Lack of adult participation with little praise or criticism from leader.
Less productive, but productivity continued without leadership input.
Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid
Rate 1-9 on concern for people
Rate 1-9 on concern for production
Team management (9.9) feels possible only with the right people in place
See picture
Blake and Mouton managerial grid
Four approaches to leadership that match up with Path-Goal Leadership Theory:
Directive Leadership: Clear expectations and goals
Supportive Leadership: Showing concern for well-being of subordinates
Participative Leadership: Leaders who consult with subordinates
Achievement-Oriented Leadership: set high expectations to motivate subordinates
Path-Goal Theory of Leadership:
Leaders will change the path to attain a goal based on the motivation of their subordinates. Something is wrong with this page, I’m not sure what went wrong but you get the idea.
Ok well that was fun but kind of unsettling there at the end. But we have a lot of great theories now!
