Literature Review Pt. 2
Running Head: LEADERSHIP APPROACHES 1
Leadership Approaches
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Institution
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Literature Review
Organizational leadership in the contemporary environment is increasingly becoming a vital tool in defining the competitiveness of an organization due to the role it plays in motivating employees and determining critical decisions. Accordingly, diverse empirical studies have been conducted in the field of leadership in an attempt to determine the optimal leadership approach that should be adopted by organizations. The diverse leadership approaches that have been learned in the past include transformational leaders, transactional leadership, trait leadership, and situational leadership. The transformational leadership implies a leadership approach in which the leader works the juniors in the identification of the changes that are needed, defining the vision to guide the change execution and embracement, and in the execution of the change (Hill & Jones, 2014). In contrast, the transactional leadership implies that leaders should reward or punish employees in return for their efforts and deterrence against undue behaviors in the organization. The trait leadership approach indicates that leaders are defined by personal characteristics that are integrated (Hill & Jones, 2014). Thus, diverse individual differences help in selecting and fostering an effective leader. In contrast, the situational leadership approach indicates that effective leaders are defined by the situation of the leadership needed in a diverse environment. Thus, the approach implies that leaders should be capable of adjusting their leadership style to ensure they are capable of leading certain followers (Hill & Jones, 2014).
This literature review explores on various journal articles that have focused on the leadership approaches in different setups. One of the critical journal articles that have investigated the role of leadership approach is by Den, Deanne, and Belshack (2012). The article investigates when the transformational leadership leads to proactive behavior of the employee. Equally, the study explores the role of self-efficacy and autonomy in influencing employee personal initiative (Den, Deanne, & Belschak, 2012). The study was conducted using two-multisource researchers to evaluate the interaction between the contextual and personal variables towards the proactive behavior of employees. Consequently, the three authors of their study found that transformational leadership, employee independence, and breadth of the service-efficacy have a positive impact in stimulating proactive behavior among the employees (Den, Deanne, & Belschak, 2012). Furthermore, the study found the positive interaction between the personal and contextual variables in determining the proactive behavior of the employees. The findings of the study indicate that transformational leadership and high employee autonomy relate positively in enhancing the proactive behavior of the workers in individuals with high self-efficacy (Den, Deanne, & Belschak, 2012). This article is purposeful in the analysis of the leadership approaches because it helps in determining if the transformational leadership can help in motivating the creativity of the employees in the modern organizations’ competition for innovation leadership in the market. Equally, the article is relevant in assessing if the decision by the management to promote employee’s autonomy in the decision-making can lead to enhanced creativity.
Similarly, Wang, Tsai, and Tisai (2014) conducted a research study to evaluate the linkage between transformational leadership and employee creativity. The research study was conducted in Taiwan hotel in which data was collected from 197 supervisors and 198 employees. Thus, the study revealed that supervisors possessing transformational leadership had a positive influence on the creativity and self-efficacy of the employees (Wang, Tsai, & Tsai, 2014). The effectiveness of the transformational leadership in the hospitality industry was found to be more significant in complicated tasks. The findings of the study are in line with literature argument that transformational leadership is critical in building employee creativity. This article is purposive in the analysis since it helps in demonstrating how transformation leadership influences employee creativity in the service industries.
Another article that has been employed in the literature review is by Poel, Stoker, and Zee (2012). The article evaluates the relationship between the transformative leadership and the participative leadership approaches in a climate for change (Poel, Stoker, & Zee, 2012). Thus, the article seeks to determine if the transformative leadership and the participative can give similar results if applied independently. The article findings and conclusion on the issue were derived from a research data from 258 workers working in a Dutch employment agency organization. Accordingly, the research study found that the two leadership approaches generate similar results independently (Poel, Stoker, & Zee, 2012). The article is crucial in the study since it will help in determining if any of the two leadership approaches that have been applied traditionally should continue being used to effect equal organizational change. Thus, the primary goal of the article is to support or dismiss the call for leadership approach change in time of organizational changes.
The fourth article that has been employed in the literature review is by Wang and Rode (2010) that explores the relationship between transformational leadership and worker’s identification with the innovative climate, employee creativity, and the leader. Thus, the journal article focuses on determining if the extent to which the employees identify with the transformative leader employing, innovative climate and creativity are related. The study was conducted using a sample of 212 workers against their immediate supervisors from fifty-five companies (Rode & Wang, 2010). Accordingly, the research findings indicate that transformative leadership is not related to the employee creativity, identifying with the leader, or to an innovative climate. In contrast, the study finds that transformational leadership, innovative environment, and employee identifying the leaders are positive related to the creativity of the employees (Rode & Wang, 2010). The findings mean that the creativity of the employees can be influenced either by the presence of an innovative environment, identifying with the leader, or application of the transformative leadership approach. The findings of the journal article are critical in the leadership studies due to the effect it might have in diminishing the value of leadership approach towards employee creativity as emphasized in other empirical studies. Accordingly, the journal article is purposeful in the study because it will help in determining if a leadership approach is associated with creativity demonstrated by the employees.
Suifan and Al-Janini (2017) journal article is also, critical in exploring the role of leadership approach on the employees’ performance. The article evaluates if the transformational leadership is connected to the creativity of employees in the context of the Jordanian banking sector (Suifan & Al-Janini, 2017). The evaluation undertaken in the article focuses on the four dimension of the transformational leadership attributed to promoting the creativity of the employees, which include inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, and idealized influence (Suifan & Al-Janini, 2017). The study finds that transformational leadership is effective in enhancing the employees’ creativity. Nevertheless, the study finds that the dimensions of intellectual stimulation and inspirational motivation are not significant in influencing workers’ creativity. This article is about purpose in the literature review since it helps in determining the extent to which transformational leadership is effective in improving the employee creativity.
Antonakis and House (2014) journal article on leadership articles is also, a relevant source of empirical evidence on the role of leadership in promoting workers performance. The journal article investigates the validity of the instrumental leadership of transformational leadership and the transactional leadership approaches. Accordingly, the study finds that the transformational leadership is overrated significantly compared to the transactional leadership approach (Antonakis & House, 2014). The findings of the article make it a critical journal due to the informative revelation on the potential biases on the diverse leadership approaches in promoting the performance of the employees.
The journal article by Yang and Ma (2017) namely “Leaders’ sense of power and team performance” is another critical source of information in the study. The article explores the psychological aspect power experience in an organization. Thus, has investigating the scenario under which the leader’s feeling of power has been helpful in an organization. Accordingly, has employed data collected from seventy work teams and a two-way testing approach to examine the model. The research study finds that the team performance was improved by the sense of power by the leader since it decreased relationship conflict between the leader and the team member. However, this finding remained if the task interdependence was perceived to be high (Yang & Ma, 2017). Moreover, the findings remained after managing the demographic characteristics and the hierarchical status. Accordingly, this article is crucial in the leadership study due to the role it plays in investigating the role of a powerful leader in promoting employee performance.
A reflection on the majority of the articles reviewed depicts that transformational leadership is closely associated with the creativity and self-efficacy of the employees in different organizational setup. This pattern of similarity is demonstrated by the positive relationship the workers' creativity is attributed to the transformational leadership. Even though two of the articles discount the effectiveness of the transformational leadership in influencing the employee creativity and self-efficacy, they recognize employee creativity is closely related to the transformational leadership of the supervisors. Moreover, the article by Yang and Ma (2017) praising leadership show of power to promote employee performance limits the approach to the tasks that are perceived to be interdependent. Accordingly, the key argument emerging from the various articles is that transformational leadership is the best approach to influencing the employee performance in an organization.
Owing to the analysis of the literature review from the various journal articles, the transformational leadership appears most effective in managing ethical behavior in an organization. The decision to pick on the transformational leadership approach as the superior method of managing ethical behavior in the organization is due to the positive influence it has on the employees compared to the other leadership approaches. The extent of the transformational leadership to influence self-efficacy and creativity among the employees compared to other forms of leadership approaches is a demonstration of the superior capability it has in winning the attitudes and interest of the employees to the right path. Accordingly, the transformational leadership is the best-fit approach of influencing the employees to observe positive practices and behavior in performing their tasks.
References
Antonakis, J., & House, R. (2014). Instrumental leadership: Measurement and extension of transformational–transactional leadership theory. The Leadership Quarterly , 25 (4), 746–771.
Den, H., Deanne, N., & Belschak, F. D. (2012). When does transformational leadership enhance employee proactive behavior? The role of autonomy and role breadth self-efficacy. Journal of Applied Psychology , 97 (1), 194–202.
Hill, C. W., & Jones, G. R. (2014). Strategic management: Theory : an integrated approach. Boston: South-Western.
Poel, F. M., Stoker, J. I., & Zee, K. I. (2012). Climate control? The relationship between leadership, climate for change, and work outcomes. International Journal Of Human Resource Management , 23 (3), 694-713.
Rode, J., & Wang, P. (2010). Transformational leadership and follower creativity: The moderating effects of identification with leader and organizational climate. Human Relations , 63 (8), 1105–1128.
Suifan, T., & Al-Janini, M. (2017). The Relationship between Transformational Leadership and Employees’ Creativity in the Jordanian Banking Sector. International Review of Management and Marketing , 7 (2), 284-292.
Wang, C., Tsai, H., & Tsai, M. (2014). Linking transformational leadership and employee creativity in the hospitality industry: The influences of creative role identity, creative self-efficacy, and job complexity. Journal of Tourism Management , 40 (7), 79–89.
Yang, Y. R., & Ma, L. (2017). Leaders’ Sense Of Power And Team Performance: A Moderated Mediation Model. Social Behavior And Personality , 45 (4), 641–656.
