In leadership literature, there is a style of leadership described as “transactional.” Transactional leadership is not necessarily bad; in situations where you are dealing with highly trained professionals, a leader or manager may often find herself leading transactioinally. I experienced this (although might not have had the vocabulary to understand it) in my first role as a supervisor. The Child Study Team members I supervised were not, as a rule, terribly interested in a sense of mission or purpose: they were retirees looking to make a good buck using skills they’d spent a career honing. They did the work and got paid, promptly. I am not disparaging them or their motivations.

I got to thinking… isn’t religion, in a sense, transactional? I asked Copilot to summarize the position that religion is transactional:

The position that religion is transactional suggests that faith is often approached as a kind of exchange or contract between humans and the divine. In this view, religious practices or beliefs are seen as transactions where certain actions or behaviors are expected to yield specific benefits or rewards from a higher power. This can manifest in the belief that by performing certain rituals, adhering to specific doctrines, or engaging in particular acts of worship, individuals can secure blessings, favor, or even salvation12.

Critics of transactional religion argue that it reduces faith to a series of quid pro quo arrangements, rather than fostering a genuine, transformational relationship with the divine. It may also lead to a focus on personal gain rather than spiritual growth or communal well-being. The transactional approach is contrasted with transformational faith, which emphasizes inner change, spiritual development, and a more selfless form of devotion23.

Overall, the transactional view of religion is criticized for its potential to create a superficial understanding of faith, where the depth and richness of spiritual experience are overshadowed by a focus on tangible outcomes14.

Interestingly, there is a transformational flavor of leadership in the literature as well, characterized by inspiration and motivation.

I was waxing ecstatic today in a post-conference about the utility of AI for helping generate good conversation or get writing projects started in the classroom. It could take over for me as a writer here on Uncorrected.