Transactional Leadership

Poverty has always been a factor in the education of young people. Student populations are never completely congruous and different schools must search for the most effective ways to educate their particular group of students. There are inherent differences between schools that work with high poverty students versus those that work with low poverty students simply because of the differing needs of these students. Research into the differences in students attending these schools as well as the differences in the types of instruction that works best for them is extensive, but there is not a significant amount of research into how teachers in these types of school perceive their surroundings and the decisions of their leaders. Consequently, …show more content…
The transactional school leader will achieve organizational goals by offering rewards to teachers who follow the prescribed strategies and programs set forth by the administration (Aydin, Sarier, and Uysal, 2013). This type of leadership can be effective because the achievement of goals is at its center. The motivation is extrinsic but the employees are still performing because they want the reward. Okçu (2014) found in his study that transactional leadership was not as effective as transformational leadership in terms of working with a diverse staff, but it had a low level positive effect. Aydin et al.(2013) performed a meta-analysis of studies done on leadership styles and job satisfaction in schools. The meta-analysis found, “As the transactional leadership behaviors of school manager increases, the teachers’ job satisfaction increases.” (Aydin et al., 2013, p. 808) This occurred because teachers knew the goals that they were trying to achieve. Transactional leadership allowed the administration to set a clear direction for the school and eliminate all ambiguity about the purpose and goals of the school. School climate improved because teachers enjoyed their jobs more (Aydin et al., 2013). The part of transactional leadership not examined is the punishment options of the leadership style. Transactional leadership …show more content…
One key characteristic of laissez-faire leadership is that subordinates determine the problems with the organization and then discover the solutions to said problems. In the education realm, this means that teachers would decide what issues within the school need addressing and then decide on the course of action to solve the problems. The leader is simply a guide that worker utilize if needed. Consequently, many teachers may view this type of leadership as an abdication of responsibility by the administration, but there are some teachers who like the fact that they have the free reign to control their own destiny and determine their own needs. Laissez-faire leadership can create a positive school environment if teachers have a large amount of experience and are independent enough. Teachers are also put in the forefront in this type of leadership because they are the ones making the decisions and determining the path of the school (Sternberg, 2013). There is a significant concern that laissez-faire leadership can lead to an increase in employee stress because they feel that they have no direction or support. Skogstad, Hetland, Glasø, and Einarsen (2014) conducted a survey of 4,500 employees of various companies and organizations to determine if laissez-faire leadership behaviors led to increased worker stress due to role ambiguity. They used four factors as determined by the

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