Running Head: LEADERSHIP APPROACHES 1 Leadership Approaches Name: Institution Date: Literature Review Organizational leadership in the contemporary environment is increasingly becoming a vital tool in defining the competitiveness of an organization due to the role it plays in motivating employees and determining critical decisions. Accordingly, diverse empirical studies have been conducted in the field of leadership in an attempt to determine the optimal leadership approach that should be adopted by organizations. The diverse leadership approaches that have been learned in the past include transformational leaders, transactional leadership, trait leadership, and situational leadership. The transformational leadership implies a leadership approach in which the leader works the juniors in the identification of the changes that are needed, defining the vision to guide the change execution and embracement, and in the execution of the change (Hill & Jones, 2014). In contrast, the transactional leadership implies that leaders should reward or punish employees in return for their efforts and deterrence against undue behaviors in the organization. The trait leadership approach indicates that leaders are defined by personal characteristics that are integrated (Hill & Jones, 2014). Thus, diverse individual differences help in selecting and fostering an effective leader. In contrast, the situational leadership approach indicates that effective leaders are defined by the situation of the leadership needed in a diverse environment. Thus, the approach implies that leaders should be capable of adjusting their leadership style to ensure they are capable of leading certain followers (Hill & Jones, 2014). This literature review explores on various journal articles that have focused on the leadership approaches in different setups. One of the critical journal articles that have investigated the role of leadership approach is by Den, Deanne, and Belshack (2012). The article investigates when the transformational leadership leads to proactive behavior of the employee. Equally, the study explores the role of self-efficacy and autonomy in influencing employee personal initiative (Den, Deanne, & Belschak, 2012). The study was conducted using two-multisource researchers to evaluate the interaction between the contextual and personal variables towards the proactive behavior of employees. Consequently, the three authors of their study found that transformational leadership, employee independence, and breadth of the service-efficacy have a positive impact in stimulating proactive behavior among the employees (Den, Deanne, & Belschak, 2012). Furthermore, the study found the positive interaction between the personal and contextual variables in determining the proactive behavior of the employees. The findings of the study indicate that transformational leadership and high employee autonomy relate positively in enhancing the proactive behavior of the workers in i ...

1. Running Head: LEADERSHIP APPROACHES
1
Leadership Approaches
Name:
Institution
Date:
Literature Review
Organizational leadership in the contemporary environment is
increasingly becoming a vital tool in defining the
competitiveness of an organization due to the role it plays in
motivating employees and determining critical decisions.
Accordingly, diverse empirical studies have been conducted in
the field of leadership in an attempt to determine the optimal
leadership approach that should be adopted by organizations.
The diverse leadership approaches that have been learned in the
past include transformational leaders, transactional leadership,
trait leadership, and situational leadership. The transformational
leadership implies a leadership approach in which the leader
works the juniors in the identification of the changes that are
needed, defining the vision to guide the change execution and
embracement, and in the execution of the change (Hill & Jones,
2014). In contrast, the transactional leadership implies that
leaders should reward or punish employees in return for their
efforts and deterrence against undue behaviors in the
organization. The trait leadership approach indicates that

2. leaders are defined by personal characteristics that are
integrated (Hill & Jones, 2014). Thus, diverse individual
differences help in selecting and fostering an effective leader.
In contrast, the situational leadership approach indicates that
effective leaders are defined by the situation of the leadership
needed in a diverse environment. Thus, the approach implies
that leaders should be capable of adjusting their leadership style
to ensure they are capable of leading certain followers (Hill &
Jones, 2014).
This literature review explores on various journal articles that
have focused on the leadership approaches in different setups.
One of the critical journal articles that have investigated the
role of leadership approach is by Den, Deanne, and Belshack
(2012). The article investigates when the transformational
leadership leads to proactive behavior of the employee. Equally,
the study explores the role of self-efficacy and autonomy in
influencing employee personal initiative (Den, Deanne, &
Belschak, 2012). The study was conducted using two-
multisource researchers to evaluate the interaction between the
contextual and personal variables towards the proactive
behavior of employees. Consequently, the three authors of their
study found that transformational leadership, employee
independence, and breadth of the service-efficacy have a
positive impact in stimulating proactive behavior among the
employees (Den, Deanne, & Belschak, 2012). Furthermore, the
study found the positive interaction between the personal and
contextual variables in determining the proactive behavior of
the employees. The findings of the study indicate that
transformational leadership and high employee autonomy relate
positively in enhancing the proactive behavior of the workers in
individuals with high self-efficacy (Den, Deanne, & Belschak,
2012). This article is purposeful in the analysis of the
leadership approaches because it helps in determining if the
transformational leadership can help in motivating the creativity
of the employees in the modern organizations’ competition for

3. innovation leadership in the market. Equally, the article is
relevant in assessing if the decision by the management to
promote employee’s autonomy in the decision-making can lead
to enhanced creativity.
Similarly, Wang, Tsai, and Tisai (2014) conducted a research
study to evaluate the linkage between transformational
leadership and employee creativity. The research study was
conducted in Taiwan hotel in which data was collected from 197
supervisors and 198 employees. Thus, the study revealed that
supervisors possessing transformational leadership had a
positive influence on the creativity and self-efficacy of the
employees (Wang, Tsai, & Tsai, 2014). The effectiveness of the
transformational leadership in the hospitality industry was
found to be more significant in complicated tasks. The findings
of the study are in line with literature argument that
transformational leadership is critical in building employee
creativity. This article is purposive in the analysis since it helps
in demonstrating how transformation leadership influences
employee creativity in the service industries.
Another article that has been employed in the literature review
is by Poel, Stoker, and Zee (2012). The article evaluates the
relationship between the transformative leadership and the
participative leadership approaches in a climate for change
(Poel, Stoker, & Zee, 2012). Thus, the article seeks to determine
if the transformative leadership and the participative can give
similar results if applied independently. The article findings and
conclusion on the issue were derived from a research data from
258 workers working in a Dutch employment agency
organization. Accordingly, the research study found that the two
leadership approaches generate similar results independently
(Poel, Stoker, & Zee, 2012). The article is crucial in the study
since it will help in determining if any of the two leadership
approaches that have been applied traditionally should continue
being used to effect equal organizational change. Thus, the
primary goal of the article is to support or dismiss the call for

4. leadership approach change in time of organizational changes.
The fourth article that has been employed in the literature
review is by Wang and Rode (2010) that explores the
relationship between transformational leadership and worker’s
identification with the innovative climate, employee creativity,
and the leader. Thus, the journal article focuses on determining
if the extent to which the employees identify with the
transformative leader employing, innovative climate and
creativity are related. The study was conducted using a sample
of 212 workers against their immediate supervisors from fifty-
five companies (Rode & Wang, 2010). Accordingly, the
research findings indicate that transformative leadership is not
related to the employee creativity, identifying with the leader,
or to an innovative climate. In contrast, the study finds that
transformational leadership, innovative environment, and
employee identifying the leaders are positive related to the
creativity of the employees (Rode & Wang, 2010). The findings
mean that the creativity of the employees can be influenced
either by the presence of an innovative environment, identifying
with the leader, or application of the transformative leadership
approach. The findings of the journal article are critical in the
leadership studies due to the effect it might have in diminishing
the value of leadership approach towards employee creativity as
emphasized in other empirical studies. Accordingly, the journal
article is purposeful in the study because it will help in
determining if a leadership approach is associated with
creativity demonstrated by the employees.
Suifan and Al-Janini (2017) journal article is also, critical in
exploring the role of leadership approach on the employees’
performance. The article evaluates if the transformational
leadership is connected to the creativity of employees in the
context of the Jordanian banking sector (Suifan & Al-Janini,
2017). The evaluation undertaken in the article focuses on the
four dimension of the transformational leadership attributed to
promoting the creativity of the employees, which include

5. inspirational motivation, individualized consideration,
intellectual stimulation, and idealized influence (Suifan & Al-
Janini, 2017). The study finds that transformational leadership
is effective in enhancing the employees’ creativity.
Nevertheless, the study finds that the dimensions of intellectual
stimulation and inspirational motivation are not significant in
influencing workers’ creativity. This article is about purpose in
the literature review since it helps in determining the extent to
which transformational leadership is effective in improving the
employee creativity.
Antonakis and House (2014) journal article on leadership
articles is also, a relevant source of empirical evidence on the
role of leadership in promoting workers performance. The
journal article investigates the validity of the instrumental
leadership of transformational leadership and the transactional
leadership approaches. Accordingly, the study finds that the
transformational leadership is overrated significantly compared
to the transactional leadership approach (Antonakis & House,
2014). The findings of the article make it a critical journal due
to the informative revelation on the potential biases on the
diverse leadership approaches in promoting the performance of
the employees.
The journal article by Yang and Ma (2017) namely “Leaders’
sense of power and team performance” is another critical source
of information in the study. The article explores the
psychological aspect power experience in an organization. Thus,
has investigating the scenario under which the leader’s feeling
of power has been helpful in an organization. Accordingly, has
employed data collected from seventy work teams and a two-
way testing approach to examine the model. The research study
finds that the team performance was improved by the sense of
power by the leader since it decreased relationship conflict
between the leader and the team member. However, this finding
remained if the task interdependence was perceived to be high

6. (Yang & Ma, 2017). Moreover, the findings remained after
managing the demographic characteristics and the hierarchical
status. Accordingly, this article is crucial in the leadership
study due to the role it plays in investigating the role of a
powerful leader in promoting employee performance.
A reflection on the majority of the articles reviewed depicts that
transformational leadership is closely associated with the
creativity and self-efficacy of the employees in different
organizational setup. This pattern of similarity is demonstrated
by the positive relationship the workers' creativity is attributed
to the transformational leadership. Even though two of the
articles discount the effectiveness of the transformational
leadership in influencing the employee creativity and self-
efficacy, they recognize employee creativity is closely related
to the transformational leadership of the supervisors. Moreover,
the article by Yang and Ma (2017) praising leadership show of
power to promote employee performance limits the approach to
the tasks that are perceived to be interdependent. Accordingly,
the key argument emerging from the various articles is that
transformational leadership is the best approach to influencing
the employee performance in an organization.
Owing to the analysis of the literature review from the various
journal articles, the transformational leadership appears most
effective in managing ethical behavior in an organization. The
decision to pick on the transformational leadership approach as
the superior method of managing ethical behavior in the
organization is due to the positive influence it has on the
employees compared to the other leadership approaches. The
extent of the transformational leadership to influence self-
efficacy and creativity among the employees compared to other
forms of leadership approaches is a demonstration of the
superior capability it has in winning the attitudes and interest of
the employees to the right path. Accordingly, the
transformational leadership is the best-fit approach of
influencing the employees to observe positive practices and

7. behavior in performing their tasks.
References
Antonakis, J., & House, R. (2014). Instrumental leadership:
Measurement and extension of transformational–transactional
leadership theory. The Leadership Quarterly, 25 (4), 746–771.
Den, H., Deanne, N., & Belschak, F. D. (2012). When does
transformational leadership enhance employee proactive
behavior? The role of autonomy and role breadth self-efficacy.
Journal of Applied Psychology, 97 (1), 194–202.
Hill, C. W., & Jones, G. R. (2014). Strategic management:
Theory : an integrated approach. Boston: South-Western.
Poel, F. M., Stoker, J. I., & Zee, K. I. (2012). Climate control?
The relationship between leadership, climate for change, and
work outcomes. International Journal Of Human Resource
Management, 23 (3), 694-713.
Rode, J., & Wang, P. (2010). Transformational leadership and
follower creativity: The moderating effects of identification
with leader and organizational climate. Human Relations, 63
(8), 1105–1128.
Suifan, T., & Al-Janini, M. (2017). The Relationship between
Transformational Leadership and Employees’ Creativity in the
Jordanian Banking Sector. International Review of Management
and Marketing, 7 (2), 284-292.
Wang, C., Tsai, H., & Tsai, M. (2014). Linking transformational
leadership and employee creativity in the hospitality industry:
The influences of creative role identity, creative self-efficacy,
and job complexity. Journal of Tourism Management, 40 (7),
79–89.

8. Yang, Y. R., & Ma, L. (2017). Leaders’ Sense Of Power And
Team Performance: A Moderated Mediation Model. Social
Behavior And Personality, 45 (4), 641–656.