A comparative analysis of transformational and transactional leadership styles in maximizing productivity and reducing burnout with sustainability
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71085/sss.04.01.217Keywords:
Transformational Leadership, Transactional Leadership, Organizational Productivity, Employee Burnout & Sustainability, PakistanAbstract
The intricate interaction between leadership styles and their impacts on organizational productivity and the health of employees, particularly in the health sector, has to be critically studied. In this study, the impact of transformational and transactional leadership styles on organizational productivity and sustainable workplaces will be explored. Inspirational and visionary transformational leadership is likely to boost productivity and reduce burnout among employees through a cohesive and creative organizational environment. Transactional leadership with an emphasis on effectiveness and clear exchanges for compliance is likely to enhance productivity in the short run but maybe boost burnout unless it is complemented by sustainable interventions. Through the incorporation of sustainability as a moderator, this research will explore how sustainability can boost the strengths of transformational leadership or overcome the weaknesses of transactional leadership in health organizations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. This research will apply quantitative techniques to measure the direct impact of these leadership styles and the moderating influence of sustainability programs and aim to provide actionable recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of leadership in yielding high productivity and resilient employees.
Downloads
References
Afridi, M. A., Raza, S. A., & Ullah, I. (2021). Impact of Leadership Styles on Employee Performance: Moderating Role of Organizational Culture (Evidence from Higher Education Institutions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). Global Business Review, 22(4), 1103-1119.
Arnold, K. A. (2017). Transformational leadership and employee psychological well-being: A review and directions for future research. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 381–393. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000062
Avolio, B. J., & Bass, B. M. (1995). Individual consideration viewed at multiple levels of analysis: A multi-level framework for examining the diffusion of transformational leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 6(2), 199–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/1048-9843(95)90035-7
Avolio, B. J., & Bass, B. M. (2004). Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (3rd ed.). Mind Garden.
Avolio, B. J., & Yammarino, F. J. (2022). Transformational and charismatic leadership: The road ahead. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Avolio, B. J., Bass, B. M., & Jung, D. I. (1999). Re-examining the components of transformational and transactional leadership using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 72(4), 441–462. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317999166789
Avolio, B. J., Walumbwa, F. O., & Weber, T. J. (2009). Leadership: Current theories, research, and future directions. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 421-449. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.60.110707.163621
Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York, NY: Free Press.
Bass, B. M. (1990). Bass & Stogdill's handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications. Simon and Schuster.
Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1994). Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/107179199500200216
Bushra, F., Usman, A., & Naveed, A. (2011). Effect of transformational leadership on employees’ job satisfaction and organizational commitment in the banking sector of Lahore (Pakistan). International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2(18), 261–267.
Cummings, G. G., Midodzi, W. K., Wong, C. A., Estabrooks, C. A., & The Canadian Nurses Association. (2010). The contribution of hospital nursing leadership styles to 30-day patient mortality. Nursing Research, 59(5), 331–339. DOI: 10.1097/NNR.0b013e3181ed74d5
Dangelico, R. M., & Pujari, D. (2010). Mainstreaming green product innovation: Why and how companies integrate environmental sustainability. Journal of Business Ethics, 95(3), 471–486.
Delmas, M. A., & Toffel, M. W. (2008). Organizational responses to environmental demands: Opening the black box. Strategic Management Journal, 29(10), 1027–1055. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.701
Eagly, A. H., Johannesen-Schmidt, M. C., & Van Engen, M. L. (2003). Transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles: A meta-analysis comparing women and men. Psychological Bulletin, 129(4), 569–591. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.4.569
Elkington, J. (1994). Towards the sustainable corporation: Win-win-win business strategies for sustainable development. California Management Review, 36(2), 90–100. https://doi.org/10.2307/41165746
Ghaleb, R. F., & Orabi, M. A. (2016). Impact of transformational leadership on job satisfaction, commitment, trust, and organizational performance. Business Management and Strategy, 7(2), 86–101.
Giallonardo, L. M., Wong, C. A., & Iwasiw, C. L. (2022). Leadership and Nursing: Contemporary Perspectives. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Gu, Q., Schweitzer, L., Yang, Y., & Yang, Y. (2022). The relationship between servant leadership, transactional leadership, and organizational citizenship behavior: A three-wave longitudinal study. Leadership & Organization Development Journal.
Hahn, T., Figge, F., Pinkse, J., & Preuss, L. (2014). Trade-offs in corporate sustainability: You can't have your cake and eat it. Business Strategy and the Environment, 23(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.674
Hogg, M. A., van Knippenberg, D., & Rast, D. E., III. (2012). Intergroup leadership in organizations: Leading across group and organizational boundaries. Academy of Management Review, 37(2), 232–255. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2010.0221
Hoxha, E. (2015). Transactional leadership style and its effects on organizational learning: evidence from Albanian businesses. European Scientific Journal, 11(15), 283–296.
Iqbal, A., & Shirazi, A. K. (2015). The impact of transformational leadership on employees' performance in the telecommunication sector of Pakistan. International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management, 3(1), 1–15.
Judge, T. A., & Piccolo, R. F. (2004). Transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic test of their relative validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 755–768. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.89.5.755
Kaur, P., & Joshi, S. (2022). Leadership styles and employee retention: A study on selected healthcare organizations. Journal of Health Management, 24(1), 86-98.
Khan, M. R., Nawaz, A., & Khan, I. (2009). Impact of transformational leadership on employee motivation in the telecommunication sector. Business and Economics Research Journal, 1(3), 14–26.
Khattak, S. R., Gul, A., & Rizwan, M. (2017). Influence of transformational leadership on organizational citizenship behavior with mediating role of trust: An empirical study in banking sector of Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences, 11(1), 228–251.
Laschinger, H. K. S., Finegan, J., & Shamian, J. (2009). The impact of workplace empowerment, organizational trust on staff nurses' work satisfaction and organizational commitment. Health Care Management Review, 34(2), 172–181. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-8231(02)03006-9
Laschinger, H. K. S., Wong, C. A., & Grau, A. L. (2012). Authentic leadership, empowerment, and burnout: A comparison in new graduates and experienced nurses. Journal of Nursing Management, 20(8), 1027–1040. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2834.2012.01375.x
Lozano, R. (2015). A holistic perspective on corporate sustainability drivers. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 22(1), 32–44. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1325
Magni, M., Proserpio, L., & Salvioni, D. M. (2019). Environmental, social, and governance transparency and firm value. Business Strategy and the Environment, 28(6), 1117–1135.
Malik, M. A., Arif, S. M., & Maqsood, A. (2023). Impact of Leadership Styles on Organizational Performance: A Mediating Role of Organizational Commitment (A Case of Pakistani Banking Sector). In Information and Communication Technologies for Development. ICTD 2023. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology (Vol. 646). Springer.
Meyer, J. P., Stanley, D. J., Herscovitch, L., & Topolnytsky, L. (2002). Affective, continuance, and normative commitment to the organization: A meta-analysis of antecedents, correlates, and consequences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 61(1), 20–52. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.2001.1842
Miao, C., Humphrey, R. H., & Qian, S. (2021). A meta-analysis of emotional intelligence and work attitudes. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 94(4), 823–847.
Mowday, R. T., Steers, R. M., & Porter, L. W. (1979). The measurement of organizational commitment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 14(2), 224–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/0001-8791(79)90072-1
Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage Publications.
O'Reilly, C. A., & Tushman, M. L. (2008). Ambidexterity as a dynamic capability: Resolving the innovator's dilemma. Research in Organizational Behavior, 28, 185–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2008.06.002
Piccolo, R. F., Greenbaum, R., Hartog, D. N. D., & Folger, R. (2010). The relationship between ethical leadership and core job characteristics. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31(2-3), 259–278. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.627
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Moorman, R. H., & Fetter, R. (1990). Transformational leader behaviors and their effects on followers' trust in leader, satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behaviors. Leadership Quarterly, 1(2), 107–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/1048-9843(90)90009-7
Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2006). Strategy and society: The link between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility. Harvard Business Review, 84(12), 78–92.
Qureshi, M. I., Rehman, A., & Arain, G. A. (2024). Influence of Leadership Styles on Employees' Job Performance: A Study of Banking Sector in Pakistan. South Asian Journal of Business Studies.
Rahim, A., Khan, R. U., & Naeem, M. (2023). Role of Transformational Leadership Style in Job Satisfaction and Organizational Performance of Banks in Pakistan. Asia Pacific Journal of Management and Entrepreneurship Research, 1(2), 93-107.
Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York, NY: Doubleday.
Shamir, B., House, R. J., & Arthur, M. B. (1993). The motivational effects of charismatic leadership: A self-concept based theory. Organization Science, 4(4), 577–594. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.4.4.577
Sharma, P., & Jain, D. (2023). The Impact of Leadership Styles on Organizational Performance: A Study of Select Healthcare Organizations in India. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Business, Management, and Economics (ICBME 2023). Atlantis Press.
Tajeddini, K., & Mueller, S. (2009). CSR in practice: How Swiss companies engage in corporate social responsibility. Management Practice and Theory, 30(3), 153–168.
Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206307308913
Wang, L., & Tang, Y. (2024). The impact of transformational leadership on employees' organizational citizenship behavior: A moderated mediation model. Leadership & Organization Development Journal.
Wong, C. A., & Cummings, G. G. (2009). The relationship between nursing leadership and patient outcomes: A systematic review update. Journal of Nursing Management, 17(5), 636–653. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12116
Wong, C. A., & Giallonardo, L. M. (2016). Authentic leadership and nurse-assessed adverse patient outcomes. Journal of Nursing Management, 24(2), E62–E69. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12075
Wong, C. A., & Laschinger, H. K. S. (2017). Authentic leadership, performance, and job satisfaction: The mediating role of empowerment. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 73(11), 2650–2663.
Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Downloads
Published
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Fazal Ayaz, Nasir Ali, Dr. Muhammad Taimur Khan (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.