They use a clear punishment and reward structure to get individuals to obey their instructions. Applying transactional leadership to Mr. Manager shows clear correlations. There are clearly defined punishments in relations to how professionals and para-professionals operate within this field. Those who do not follow protocol that results in the injury and accident of an MR/DD patient will be subject to termination, suspension, and other severe consequences. Mr. Manager does not take a proactive step in helping his staff realize their errors, and thus he relies on their knowledge of existing punishments as a deterrent and impetus for working harder. Mr. Manager however, fails as a complete transactional leader because he does not consistently remind his staff the clear structure in which they work. As a result, his employees are not fully aware of the severe consequences of their actions. When a transactional leader allocates work to a subordinate, they are considered to be fully responsible for it. Mr. Manager however, shifts the burden upon both the professional and para-professional, and the ambiguous nature in which he operates his instructions and duties conflicts with the transactional leadership perspective. The effective transactional leader uses "management by exception," which means that as long as something is operating to defined performance standards than it does not need to be monitored. This formulaic conception of management is evident in Mr. Manager's style when he does not actively pursue troublesome aspects of the para-professional's work habits. The result was that three individuals were punished for their neglectful actions. The transactional leadership style has severe limitations, however they also have strengths in that they help create a defined structure for all employees to operate.
Both of these theories have strengths and weaknesses. The transformational leadership theory is based primarily on a "selling style," because it requires the leader to sell their vision of organizational behavior to his subordinates. Transactional leadership theory in contrast is based more on a "telling...
A combination of both of these theories is necessary to fully develop a strong leadership style. A leader must lay out strategic rules and conditions for all employees to follow so that they understand there is a solid framework and criteria to judge their actions. However, a leader must also inspire their staff to understand exactly what they are doing and how to improve on their current operations. In sum, it is necessary for both transactional and transformational leadership to work concurrently. In application of this theory across spectrums it is evident that both of these leadership styles are actively used in the real world. However, since they both have limitations because practical circumstance demands flexibility, each of these theories must be used with a grain of salt. In combining many different leadership styles, one can develop a strong understanding of how to make an effective and powerful organization.
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