Leadership Styles: Relationship Between Emplyer and Employee

Introduction

Chris Harrison is a self employed contractor. He works out of Newfield New York. He was interviewed on two different occasions about a month apart with the aim of finding out how he felt about his work. During these two interviews a major sociological theme emerged. It was the theme of leadership styles and the relationship between Chris and his workers. Chris believes in treating the men that he has working for him as men. “The rest of them may only be eighteen or nineteen but they are all men in my eyes” (Harrison 2005A). Chris believes in his men very much. He says that they do not just work together but have a good friendship outside of work too. Chris knows that they all have fun while they are working. They laugh and joke around but he knows that when the deadline is getting close that his men will have the job done and done right. Chris believes that his leadership style reflects the relationship that he has with his workers and the productivity that they get done. According to Madzar 2001, there are two different types of leadership styles. There are transactional and transformational. Transactional leadership is an exchange-based and leader-controlled relationship. Transformational leadership is to arouse the needs of the subordinates in accordance with the leader’s own goals, the final result being performance beyond expectation. Chris believes that he is a transformational leader. He does not control the relationship he has with his workers. He sees them as equals. Chris knows that his workers know what the goals are that he needs accomplished at any given time. He helps them when they need it but most of the time just lets them work and do things at there own pace.

Methodology

The primary research method used for this study consisted of two semi-structured, qualitative interviews conducted about a month apart. The interviewer asked five questions during the first interview. These questions were very general with the aim of finding out how Chris Harrison felt about his work. These questions included 1) what makes you get up and go to work everyday? ; 2) Describe your coworkers; 3) how did you enter this career? ; 4) How does your job affect other aspects of your life? ; 5) What is the most rewarding/challenging part of your job? This interview was fully transcribed (see appendix A). The researcher then used inductive reasoning to do a content analysis of the interview.