Transactional Leadership

Abstract

Centering on how Kim Jong Il managed the North Korean power elite, this article characterizes his leadership style as transactional. This study reveals how he induced the power elite to obey him under North Korea`s very difficult economic conditions. The article maintains that the theory of transactional leadership is a useful tool in understanding Kim long II`s control over the elite for three reasons: i) his elite control management aimed at maintaining the status quo of North Korea; ii) his carrot and stick methods for elite control are similar to ``contingent reward`` and ``management by exception`` strategies that transactional leadership theorists have developed; and iii) there was interest exchange between Kim long II and the power elite as a form of transaction in their interactions.