Leadership Theory
Leadership Theory
Leadership Theory
Leadership Theory
Literature over the past few years points to the importance of transformational and servant
leadership theories as key ingredients for organizational leaders to understand. Compare and
contrast the key principles of these two theoretical concepts. Synthesize key components of these
concepts for the potential they might contribute to successful leadership development.
Leadership Theory 3
Introduction
The impact and importance of leadership as a trait has found increasing levels of
acceptance at the organizational level although its distinction from management has always been
a controversial topic. However the roles played by strong management as well as leadership are
considered essential elements for optimum organizational effectiveness (Robbins, 1999). Any
organization needs both managers and leaders to function effectively. A manager is a person who
makes plans and initiates steps to utilize resources within available budget and timeframes to
achieve maximum productivity and efficiency. A leader is more of a motivator who spurs action
towards positivity and achievement in the organization. Both qualities are essential and
interlinked. Identifying and pinpointing what exactly leadership is has been a much debated topic
and research has put forth a number of theories which try to identify the essence of leadership
and the level of pertinence it has towards better management within an organizational setup. Due
to the complexity of comprehension as well as from the voluminous research done on the subject
experts in leadership theories have now shortlisted the agreed forms of leadership theories by
generalizing and focusing on four specific domains. These include the charismatic, transactional,
transformational and servant leadership theories (Smith et al, 2004). The aim of this paper is to
focus on the latter two i.e. the transformational and leadership theories and how they impact the
When a leader inspires followers to share a vision, facilitates the achievement of attaining
a goal by empowering the followers and provides them with the necessary resources to achieve
their full potential, the phenomenon is known as transformational leadership (Smith et al, 2004).
Transformational leaders inspire their followers to overlook their self interests in favor of the
overall organizational goals. Such leaders often have a profound and extraordinary effect on their
followers (Robbins, 1999). They work by setting examples, promoting optimism and at the same
time eliciting commitment from their followers (Smith et al, 2004). Transformational leadership
involves four major behavioral components which include idealized influence, inspirational
transformational leader provides a role model to the followers by focusing on the attainment of
organizational goals which serves as the primary motivational factor for all. It is a participatory
effort where the best in each member is brought to the fore and their individual excellence is
appreciated. Qualities of good workers are nurtured by providing all possible facilities to
empower the attainment of their specific individual contribution for the gross benefit of the
organization. Creativity and innovation are encouraged at the individual level which serves as
intellectual stimulation for the followers. Mistakes, if any, are overlooked within tolerable limits.
Problems are sorted out in a cooperative manner and individual potential is nurtured by
providing all necessary inputs which can be individualized according to the situational demand.
The flow of ideas is therefore bidirectional and no opportunity for acquiring new skills and
knowledge for the workers is missed for which the transformational leader serves as mentor and
guide. A transformational leader is capable of raising the awareness of followers to a level where
they realize and become conscious of the needs of the organization and are motivated to achieve
those goals over and above the need for the satisfaction of self interest (Bass, 1995). The
followers of such leaders therefore become capable of achieving much more than their own
expectations and capabilities. It promotes loyalty, respect and admiration for the leader which
encourages them to emulate him or her and the realization of their goals due to this enhanced
effort allows them to gain more self confidence as well belief in the organization (Bass, 1995).
Leadership Theory 5
The author believes that an effective transformational leader can motivate his followers to
generate extra effort and at the same time stimulate their creativity and productivity enabling
assumed that all members within an organization are trustworthy and purposeful, each person has
a unique contribution to make and problems are handled from the lowest level which enables the
leader to build a culture focused at a common goal or vision (Bass & Avolio, 1993). The
transformational leadership theory therefore promotes growth and innovation from within in a
participative environment where the best use of the available talent is made. In the process these
participative efforts offer learning opportunities which further enhance the capabilities of the
has shown astounding results with regular consistency as it has yielded positive results in the
majority of the organizations where it has been practiced (Barling et al, 2000). It serves to
enhance subordinate satisfaction, their trust in leaders, affective commitment towards the vision
of the company along with its strong association within a business unit performance (Barling et
al, 2000). The component of emotional intelligence (EI) has a strong association with the
transformational theory of leadership as the emotion handling of self as well as workers within
an organization is a vital tool in the hands of the leader (Sivanathan & Fekken , 2002; Barling et
al, 2000). Individuals with higher than ordinary emotional intelligence are likely to be more
followers is likely if they exercise self control and delay of gratification themselves. Based on
this quality a transformational leader with high emotional intelligence can understand the extent
of raising followers’ expectations in a better way at the same time comprehending individual
requirements (Barling et al, 2000).Transformational leadership is increasingly being felt as the
need in present times when the present generation has markedly changed its priorities in life as
compared to the previous generation which was more susceptible to authoritarianism and likely
to fall in line with organizational goals as dictated by the authorities (Bass, 1999). They were
likely to sacrifice self interests in favor of organizational goals. On the other hand, the present
generation is more cynical and needs motivation to align their thought processes in accordance
with organizational goals. This necessitates the need for a motivational leader who can harness
the thought processes of the followers in a positive manner and give it direction at the same time
keeping in touch with individual preferences and values nurtured by the followers.
The servant leadership theory is a recent concept put forth by Robert Greenleaf who
believes that instead of a leader being the primary focus within an organization, he or she should
rather tend to serve as a servant to others within the organization without harboring any
expectations for acknowledgement for his or her efforts (Smith et al, 2004). This sort of attitude
attributes a pivotal role for the practitioner of such skills who eventually emerges as a leader due
to his or her concerted efforts by providing resources and facilities for others which ultimately
results in the overall benefit for the organization. Such leaders emerge from an inconspicuous
position within the organization and are not primarily focused on assuming the mantle of
leadership at the entry level. They are rather pushed into the role of a leader by other members of
the organization in the pursuit of success at the group level. Such leaders emerge due to their
inherent personal talent for motivating others rather than being trained artificially for leadership.
Greenleaf believes that a servant-first attitude is a direct contrast for a leader-first attitude and is
based on the special skills of communication, persuasion and receptivity to other people’s ideas
Leadership Theory 7
inherent in such leaders (Smith et al, 2004). Such leaders promote their ideology within the
organization by setting an example for others to follow i.e. act as servants for the cooperative
achievement of common goals which ultimately benefit everybody within, without eulogizing
the efforts of a specific person. The focus therefore remains on organizational and group success
rather than individual attainments. Although the concept of servant leadership has received
invigorated interest from the management gurus in the recent past however it cannot be accepted
on the mere conjectures put forward by its proponents which need to be established as true facts
by thorough research (Sendjaya & Sarros, 2002). The hitherto accepted ten characteristics of
foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of the people and building community which
have been promoted merely from Greenleaf’s observations need to be established by concrete
research into the concept (Sendjaya & Sarros, 2002). The concept of servant leadership though
attributed as Greenleaf’s brainchild is not new to mankind as it is reflected in the history the way
Jesus Christ Himself practiced. Christ was instrumental in promoting amongst his disciples the
concept of service to humanity by acting as a servant and not as an authoritarian figure. The
following generations of monarchs as well other people followed and practiced this concept by
identifying themselves as servants to their people the general masses (Sendjaya & Sarros,
2002).The vital lesson of servant leadership is the idea of using power as an enabling factor in
order to serve other people. Servant leadership therefore has a philosophical component as it
follows from historical notions of service for the society which can be minimized as per the
status by ‘doing’ rather than ‘being’ a leader (Sendjaya & Sarros, 2002). Servant leadership
though untested by empirical research in its concepts has a strong parallel in the theory of
charismatic leadership in its historical context. Charisma itself is a quality which when possessed
by individuals lends them certain exceptional characteristics of personality which enable them to
influence others in a profound manner. Such persons are accepted by others as born leaders. The
parallel nature of charismatic and servant leadership concepts is purely on historical basis as
charisma was also believed initially to be a divine endowment. However unlike the concept of
servant leadership, the theory of charismatic leadership has been well researched and established
as a leadership theory (Sendjaya & Sarros, 2002). However charismatic leadership relies heavily
on individual qualities of the leader which may be so awe inspiring in the eyes of the followers
that they fail to understand the moral and ethical aspects of their actions prompted by such
leaders (Graham, 1991). Both theories therefore have a common factor of leadership by example,
one being by setting up standards for excellence for the others to follow while holding a
diminutive status initially which transforms into an accepted leadership status in the eyes of the
coworkers with time (servant theory) and the other by providing an awesome inspiration for
others to follow suit (charismatic theory). The servant theory of leadership has only one
disadvantage that it is not backed up or substantiated by scientific empirical data and research
An attempt to explain the servant leadership theory on the basis of rational scientific
principles has been made in a comprehensive review of the servant leadership attributes where
the focus has been shifted from it having been explained on the basis of primarily philosophical
and anecdotal historical facts in the past (Russell & Stone, 2002). The construct of servant
leadership has now been clarified and operationalized for empirical research and potential
characteristics of servant leadership have been identified (Barbuto & Wheeler, 2006).The authors
have highlighted the lack of support with empirical and published research, despite the
Leadership Theory 9
to put forth a researchable model for this theory (Russell & Stone, 2002). The authors have
sorted out and highlighted some of the identifiable attributes which have the likelihood of
association with the servant theory of leadership from the currently available literature. In
addition to the ten major attributes as explained by Green leaf earlier, the authors have expanded
the identifiable attributes’ number to 20 with the incorporation of the original attributes of
Greenleaf. Nine of the newly identified attributes have been described as ‘functional attributes’
and were picked by the authors from the work of their respective proponents. These include
‘vision, honesty, integrity, trust, service, modeling, pioneering, appreciation of others and
empowerment’ (Russell & Stone, 2002). The functional attributes are picked up from leadership
behaviors at the workplace and describe the ‘operative qualities, characteristics and distinctive
features’ of a leader (Russell & Stone, 2002). The multitude of these functional attributes are
often inter related and reciprocally affect each other. Besides these functional attributes the other
visibility, influence, persuasion, listening, encouragement, teaching and delegation’ (Russell &
Stone, 2002). The accompanying attributes are complimentary in nature to the functional
attributes and considered essential elements of servant leadership qualities (Russell & Stone,
objectives are concerned has been identified as the primary quality of a good leader. It should be
clear at the outset and the leader should be able to percolate it into the psyche of the followers in
an effective and convincing manner. The vision envisaged for the company should have a
justifiable and genuine goal for organizational integrity, growth and should be a continuous
learning process rather than being an ‘egocentric’ and ambitious idea of the leader. Once the
vision is clear, the energies and talents of the organizational members are utilized and directed
The second functional attribute of servant theory of leadership has been identified as
‘honesty’ which is an essential character attribute of an effective leader. The leader’s intent and
integrity should be transparent enough for the followers to elicit a firm belief in the vision
specified for the organization. Honesty is strengthened with the third attribute i.e. integrity and
both these attributes are considered complimentary to each other. Honesty is related more to the
concept of truthfulness while integrity broadly incorporates elements of adherence with a moral
code of conduct (Russell & Stone, 2002). In order to emerge as a leader and mentor for others to
emulate, a servant leader should possess these two attributes along with an impeccable character
in order to inspire confidence in the followers. Ethics are considered as an integral part of any
successful organization in present times and the leader should be able to ensure the incorporation
of a value system based on truth, kept promises, fairness and respect for all (Russell & Stone,
2002). As and when challenges emerge within and outside the organization the leader should be
able to follow the ideals and principles which have been set up using the principles of honesty
and integrity and these should pervade and persist within the organization.
The third functional attribute is ‘credibility’ and has been defined as ‘the quality,
capability, or the power to elicit belief’ in others (Russell & Stone, 2002). Credibility and its
consistent demonstration by the leader enthuses confidence and admiration in the followers. This
encourages the development of trust and commitment which are essential for integration of all
within the organization into a single harmonious entity. The ability to build trust and be a source
of accurate and pertinent information at all times for the followers is an essential element of
Leadership Theory 11
credibility which should follow a continuous, dynamic pattern as a process instead of being a
temporary trait. Once credibility has been accepted as an established trait in a leader, it goes a
Although sharing some common elements with the above three functional attributes, the
ability of being trustworthy is the fourth important functional attribute listed by the authors
(Russell & Stone, 2002). In the servant leadership model, building trust among compatriots is an
essential element for emergence into a leadership role. In fact trust has been considered as the
very basis upon which leadership is built. It is an abstract belief of the followers in the ability of
their leader in the absence of any monitoring or control mechanisms for measuring this trait
(Russell & Stone, 2002). Once established, trust goes a long way in improving interpersonal
relationships within the organization and elicits cooperation from followers at the time of critical
junctures, decision making occasions and challenges. It eliminates fear among the followers
thereby enhancing their productivity. Trustworthiness as a trait begins from home itself when
children in their tender years have unflinching faith in their parents. To establish and magnify
In order to establish trust, a leader should display the fifth identified functional attribute
of servant leadership i.e. ‘competence’. Competence is the qualification and ability to handle
one’ designated duties at the organization (Russell & Stone, 2002). The knowledge, skills and
talent of the leader should be in tune with the organizational responsibility attributable to
him/her. A good leader should be able to enhance his capabilities in a continuous manner by
acquiring new skills and knowledge and providing solutions for the followers as and when they
crop up. In fact a good leader should set an example in competence for the others to emulate and
servant leader (Russell & Stone, 2002). Service before self should be the driving factor in the
leader’s temperament and he should be capable of offering his services to address issues facing
the followers. To be of good service to the organization a leader should possess the ability of
being ever ready to make available information, time, attention, material and other resources for
the followers (Russell & Stone, 2002). The display of service to others and targeted towards
achieving the vision of the group should be an omnipresent phenomenon within the organization
From the service attribute emerges the next fundamental attribute which is stewardship.
‘Stewardship involves managing the property or affairs of another person’ (Russell & Stone,
2002). The organization for which a leader works is his/her primary responsibility and
automatically the leader becomes a steward for the goals set forth as the vision of that
organization. The servant leader should emanate the qualities of stewardship from within and
remind the followers of their own stewardship roles within the organization. This aids in
distributing ownership and responsibility to the concerned persons and eliminates patriarchy
(Russell & Stone, 2002). The followers therefore share the responsibility in their respective
sections which brings out the best of their talents when practiced with honesty and integrity in
close cooperation with the leader. The display and delegation of stewardship therefore has an
The next fundamental attribute is that of a role model i.e. setting a visible positive
personal example for others to emulate (Russell & Stone, 2002). The leader sets up the desired
attributes within the organizational culture by his actions and reactions. By executing their duties
in an excellent manner good leaders attract followers into commitment, dedication, discipline
Leadership Theory 13
and excellence which are modeled on their own performance (Russell & Stone, 2002).
The public presence and ready availability of the leader on all occasions is the next
fundamental attribute of servant leadership which has been entitled ‘visibility’ (Russell & Stone,
2002). A good leader should be omnipresent within the organization and offer honest and ready
solutions to the followers in a perfectly transparent environment. The interactions between the
leader and his followers should be public and prove the capabilities of the leader in full limelight.
The ninth fundamental attribute is the pioneering nature of the leader. A leader should be
able to develop new strategies, take risks and work out innovative approaches to handle old
problems (Russell & Stone, 2002). A good leader should cause rather than react to situations by
initiating and developing plans to encounter obstacles in the vision of the organization as well as
the ones faced by the followers. He should possess creative abilities and have the courage to
initiate changes according to the signs of the times with the primary focus on the organizational
objectives.
The ability to ‘influence’ others has been considered as a true measure of leadership and
is the tenth attribute described by the authors (Russell & Stone, 2002). True influence does not
denote domination and control but the ability to exert a determining effect on the behaviors of
group members and their activities (Russell & Stone, 2002). Influence tactics include persuasion,
legitimization and pressure (Russell & Stone, 2002). The ability to influence others is therefore
the primary criteria by which the leader translates his ideas into practical shape. The influence
tactics more pertinent for the servant leadership model should however be based on non
manipulative methods and rely more on cooperation with the followers (Russell & Stone, 2002).
Other attributes associated with the servant theory of leadership follow the above pattern
and include the abilities of persuasion, appreciation, encouragement, listening, teaching,
empowerment and delegation which are just the finer nuances of the primary attributes described
above. The conglomeration of these attributes has been suggested by the authors as a means for
imparting a more meaningful and scientific character to the servant theory of leadership. Servant
leadership is also considered more appropriate for implementing personalism within the business
and the needs and desires of the followers assume a higher hierarchy than those of the leader.
This sometimes becomes too unrealistic to practice as the leaders' staying in a lower rung and
lack of authority sometimes aids in serving the wrong cause which may go against the goals of
the organization (Whetstone, 2002). However, as far as leader trust and organizational trust are
concerned, servant model of leadership is more congenial for a high level of trust in both these
sectors when compared with other theories of leadership (Joseph & Winston, 2005).
The two leadership theories described above are currently the focus area for management
experts who consider them to have the potential for being put to good use in running the present
organizational structures in the world. The ultimate purpose of every leader is to modify and
influence the people within an organization in order to reach organizational goals and objectives.
What kind of leadership is desirable or more appropriate in the present times is the crux of the
matter, which needs justification in order that organizations choose that particular role models for
their leaders in order to handle their short term as well as long term business and organization
objectives.
Leadership Theory 15
The transformational leadership theory is a time tested and proven method and
charismatic leaders have shown remarkable consistency in directing the energies of their
confidence, ability to articulate a vision, initiate change as and when required and willingness to
pursue that vision even in adverse situations places him in an unenviable position for the others
to follow and emulate (Giampetro-Meyer A. et al, 1998). On the other hand a servant leader
addresses such issues from within the organization, not by dictating but by setting an example for
his fellow workers and subsequent followers and by pursuing matters in a more ethical manner
desired by a particular organization depends upon the nature of its business as well as short time
and long term goals it has set up for itself. Choosing the right kind of leader therefore is driven
by the needs and not by choice. Whether a not a particular vision itself is desirable for an
organization depends upon its business character and thereby influences the requirement of a
decision making and driven by own personality while framing the vision for an organization.
There is high likelihood of decisions of such a leader not following the conformations of ethics
and therefore being inconsistent with what the followers might believe and expect.
Transformational leaders are often accused of ignoring ethics while framing visions for an
organization which are driven more by short term profits. As their decisions and visions are
imposed and sometimes blindly followed by the followers, there is no room for discussion and
solution of problems on a common platform. There is a lack of analysis and reflection in the
reasoning process. A transformational leader is also subject to narcissism as the target oriented
approach they follow often makes them harbor grandiose thoughts about their capabilities which
may not always prove to be successful and occasionally might end in disaster (Giampetro-Meyer
A. et al, 1998). The servant leader on the other hand is part of an organizational culture based on
ethical and reflective decision making. The leader works from within the organization and
establishes leadership status by example and by directing other workers to follow common
shared goals and objectives by acting as a role model. Nothing is imposed on anybody and the
leader as well as the followers share equal responsibility in the outcomes of the organization.
Sorting out problems takes a collective effort and the servant leader is superior only due to his
accepted status as a man for any crisis. The servant leader model is more appropriate for the
multinational corporate culture where individual flair and influence have less chances of being
noticed. The common objectives and vision in such organizations are already well defined and
they run on the basis of common shared values, duties and responsibilities. This can however
prove a detrimental measure if short term goals within a time constraint and particular location
are desired. In such a situation a transformational leadership style is more appropriate. Servant
leaders might hinder corporate success within such organizations (Giampetro-Meyer A. et al,
1998). Servant leadership cannot yield stupendous results like transformational leadership where
individual charisma and vision of the leader may be the driving factor, however unsound it may
appear to the onlooker or the follower. Servant leadership can hold promise in organizations
which are not driven by profit, but are part of the service industry or an organization of such
magnanimous proportions which can bear to sustain temporary losses and setbacks (Giampetro-
However experts believe that servant leadership theory which is currently undergoing
empirical testing and research upon recommendations of management experts might be the
theory made for the future leaders as it shares some the characteristics of traditional hierarchical
Leadership Theory 17
and autocratic leadership models with the nearest to it being the transformational model. This
similarity emanates from the fact that when a transformational leader empowers his followers in
order to reach organizational goals it amounts to sharing of responsibilities which is the modus
operandi of the servant theory of leadership. Certain characteristics of leadership are also shared
by these two models which include vision, respect, influence, role model, trust, integrity and
stewardship. Individual appreciation and consideration to the follower’s problems are also
essential elements of the leader following the tenets of these two forms of leadership. Innovation
and creativity are also the hallmarks of both forms of leadership theories. Servant leadership
transformational leadership which enhances the blend between the two by including credible
safeguards against the excesses possible from charismatic effects (Graham, 1991). High change
and target driven environments are more suited for the transformational model while static
environments and non profit organizations are more suited to the servant style of leadership
(Smith et al, 2004). When the essential difference between the two leadership styles was
subjected to critical research it was discovered that the primary difference between the two
leadership styles lies in the focus of the leaders (Stone et al, 2004). A transformational leader is
more focused on the organization itself and his behavior is directed towards achieving
organizational objectives which he transmits to his followers. The servant leader on the other
hand has his primary focus on his followers with whom he collectively aspires to fulfill the
organizational objectives (Stone et al, 2004). As far as learning organizations are concerned, the
future educational leaders are expected to follow the tenets of transformational leadership but
with a sense of responsibility and democracy as they will act as the harbingers of positive change
in society (Bass, 2000).
Conclusion
When compared, the two styles of leadership – transformational and servant based, have
certain common attributes which can be magnified according to merit when selecting the model
in short-term target oriented organizations where the vision is clear and the followers need an
inspirational and charismatic leader at the helm. Ethics and morality can take a backseat in such
organizations as their goal does not allow for rumination and correction of anomalies. The
servant model of leadership is a new one although its historical existence is justified. The large
corporate sectors and organizations with international presence often are financially sound and
their goals long term and generalized globally. They can benefit more from the servant model of
leadership which encourages equal participation from all and allows for emergence of new
leaders from the existing staff. Experts feel that a blend of these two leadership theories can be
used in the present organizational cultures, in order to suit their individual requirements. The
corporate world and business organizations have changed and acquired more ethnic variety and
cosmopolitan outlook in their staff as well as character, which spurs the need for leadership
styles best suited for them. Successful leadership cannot be envisioned within the narrow
framework and confines of the protected and monopolized work environments of yesteryears and
only the best suited mechanisms need to be adopted for international survival.
Leadership Theory 19
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