Although theories based on social exchange do not clearly distinguish between the two types of non-economic exchanges, they appear to be mainly centered on the work exchange. Thus, for example, the transformational leader seeks to influence and motivate his or her collaborators so that they are aligned with the leader's vision. Bass and Avolio (1994) specify that transformational leaders try to get their collaborators to emulate them (idealised influence); communicate visions of the future that are attractive for their collaborators (inspirational motivation); stimulate them to be creative, without criticising their ideas (intellectual stimulation); and provide them with individualised opportunities for learning and development (individualised consideration). All of these actions are directed at collaborators so that they voluntarily align their interests to those of the leader. Burns (1978), for his part, suggests that the transformational leader is the one that appeals to the highest levels of the needs of his or her collaborators. Burns also adds that only the collaborators can decide which are the lower or higher needs in each case (p. 458). However, it does not seem that
Burns' transformational leader appeals to other people's needs (transcendent motivation) in order to influence the collaborator, and much less to the needs of other people as perceived by those other people. Therefore, we can conclude that the transformational leader tries to develop his or her collaborators' intrinsic motivation so that their needs are aligned with the ones of the leader, but does not develop their transcendent motivation. Thus, transformational leaders tend to create work partnerships, rather than contribution ones. Expanding the typology of transformational leadership we can now distinguish three types of relational leadership:. Transactional leadership: is the leadership defined by
an economicallybased exchange relationship. In this relationship the leader promotes uniformity by providing extrinsic
(positive or negative) rewards to the collaborators.. Transformational leadership: is the leadership defined by a work-based exchange relationship. In this relationship the leader promotes alignment by providing fair extrinsic
rewards and appealing to the intrinsic motivation of the collaborators.. Transcendental leadership: is the leadership defined by a contributionbased exchange relationship. In this relationship the leader promotes unity by providing fair extrinsic rewards, appealing to the intrinsic motivation of the collaborators, and developing their trascendent motivation. Although the element which defines the type of leadership is the collaborator's motivation in the relationship, the behavior of the leader is a critical element in relational leadership, as it can significantly affect the motivations that bring the collaborator to start and maintain that relationship with the leader. For example, an economic partnership may result from the fact that the collaborator is only interested in an economic exchange, but it may also result from the fact that the leader is only offering the possibility of an economic interaction. Therefore, in relational leadership the behavior of the leader has as much influence as the response of the collaborator, in a dynamic influence relationship (Rost, 1991).
In this dynamic relationship, the work of the leader consists of influencing, through his or her values and behavior, the motivations of the collaborator in order that the latter will seek to form with the former the richest possible partnership, i.e. a contribution partnership. In other words, the work of the leader consists in the creation of high valueadded
partnerships with his or her collaborators. These partnerships can go from a dyadic partnership in the case of a two-person relationship, to a cultural or political partnership in the case of the leader of an organization or political institution.