TRANSACTIONAL

LEADERSHIP
March 2009
First described by
Max Weber in 1947.
Further developed by
Bernard M. Bass in
1981.
 Considered at the
opposite end of the
leadership spectrum from
Transformational
Leadership.
Later became part of a
three style model:
Transformational,
Transactional, Laissez
Faire
 ASSUMPTIONS

A. People are motivated by

reward and punishment.
 ASSUMPTIONS

B. Authority is ceded to
the leader in a clear
chain of command.
 ASSUMPTIONS

C. The primary motivation

is a quid pro quo.
 The leader creates
clear structures in
which requirements are
well understood.
 REWARDS ARE
ALWAYS EXPLICITLY
MENTIONED.
Punishments are not
always mentioned
but are well
understood.
Negotiation often takes
place at the initial
stages of the
leader/follower
relationship, but
seldom thereafter.
TELLING more
than SELLING
MANAGEMENT by
EXCEPTION
Operations performing as
expected do not need attention;
however, exceptions in either
direction (positive or negative)
On the leadership vs.
management spectrum,
transactional leadership
very much towards the
management end of the
scale.