Leadership Styles to Improve HR Department Performance
This paper critically analyzes the leadership styles of two former HR directors, Margaret and Paul, and recommends an effective leadership approach for a newly appointed HR director. Margaret is identified as a charismatic and somewhat autocratic leader, while Paul exhibits characteristics of transactional leadership. The paper argues that neither style was sufficient to produce a highly motivated and united team, as both leaders lacked the visionary quality necessary to inspire employees. Drawing on transformational leadership theory and emotional intelligence frameworks, the paper recommends that the new HR director combine the positive attributes of her predecessors with emotionally intelligent and transformational leadership practices to drive superior departmental performance.
- Introduction: Context for HR director leadership style challenge
- Analysis of Leadership Styles Adopted by Paul and Margaret: Charismatic and transactional styles compared
- Why Neither Paul nor Margaret Could Build a Motivated and United Team: Shared limitations: lacking vision and motivation
- Lessons the New HR Director Should Take from Her Predecessors: Combining EI and transformational leadership for improvement
- Conclusion: Synthesis and recommended leadership approach
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What makes this paper effective
- It uses a concrete case study to ground abstract leadership theory, comparing two distinct real-world leadership personalities against established frameworks.
- The paper draws clearly on named theorists — Bass and Steidlmeier, Spahr, Konorti, and Sarros and Santora — to support each analytical claim, lending academic credibility to the argument.
- Direct quotations from both the case study and academic sources are integrated to illustrate points rather than merely asserted, strengthening the evidence base.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates comparative analysis applied to leadership theory. By placing Margaret's charismatic style and Paul's transactional style side by side and measuring each against the same criteria — vision, motivation, and employee engagement — the writer arrives at a reasoned synthesis recommendation. This technique shows how theoretical frameworks can be used as evaluative lenses rather than simply described.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a brief contextual introduction establishing the HR scenario. It then proceeds through three analytical sections: a paired examination of each predecessor's leadership style, an explanation of why both styles fell short, and a practical recommendation for the incoming director. A short conclusion recaps the main findings. This problem–analysis–solution structure is well suited to applied business and management writing at the undergraduate level.
Introduction
The goal of any business organization is not only to survive, but to excel in the marketplace and enhance competitive advantages. Excelling in a highly competitive market environment requires organizations to continually improve their performance through effective talent management and the development of innovative products. The leadership styles adopted within an organization can significantly affect organizational performance. An effective leader is able to create an atmosphere of trust and engagement that enhances staff performance. Despite the benefits that organizations can derive from applying a well-chosen leadership style, a new human resources director who intends to achieve the best from her subordinates must implement an effective leadership approach to deliver superior results from employees.
Having been appointed to the post of HR Director, the new director ought to adopt the best leadership style to improve the performance of the entire staff. However, choosing the right leadership style remains challenging, given that she is tasked with leading a team of 30 HR officers, administrators, and trainers. She did not wish to replicate her predecessors' leadership styles because she believed the HR department had been underperforming under both Margaret and Paul.
The objective of this paper is to provide a critical analysis of the leadership styles adopted by Paul and Margaret and to recommend an effective style that will motivate all employees.
Analysis of Leadership Styles Adopted by Paul and Margaret
Giltinane (2013) defines leadership as a strategy used to motivate and support subordinates in achieving organizational goals. A critical role of a leader is to elicit and draw efficient performance from subordinates. Traditionally, leaders are expected to possess personality traits that include ethical ability, confidence, courage, and purpose. Although some leaders are naturally talented, others acquire leadership traits through skills, education, and experience. Analysis of Margaret's leadership style reveals that she did not develop her approach through formal education; rather, her style emerged from accumulated experience. Her leadership style can be characterized as informal, charismatic, and generally positive in its approach.
Spahr (2016) argues that charismatic leaders lead through personal conviction — a style that Margaret clearly adopted. Spahr (2016) further notes that charismatic leaders rely on charm, driven by their commitment and conviction to their cause. Unlike transformational leadership, which operates through visionary inspiration and motivation, charismatic leadership draws on strong emotional appeal to win the support of subordinates. Margaret demonstrated these emotional traits concretely when the new HR director's first child fell ill. During that difficult time, Margaret was understanding and helpful in easing her colleague's return to work. She also used her strong personality and sense of humor to dispel tension, employing a pragmatic and no-nonsense approach — hallmarks of a charismatic leader, who is often effective in managing crises.
Both charismatic and autocratic leaders share certain traits; for example, both can inspire employees through authority. Alongside her charismatic qualities, Margaret also exhibited autocratic tendencies, though her charismatic traits were dominant. She structured her team according to her own beliefs and judgment. As the case study notes: "As HR Director, Margaret had always taken difficult issues in her stride, using her strong personality and wicked sense of humor to dispel tension." (Extract from the Case Study, 2015, p. 1).
Max Weber argued that charismatic leadership uses norms and authority to direct subordinates and sets rules for others to follow. Despite its benefits, charismatic leadership lacks the clarity and long-term vision associated with transformational leadership. The confidence that charismatic leaders project may not be well-founded, and they can be reluctant to entertain ideas from subordinates, believing no one is better suited to handle responsibilities than they are. This shortcoming was evident in Margaret's style: she consistently challenged subordinates who proposed new ways of doing things.
"Her approach was no-nonsense and pragmatic, having no time for theories or fashionable ideas. Always brimming with ideas herself, Margaret challenged her team continually to think about new ways of doing things." (Extract from the Case Study, 2015, p. 1).
This approach limits innovation within the organization. By denying employees the freedom to make decisions, it constrains the company's vision and discourages creativity.
Paul's Leadership Style
Paul's leadership traits align closely with those of the transactional leadership style. The case study reveals that Paul was introverted and quiet, preferring to maintain distance from workers. He was formal in his approach, avoiding social activities and relying on email or memo to communicate with employees. One of Paul's distinguishing qualities was his decision-making process: he always gathered as much evidence as possible before arriving at a decision, which helped him formulate sound policy for the benefit of the organization.
Transactional leaders use rewards and punishment to achieve expected performance levels. Paul demonstrated this approach by ensuring that everyone understood what was expected of them. The case study captures this clearly:
"Paul had a command of detail and always worked long hours. Everyone always knew what was expected of them because he set them objectives and targets, which he expected them to meet. If they failed to do this, they would be in no doubt that he was unhappy with their performance. He could be very critical at times and was hard to please, but he took pleasure in the achievements of his department and always took care to thank people formally for a job well done." (Extract from the Case Study, 2015, p. 1).
Sarros and Santora (2001) argue that contingent rewards are the primary tool transactional leaders use to achieve results, because people value material and tangible recognition for their efforts. Unlike transformational leaders, who acknowledge individual talents and build enthusiasm through shared values and emotions, transactional leaders promote compliance by appealing to wants and needs. The drawback of this reward-based system is that management comes to view performance primarily in financial terms, which undermines the development of a socially cohesive and mutually supportive workplace. As a result, transactional leadership may fail to produce the synergistic outcomes that a united team can deliver.
Conclusion
This paper analyzed the leadership styles that the new HR director's predecessors adopted. The outcome of the analysis revealed that Paul used a transactional leadership style — relying on rewards and punishment — while Margaret relied on charismatic leadership. However, neither was able to sufficiently motivate employees, and the HR department underperformed throughout both tenures. The paper recommends that the new HR director combine the positive aspects of her predecessors' approaches while also adopting an emotional intelligence framework and transformational leadership principles. Together, these approaches will help the HR department deliver superior performance and enhance overall organizational productivity.
References
Bass, B. M. (1995). Theory of transformational leadership redux. The Leadership Quarterly, 6(4), 463–478.
Bass, B. M., & Steidlmeier, P. (1998). Ethics, character, and authentic transformational leadership (pp. 1–25).
Extract from the Case Study. (2015). Case study.
Giltinane, C. L. (2013). Leadership styles and theories. Nursing Standard, 27(41), 35–39.
Konorti, E. (2008). The 3D transformational leadership model. The Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge, 14(1).
Sarros, J. C., & Santora, J. C. (2001). The transformational-transactional leadership model in practice. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 22(8), 383–394.
Spahr, P. (2016). What is charismatic leadership? Leading through personal conviction. St. Thomas University.
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