Distinction Between Leadership in Educational Organisation and Essay

Distinction Between Leadership in Educational Organisation and Business Organisation - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that leadership has been an aspect of human civilization from time immemorial and has been exercised in ruling tribes to nations and in winning wars and facing adversities of natural disasters. Leadership is defined as â€Å"the ability to influence individuals and groups to work toward attaining organizational objectives†. While leadership, in general, remains essentially an influencing process, the styles of leadership vary greatly and to suit the different situations and follower profiles. While different schools of thoughts extend different views on leadership, they are grouped under four wide categories of trait, behavioral, situational and transformational theories. Trait theories believe that leaders have specific qualities and characteristics in them that make them a leader. Subsequently, leadership studies turned to leaders’ actions and behaviors. Leadership studies evolved further to accommodate the idea of situation al aspects that required different leadership styles. Alternative approaches have emerged in the form of Transformational vs. transactional approach. In order to compare and contrast the different styles of leadership adopted by two leaders in two different organizations, a leader in an educational organization – Principal of Washington Elementary School and CEO of Slim Line Limited – an apparel manufacturing International Joint Venture of MAST Industries USA have been interviewed.