In the stranger phase of leadership, what is typically the quality of exchange?

In the stranger phase of leadership, the quality of exchange is characterized by low quality interactions between leaders and followers. This phase is marked by limited familiarity and trust, where the relationship is primarily transactional. Leaders and followers may not fully understand each other’s needs, motivations, or capabilities, which leads to a lack of open communication and collaboration.

During this phase, the interactions often consist of basic exchanges that fulfill only minimal requirements. The leader may provide tasks, and followers may comply, but without deeper engagement or relational connection, the exchanges remain surface-level. As a result, the relationship lacks the mutual trust and respect that allow for richer and more productive exchanges.

As relationships transition to higher levels of trust and understanding, the quality of exchange can improve drastically, moving towards more reciprocal and high-quality interactions, but in the stranger phase, the fundamental characteristic is distinctly low quality.