Final answer:
Transactional leadership refers to leaders who achieve goals through a system of rewards and punishments, maintaining the organizational status quo.
Step-by-step explanation:
Transactional leadership refers to a style where leaders promote compliance by followers through both rewards and punishments. Unlike transformational leadership which inspires and motivates followers through vision and personal development, transactional leadership is more focused on maintaining the organizational status quo and achieving set goals through a system of rewards and punishments.
According to Bass's research, transactional leaders are effective in certain environments, especially where tasks are clear and the system benefits from maintaining order. However, transformational leadership approaches have been found to be more effective overall.
When we look at the given options, it becomes clear that option C) "It refers to the ability of getting the members of an organization onboard through give and take, and inclusion" aligns most closely with the concept of transactional leadership.