Lesson Learned week 5
QUESTION 1
Lessons Learned Posting by Tuesday at 11:59 pm EST: You will share the information that you learned from your course readings, your peers, and your research. Assess how your initial understanding of the topic differs from your present views. Define the lessons (minimum 1) learned and the outstanding questions (minimum 1) that you still may have had on the topic.
USE THE READINGS ATTACHED AND THE DISCUSSION POST BELOW TO ANSWER QUESTION 1. HALF A PAGE
QUESTION 2
DISCUSSION 1 ASH
REPLY TO THE POST AND INCLUDE A REFERENCE
HALF A PAGE
Managerial Theories - Transactional and transformational leadership:
The concept of transactional leadership is when leaders focus on the consistent progress toward goals and often reward goal achievement through transactions, such as, bonuses, time off, promotion, and recognition, the opposite side of this management style is that unmet goals can lead to “punishments,” such as, demotion (NCBI, 2007).
The concept of transformational leadership is when leaders work through motivation and engagement of their employees by focusing on a shared vision. The shared goal alone holds enough motivation to achieve high performance levels.
The application of transactional and transformational leadership: I often think of the Air Force when I think of transactional and transformational leadership. The Air Force is goal oriented and focuses on performance and obeying commands of your leader is a goal within itself, in addition to using rewards and punishments to motive their “employees”. Newly enlisted “employees” are carefully monitored to ensure expectations are met and usually the chain of command is very definite (Cherry, 2020). While I have so far been focused on the core strengths of transactional leadership, I also feel that the Air Force also pulls from the transformational leadership style by having that common goal that is the backbone of almost every employee’s desire to enlist in the military – the safety of the country, in addition to defining clear foundational goals, such as, focusing on an individual’s intellect, inspiring motivation, and modeling respect (Cherry, 2020). The Air Force is a large “organization” and it’s not a job for everyone, in which case employees who are unable to maintain these core foundational goals, set forth by the organization, typically are unable to find satisfaction with this system.
References
How a transactional leadership style works. (n.d.). Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-transactional-leadership-2795317
Transformational and transactional leadership: Association with attitudes toward evidence-based practice. (n.d.). PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1876730/
QUESTION 3
DISCUSSION 2
REPLY TO THE POST AND INCLUDE A REFERENCE
HALF A PAGE
Concept:
Douglas McGregor theorized that there are 2 types of management and employees. Theory X assumes people dislike work, are lazy, lack self-discipline, and lack motivation (Olden, 2019). Theory Y assumes people like meaningful work, are creative and capable, and want responsibility (Olden, 2019). Theory Y also assumes people are motivated, have self-control, and want to contribute (Olden, 2019). Given this perspective, Theory Y managers work with their employees and adjust their leadership style depending on the employee.
Application:
Theory Y managers have loose general supervision, trust their employees, share decisions, and have frequent and open communication with the workers (Olden, 2019). Theory Y managers assess situations to see if they need to switch their management, however, Theory X managers are more authoritarian and less likely to adapt to situations. With theory X managers, authority is not delegated and control remains centralized (Mindtools, 2021). For example, there is a team working on a project. A theory X manager may micromanage and be too involved in the project, not letting the team work through problems on their own. A theory Y manager may take a too hands off approach and let the team work without much guidance, and this may lead to missed deadlines. The best approach is usually a mix of both X and Y.
References
Mindtools. (2021). Theory X and Theory Y: Understanding people's motivations. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_74.htm
Olden, P. (2019). Chapter 9: Leading Theories and Models. In Management of healthcare organizations (3rd ed., pp. 215-238). Health Administration Press.