Contemporary Views of Leadership Comparison Essay by jpgaltmill

Contemporary Views of Leadership
A comparison of contemporary views on leadership practices that focuses on the transformational and transactional styles.
# 153828 | 1,094 words | 9 sources | APA | 2014 | US
Published on Feb 19, 2014 in Business (Management) , Political Science (General) , Hot Topics (General)


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Description:

The paper briefly reviews the literature on the transformational and transactional forms of leadership. The paper discusses the works of Burns, Bass, Kendrick, Nadler and Tushman and finally, Kotter on the strengths and weaknesses of both styles of leadership. In conclusion, the paper asserts that one must look to the organization - its goals, its environment, and its people - to determine which leadership style is the most suitable.

From the Paper:

"The contemporary views of leadership are many and varied, but two of the most important leadership styles discussed are transformational and transactional. It is these two styles that have had the greatest impact on contemporary leadership studies. Each style brings with it its own strengths and weaknesses, and, while some thinkers favor one over the other, recent studies have shown that both styles of leadership need to be implemented by any successful organization.
"James Burns is one of the first writers to define and compare transactional and transforming leadership styles. The transactional style relies on an exchange of values where each person involved has related purposes, but the relationship does not extend much beyond the particular exchange (as cited in Wren, 1995, p. 101). In contrast, transforming leadership requires a much more engaging relationship. Burns says that in this form of leadership "leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality" (as cited in Wren, 1995, p. 101). What does this mean in practice? It means that leaders and followers see themselves as part of a team, with a singular vision, as opposed to the transactional experience where they feel more like individuals who have related, but passing interests in common."

Sample of Sources Used:

  • Bass, B. M. (1998). Transformational leadership: Industrial, military, and educational impact.Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  • Burns, J. (1978). Transactional and transforming leadership. In J. Thomas Wren (Ed.). Leaders companion: Insights on leadership through the ages (p. 29). New York, NY: The Free Press.
  • Chemers, M.M. (1984). Contemporary leadership theory. In J. Thomas Wren (Ed.). Leaders companion: Insights on leadership through the ages (p. 29). New York, NY: The Free Press.
  • Couto, R. (1993). The transformation of transforming theory. In J. Thomas Wren (Ed.). Leaders companion: Insights on leadership through the ages (p. 29). New York, NY: The Free Press.
  • Kendrick, J. (2011). Transformational leadership changing individuals & social systems. Professional Safety, 56(11), 14.

Cite this Comparison Essay:

APA Format

Contemporary Views of Leadership (2014, February 19) Retrieved March 31, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/comparison-essay/contemporary-views-of-leadership-153828/

MLA Format

"Contemporary Views of Leadership" 19 February 2014. Web. 31 March. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/comparison-essay/contemporary-views-of-leadership-153828/>

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