Bennis – transactional and transformational leadership

Bennis’s theory of leadership distinguishes between two main types of leaders: transactional and transformational.

Transactional leaders are focused on maintaining the status quo and achieving specific goals through a system of rewards and punishments. They establish clear expectations and give rewards or penalties based on performance.

Transformational leaders, on the other hand, seek to inspire and motivate followers to achieve their full potential and to create a vision for the future. They focus on building strong relationships with their followers and helping them to develop their skills and abilities.

Bennis also identified five generic skills that leaders possess:

1. A clear vision: Leaders have a clear idea of where they want to take the organization and how to get there.
2. The ability to communicate: Leaders are able to effectively communicate their vision and ideas to others.
3. The ability to inspire: Leaders are able to inspire and motivate others to achieve their full potential.
4. The ability to challenge: Leaders are willing to challenge the status quo and take risks in order to achieve their goals.
5. The ability to enable: Leaders are able to empower and enable others to achieve their goals.

Overall, Bennis’s theory emphasizes the importance of both transactional and transformational leadership in achieving organizational goals and in inspiring and motivating followers.