Transformational or transactional: what the meta-analysis really says

We often oppose the leader who inspires to the manager who rewards. Research suggests a more nuanced picture.

The research

Timothy Judge and Ronald Piccolo (2004, Journal of Applied Psychology) pool 87 studies: transformational leadership relates strongly to satisfaction with the leader and motivation, while contingent reward performs almost as well on several performance criteria.

The limit

Most studies rely on same-source questionnaires, which likely inflates correlations. (our executive and employee training programmes)

Practical check in Geneva

For six weeks, pair each vision message with an explicit goal and named recognition at the deadline; compare goal attainment with the previous six weeks. To go further: explore the Executive Leadership training in Geneva, or browse our executive and employee training programmes in Switzerland.

In pictures: Executive Leadership in Geneva

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