An increase in the psychology of leadership over the years has created an interest among scholars. They have been interested in knowing exactly how some people turn out to be successful leaders. This has led to the development of various theories of leadership. The theories of leadership I am mostly interested in are transformational leadership and participative theory and these shall be explained in the following essay.
Theories that Appeal to me
Participative theories take the form that the right kind of leadership style is the type that takes into account the contribution made by other members of the team. This style is essentially a type of democracy in leadership in which the leader consults with other members of the team before making decisions that affect the team (Ahmed & Khan, 2016). The leader cannot be viewed as the overall head of the team because everything he or she does has to be discussed and agreed to by the team. This theory is essential is significant because it allows the group members to make their contributions and thus makes them feel more important and an essential component of the team. On the other hand, transformational leadership theory is the type in which the leaders encourage, motivate and inspire the employees to make, innovate and create change to help in the growth of the future success of the company or the organization (Kumar, 2014).
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Similarities and Differences in Theories
Albeit almost similar, transformational and participative theories have various dissimilarities and these include the fact that whereas participative theory is a form of democratic leadership in which the leader incorporates the views of the other members of the team, transformational leadership is the type in which the leader purposes to inspire, encourage and move the members of the team to make initiatives and changes positive for the benefit of the organization. This is to say that participative leadership stops at the decision making the stage of management whereas transformative leadership allows members of the team the liberty to make changes and decisions that ultimately influence the trajectory of the organization.
New Conclusions about Leadership
Initially, I used to believe that leadership is a gift one is born with and hence the inherent belief that some people are born natural leaders whereas other people are meant to be led. After considering the transformation theory and the participatory leadership styles, I am convinced that anyone can be a leader and that leadership is not inborn but rather a trait that people can grow and nurture. According to the theory of transformation, for instance, people learn to encourage others to become the best they can be and hence they get to occupy the positions of leadership. On the other hand, participatory leadership posits that every member of the group has something they can offer to the group and therefore their contributions ought to be considered in the decision-making process.
In conclusion, leadership is an essential process of any company, group or organization. Depending on the quality of leadership the team can either succeed or fail at attaining its goals and aspirations. In the modern age of technology and innovation, leaders must be versatile enough to accept divergent views about leadership and must have the ability to manage divergent groups of people for the ultimate success of the company. Therefore transformative leadership and participatory leadership are the best placed to attain the best outcomes.
References
Ahmed, Z., & Khan, I. (2016). Leadership Theories and Styles: A Literature Review. Journal of Resources Development and Management, 1 (1), 2422-8397.
Kumar, S. (2014). Establishing linkages between emotional intelligence and transformational leadership. Industrial Psychiatry Journal, 23 (1), 1–3.
