Activity 4: Essay

LMX theory provides a more holistic approach towards effective leadership. It sets the basis

for a unique relationship between a leader and each of their followers. The chapter focuses on

the strengths and weakness of the theory by highlighting its various implications. The major

strength of this theory is that it promotes a two-way communication among leaders and

followers, hence strengthening the organizational outcomes (Northouse, 2018). However, the

discrimination between in-groups and out-groups in terms of efficiency is criticized by

theorists and researchers. For instance, in a case presented in the chapter “His Team Gets the

Best Assignment”, it has been mentioned that putting extra time and work outside the basic

job requirement enabled Carly to make the ingroup teams more efficient (Northouse, 2018).

However, it was also seen that other teams felt that they were not getting the best projects or

resources for completion of their projects compared to the teams preferred by the leader.

Transformational leader, on the other hand, tends to focus on transforming the followers by

bringing about a change and motivating the followers by satisfying their needs. While LMX

theory suggests that not all the followers can be treated the same way by the leaders,

transformational leadership approach greatly focuses on the concerns of individual followers.

Moreover, transformational leaders foster a culture of creativity where every follower feels

encouraged to discuss his/her ideas with the group (Northouse, 2018). “An Exploration in

Leadership” proves that transformational leadership and enhanced engagement with the

followers, results in more efficiency and an overall positive change in the behavior of the

participants and their perception towards organizational goal (Northouse, 2018). In the

previous chapter, this kind of change was only seen the groups/followers that were preferred

by the leader over the others.

There are some negative points of transformational leadership as well, as explained in the

text, including its lack of clarity and limited application (in case where a change is required in

the organizational environment). Critics also believe that this kind of leadership is a

personality trait instead of a behavior that can be taught. However, the chapter emphasizes

that transformational leadership is fruitful in many ways.

Reference

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.