3b Discussion Assignment Reply 1 Transformational vs Transactional Leadership..pdf

Jada,

I enjoyed reading your post and research on the topics from the text. Personally, I have always

leaned towards transformational leadership. However, I work along side a colleague who prefers

and tends to lead more in line with a transactional leadership. Surprisingly, I was unaware of the

benefits until I started doing research for this discussion. I have come to learn there are

advantages to being able to strike a balance between the two.

Transformational Leadership vs Transactional Leadership

o“Leadership is also the ability to influence others and is dependent upon whether

the leader possesses that which followers seek. Leadership can be classified as either

transactional leadership or transformational leadership. The research of J. M. Burns showed that

transactional leaders lead by understanding the underlying principles of management and then

applying those principles in the workplace; a transactional leader will guide followers to achieve

organizational goals by clarifying roles and task requirements. Thus, transactional leaders define

the purpose of the organization’s existence to followers and then provide them with the plans and

means to attain goals” (Satterlee, 2018, p. 5).

oTo provide background being in the sales business we met unprecedented

challenges during the time of the COVID pandemic. Contrary to our historical success we began

to struggle like most organizations. However, our team was showing minimal signs compared to

others across the nation. I have come since to learn that was because the approach we took

during the pandemic. We leaned on the transactional model and was much more successful

despite the tendency to lean towards transformational leadership during those hard times.

oAn excerpt from a journal article by Alavi, Ehlig, & Habel . “In times of uncertainty

salespeople and other employees are more receptive to leadership as they look for support and

guidance (Conger 1999; Lord et al. 2017). Uncertainty induced by the pandemic should

particularly lead to feelings of insecurity on how to effectively adjust to new working conditions.

Consequently, salespeople should seek guidance from their leaders on response options and their

expected outcomes. Such specific guidance might be provided through concrete contingent

rewards and punishments and managing by specific objectives. This is in line with extant

literature on path-goal theory in the context of leadership effectiveness (Hater and Bass 1988).

According to the path-goal theory, established by House (1971) and Evans (1974), leaders should

initiate psychological structures for their salespeople by defining specific tasks, clarifying

expectations, and recognizing achievements. These behaviors are associated more with

transactional leadership (Bass et al. 2003). While the concept of transactional leadership

comprises different dimensions, they converge in providing relatively clear guidance to

employees. Transactional leadership focuses on exchange-orientated behaviors, that is, reward or

punishment depending on the performance on previously aligned targets (Howell and Avolio

1993). Such exchange-oriented behaviors create clear expectations for both sides and

consequently, a certain structure for salespeople to follow in times of crisis. Furthermore, the

frequent exchange supports salespeople in evaluating the consequences of their response

behaviors. Consequently, transactional leadership fosters learning to be able to quickly adapt to

the new situation. We thus expect that transactional leadership safeguarded salespeople’s sales

performance during the COVID-19 pandemic”. “Particularly, leaders can support their

salespeople to cope with the effect and response uncertainty inherent to the pandemic—and

importantly, they can also impede coping if they do not choose the right leadership style, thereby

deteriorating sales performance. Second, to mitigate negative effects on sales performance, our

findings suggest that a transactional leadership style provides salespeople with clear objectives

and structures that support salespeople in more effectively and quickly evaluating different

response options and their consequences. Therefore, we encourage organizations to train leaders

in demonstrating transactional behaviors in times of crisis associated with high levels of effect

and response uncertainty, such as a global pandemic” (Alavi, Ehlig, & Habel, 2022).

oUp until now we were always so confused by the success, compared to others in the

same situation who were using the transformational leadership principles. Based on the research

noted above along with other research conducted I have begun implanting behaviors associated

with transactional leaders to compliment my transformational principles. I found this research

and information very useful to take a deep look inward and realize there is not one leadership

style or model that fits all situation. In the position I am in, I am always looking to enhance my

leadership ability. I am very thankful for your post which lead me to research more information

on both principles.

Biblical Integration

oHebrews 13: states “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”

(English Standard Version Bible, 2021). I provide this biblical reference not only for myself but

for others. “Change is something we tend to fear and become anxious about because we do not

feel in control of life. The good news is that God has a plan for your life that includes hope,

future, and prosperity. We need to learn to trust in God and allow the change to grow us to

become more like Jesus Christ” (The BibleStudyTools Staff, 2021). Just as I was anxious and

fearful about changing my style during the pandemic, I put my trust in God’s hands trusting he

would lead me and our team through those difficult times.

References – 1 total

Alavi, S., Ehlig, P. A., & Habel, J. (2022). Transformational and transactional sales leadership

during a global pandemic. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 1-15.

doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2022.2101462

English Standard Version Bible. (2021). Retrieved from English Standard Version Bible Online:

https://biblehub.com/ephesians/4-32.htm

Satterlee, A. (2018). Principles of Management and Leadership: A Christian Perspective. New

York, NY: McGraw-Hill Custom.

The BibleStudyTools Staff. (2021, April 1). Bible Verses About Change. Retrieved from The

Bible Study: https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-change/

Jada,

I enjoyed reading your post and researching the topics from the text. Personally, I have always

leaned towards transformational leadership. However, I work alongside a colleague who prefers

and tends to lead more in line with transactional leadership. Surprisingly, I was unaware of the

benefits until I started doing research for this discussion. I have come to learn there are

advantages to being able to strike a balance between the two.

Transformational Leadership vs Transactional Leadership

o“Leadership is also the ability to influence others and is dependent upon whether

the leader possesses that which followers seek. Leadership can be classified as

either transactional leadership or transformational leadership. The research of J.

M. Burns showed that transactional leaders lead by understanding the underlying

principles of management and then applying those principles in the workplace; a

transactional leader will guide followers to achieve organizational goals by

clarifying roles and task requirements. Thus, transactional leaders define the

purpose of the organization’s existence to followers and then provide them with

the plans and means to attain goals” (Satterlee, 2018, p. 5).



oTo provide background being in the sales business we met unprecedented

challenges during the time of the COVID pandemic. Contrary to our historical

success we began to struggle like most organizations. However, our team was

showing minimal signs compared to others across the nation. I have come to learn

it was because of the approach we took during the pandemic. We leaned on the

transactional model and were much more successful despite the tendency to lean

towards transformational leadership during those hard times.



oAn excerpt from a journal article by Alavi, Ehlig, & Habel. “In times of

uncertainty salespeople and other employees are more receptive to leadership as

they look for support and guidance (Conger 1999; Lord et al. 2017). Uncertainty

induced by the pandemic should particularly lead to feelings of insecurity on how

to effectively adjust to new working conditions. Consequently, salespeople should

seek guidance from their leaders on response options and their expected

outcomes. Such specific guidance might be provided through concrete contingent

rewards and punishments and managing by specific objectives. This is in line with

extant literature on path-goal theory in the context of leadership effectiveness

(Hater and Bass 1988). According to the path-goal theory, established by House

(1971) and Evans (1974), leaders should initiate psychological structures for their

salespeople by defining specific tasks, clarifying expectations, and recognizing

achievements. These behaviors are associated more with transactional leadership

(Bass et al. 2003). While the concept of transactional leadership comprises

different dimensions, they converge in providing relatively clear guidance to

employees. Transactional leadership focuses on exchange-orientated behaviors,

that is, reward or punishment depending on the performance on previously

aligned targets (Howell and Avolio 1993). Such exchange-oriented behaviors

create clear expectations for both sides and consequently, a certain structure for

salespeople to follow in times of crisis. Furthermore, the frequent exchange

supports salespeople in evaluating the consequences of their response behaviors.

Consequently, transactional leadership fosters learning to be able to quickly adapt

to the new situation. We thus expect that transactional leadership safeguarded

salespeople’s sales performance during the COVID-19 pandemic”. “Particularly,

leaders can support their salespeople to cope with the effect and response

uncertainty inherent to the pandemic—and importantly, they can also impede

coping if they do not choose the right leadership style, thereby deteriorating sales

performance. Second, to mitigate negative effects on sales performance, our

findings suggest that a transactional leadership style provides salespeople with

clear objectives and structures that support salespeople in more effectively and

quickly evaluating different response options and their consequences. Therefore,

we encourage organizations to train leaders in demonstrating transactional

behaviors in times of crisis associated with high levels of effect and response

uncertainty, such as a global pandemic” (Alavi, Ehlig, & Habel, 2022).



oUp until now we were always so confused by the success, compared to others in

the same situation who were using transformational leadership principles. Based

on the research noted above along with other research conducted I have begun

implanting behaviors associated with transactional leaders to complement my

transformational principles. I found this research and information very useful to

take a deep look inward and realize there is not one leadership style or model that

fits all situations. In the position I am in, I am always looking to enhance my

leadership ability. I am very thankful for your post which leads me to research

more information on both principles.

Biblical Integration

oHebrews 13: states “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”

(English Standard Version Bible, 2021). I provide this biblical reference not only

for myself but for others. “Change is something we tend to fear and become

anxious about because we do not feel in control of life. The good news is that God

has a plan for your life that includes hope, future, and prosperity. We need to learn

to trust in God and allow the change to grow us to become more like Jesus Christ”

(The BibleStudyTools Staff, 2021). Just as I was anxious and fearful about

changing my style during the pandemic, I put my trust in God’s hands trusting he