Module 5 Essay

Prompt #1:  What is the leadership paradox (2 points)? Give some reasons why you think a
leader can encounter difficulty in newly formed teams or groups using a participative
management system (3 points).  What skills, behaviors, and personality traits are common to
transformational leaders (3 points)? How does this leadership style affect their team (2 points),
and how are those results different than those of a transactional leadership style (2 points)?
Also, describe some of your own experiences with transformational (3 points) versus
transactional leadership (3 points).
The leadership paradox is the question of how a manager ought to lead their team. This
challenge often breeds negative results like role conflict, resistance to change, fear of appearing
incompetent, fear of job termination, etc. In essence, the paradox creates behaviors that are
harmful to team effectiveness (54). Especially in newly formed teams, it can be hard for a
manger to maintain the traditional level of authority. Respect must be earned still. This
emphasizes the fear of appearing incompetent. The unwillingness to relinquish power is more
evident in participative management systems. By giving subordinates more freedom over how
they conduct their work, the manager must relate that they trust their employees and let them
do what they wish in some degree.
Transformational leadership works towards moving followers beyond their own self-
interests for the good of the team (60). Transformational leaders are charismatic (61). They
must be able to influence their team to work towards higher goals. Transformational leaders
also require a high-level of care for the individual (61). They must be empathetic, a good
listener, and be able to communicate their concern for the individual. They must be an example
of self-sacrifice and embody the rules of the organization they represent. Additionally,
transformational leaders should be able to stimulate their employees intellectually. Displaying
these behaviors effects employees in the way that they are more adaptive and proactive to
change, as well as they tend to follow organizational citizenship behaviors (61). They also create
employees who are more productive, effective, satisfied, and group-oriented than employees
with transactional leaders (61). Transformational leadership teams are generally more geared
towards agreeableness, extraversion, and openness (62).
I have had experiences with both styles of leadership. My current job embodies a
transactional leadership style. We are rewarded with cookies whenever we get a guest
compliment or have a good shift. We are also punished with humiliation in front of our peers in
meetings. This style of leadership does not push anyone to go over the top to achieve. Instead,
we all simply work our hardest to avoid the humiliation. My previous job at a different
restaurant the style of management was more transformational. I grew to really appreciate the
job that I did, and I wanted to go above and beyond to help my team and my manager. He
didn’t have many physical rewards, but we all enjoyed working for him because he was kind,
empathetic, and went beyond any other manager I’ve had to help when I was stressed.
 Prompt #2:  Discuss some (at least two) of the strategies for encouraging participative
management in the workforce (4 points), and how to implement each of these strategies (4
points). What has been your own experience, and what are your perspectives, regarding
participative management in organizations (4 points)? 
Participative management in the workforce can be achieved through task delegation.
Task delegation benefits the employees as they will have a larger, more meaningful
contribution to make (77). Task delegation can benefit leaders as well. With the employees
completing most of the work, the leader has more time mentor and do other, more important
things (77). The key in delegation is for the leader to accurately assign tasks based on the
employees’ level of knowledge and skill (77). Other key behaviors in order to implement
delegation include setting a maintainable goal for one person to achieve, giving the employee
support and feedback, and delegating tasks that are meaningful to build skill (77). Also helpful
in implementing delegation is reviewing the task with the employee to ensure they understand
their objectives and see if they can offer any additional insights.
A second way to introduce participative management into an organization is through job
involvement. In this method, work for employees is reconfigured into a variation that is more
challenging and interesting (79). This can be implemented by restricting assignments so that
employees complete larger pieces of work, providing feedback, and training employees on skills
that are outside of their traditional role (79). Creating shifts like these makes the job rewarding
in different ways than before.
Empowerment is an important aspect for job satisfaction. In past jobs, I have been
taught skills outside of job function that led to small promotions to different roles. This kept me
engaged in my work and pushed me to work harder so that I could get more of those same
types of opportunities. I have never worked for a company that employed much of the
delegation technique, however. If I was given the opportunity to work on more important, or
fresh tasks I feel as though it would also keep me interested in my work.
 References
Thompson, Leigh (2018). Making the Team: A Guide for Managers, 6th edition. Pearson