The Transactional Leadership Theory is a very popular, and commonly used theory when trying to

promote great leadership qualities. Essentially, this theory can be defined as, leaders or managers
motivating the group to perform based off of punishments and incentives. This can be achieved by
forming the right set of rewards and punishments that will persuade the group to perform at an
exceptional level.

Judges, fellow debators ,classmate and Sir van, Good morning. I am the practicability speaker and as of
moment I am about to present my arguments about transactional leadership

According to Max Weber, a 20th-century German sociologist, made an extensive study of leadership
styles and divided them into three categories: traditional, charismatic and rational-legal, or bureaucratic.
In 1947, Weber was the first to describe rational-legal leadership — the style that would come to be
known as transactional leadership — as “the exercise of control on the basis of knowledge.”

In the mid-20th century, Max Weber is considered to be the first to describe a rational-legal leadership,
later to be known as Transactional Leadership Theory. Weber is most notably recognized for his
bureaucratic leadership style. The concept of the bureaucratic leadership style basically focuses on the
idea of believing in an organization’s objectives based off of rules, regulations, and certain positions held
in an organization. In this case, an employee is likely to report to his direct superiors if there are any
questions or concerns about anything. As the years went on, a scientist, James McGregor Burns, and
researchers, Bernard M. Bass, Jane Howell, and Bruce Avolio, went on to advance Weber’s theory on
Transactional Leadership.

The Transactional Leadership style also focuses on the idea of a management process that includes
three basic concepts: organizing, controlling, and short-term planning.

Organizing for a leader might look something like making sure that the group or organization has a set
plan, providing set meetings where the group or organization can meet to discuss goals and objectives,
or really anything else that might be considered as some form of organizing.

Controlling as a leader would include giving the group or organization proper guidance or telling them
what is or what is not acceptable.

Short-term planning for a leader might focus on goals that the organization should have for the near
future, or guiding the group to make positive changes in a very quick manner.

Transactional leadership theory is based on the idea that managers give employees something they
want in exchange for getting something they want. It posits that workers are not self-motivated and
require structure, instruction and monitoring in order to complete tasks correctly and on time.
The transactional leadership style was widely used after World War II in the United States. This was a
time when the government concentrated on rebuilding and required a high level of structure to
maintain national stability. In the 1980s and 90s, researchers including Bernard M. Bass, Jane Howell and
Bruce Avolio defined the dimensions of transactional leadership:

Contingent reward, the process of setting expectations and rewarding workers for meeting them

Passive management by exception, where a manager does not interfere with workflow unless an issue
arises

Active management by exception, in which managers anticipate problems, monitors progress and issue
corrective measures

According to (McCleskey, 6). Transactional Leadership Theory allows both leaders and followers to
accomplish many things. This theory allows “leaders to accomplish their performance objectives,
complete required tasks, maintain the current organizational situation, motivate followers through
contractual agreement, direct behavior of followers toward achievement of established goals,
emphasize extrinsic rewards, avoid unnecessary risks, and focus on improving organizational efficiency”

With that, it “allows followers to fulfill their own self-interest, minimize workplace anxiety, and
concentrate on clear organizational objectives such as increased quality, customer service, reduced
costs, and increased production (Sadeghi & Pihie, 2012)” (McCleskey, 6).