Transformational Leadership and Leader-member exchange LMX

Transformational Leadership and Leader-member exchange LMX By (Name) Student Name Institutional Affiliation Course Date Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Introduction PAGEREF _Toc9430047 \h 3Leader’s Behavior PAGEREF _Toc9430048 \h 3Transformational leader leadership theory PAGEREF _Toc9430049 \h 3Pros of a leader’s behavior PAGEREF _Toc9430050 \h 3Cons of a leader’s behavior PAGEREF _Toc9430051 \h 4LMX theory PAGEREF _Toc9430052 \h 4Pros of a leader’s behavior PAGEREF _Toc9430053 \h 4Cons of a leader’s behavior PAGEREF _Toc9430054 \h 5Organizational performance PAGEREF _Toc9430055 \h 5Transformational leadership theory PAGEREF _Toc9430056 \h 5Pros to organizational performance PAGEREF _Toc9430057 \h 5Cons to organizational performance PAGEREF _Toc9430058 \h 6LMX theory PAGEREF _Toc9430059 \h 6Pros to organizational performance PAGEREF _Toc9430060 \h 6Cons to organizational performance PAGEREF _Toc9430061 \h 7Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc9430062 \h 7List of References PAGEREF _Toc9430063 \h 9 Introduction Through leadership theories, it is possible to explain why particular individuals become leaders while others remain as followers. Leadership theories often focus on the characteristics of leaders, although others seek to identify the behaviors that individuals can use to improve their leadership abilities in various settings. The leadership theories focused in this essay are transformational leadership theory and the leader-member exchange (LMX) theory. This essay will compare and contrast the transformational leadership theory with LMX theory using two aspects; the leader’s behavior and organizational performance. Comparing and contrasting transformational leadership theory with LMX theory with the two aspects is critical because it enables leaders to identify the leadership theory that is suitable for a given setting Leader’s Behavior Transformational leadership theory concentrates predominantly on how the leader’s behavior is unilaterally directed towards the subordinates (Cote, 2017). On the contrary, the LMX theory is more relationship-based. It is exemplified by one-on-one reciprocal social exchanges between a leader and follower. Instead of concentrating predominantly on the behavior of the leader as transformational leadership theory does, LMX considers the behavior of both the leader and the follower. Transformational leader leadership theory Pros of a leader’s behavior Transformational leadership focuses on the behavior of the leader. It utilizes the various qualities of the leader to influence the followers. According to Burch and Guarana (2014), transformational leaders use charisma, inspiration, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration to influence their followers. In essence, transformational leadership centers on the behavior of the leaders because they are the ones critical to the achievement of group or organizational goals. The focus in the leader’s behavior is an effective way of inspiring followers to work towards a particular goal. Leaders create a vision which makes it easy for a group or an organization to achieve a particular goal (Fok-Yew, 2015). Since the behavior of the leader is critical in the achievement of group or organizational goals, leaders are in a better...