Transformational leadership
The transformation process is carried out with the active involvement of committed group members, who align their efforts with both organizational goals and their personal interests.
[1] [2] This theory is a central component of the Full Range Leadership Model, which emphasizes empowering followers by granting autonomy and authority to make decisions after they are trained.
[3] Leaders who practice transformational leadership typically exhibit four key behaviors, known as the "Four I's": inspirational motivation, idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration.
[4] These behaviors promote greater follower commitment, enhanced performance, and increased organizational loyalty by creating a supportive and empowering work environment.
This strong emotional connection not only fosters greater commitment to organizational goals but also ensure followers maintain a sense of self-worth and personal integrity.
"[8] Through the strength of their vision and personality, transformational leaders can inspire followers to change expectations, perceptions, and motivations to work towards common goals.
Democracy was central to Burns’ conception of transformational leadership: voters selected their leaders and voted them out if they failed to deliver on their visions.
[10] Bernard M. Bass (1985) extended the work of Burns (1978) by explaining the psychological mechanisms that underlie transforming and transactional leadership.
Bass added to the initial concepts of Burns (1978) to help explain how transformational leadership could be measured, as well as how it impacts follower motivation and performance.
In addition, this leader encourages followers to come up with new and unique ways to challenge the status quo and to alter the environment to support being successful.
In 1985, transformational leadership had become more defined and developed, and leaders known to use this style possessed the following traits: idealized influences, productive commitment, and inspirational motivation.
"[19] Northouse's survey of the research reveals that scholars have yet to connect the practices of leaders and their impact on followers with the enduring social outcomes these actions produce.
However, the original works of Burns in "Leadership" and "Transforming Leaders" emphasize case studies of significant historical figures and the societal changes they brought about.
The assertive-directing personality type, as measured by the Strength Deployment Inventory, shows a moderate positive correlation with transformational leadership at 0.438.
[21] A strong sense of direction and the ability to put large amounts of productive work into tasks is the by-product of conscientious leaders.
[25] According to studies performed by Lowe, Kroeck, and Sivasubramaniam, productivity (or Idealized Influence) was found to be a variable that was most strongly related to leader effectiveness among MLQ scales.
[32] Unlike in the transactional approach, it is not based on a "give and take" relationship, but on the leader's personality, ability to make a change through example, and articulation of an energizing vision and challenging goals.
Singh and Bhandarker (1990) demonstrated that effective transformational leaders in India are like heads of Indian families taking personal interest in the welfare of their followers.
It is also hypothesized in general that subordinates’ being socialized to be less assertive, self-confident, and independent would enhance superiors’ exhibition of transformational leadership.
Studies indicate that in Chinese business settings, employees respond positively to leaders who demonstrate both strict authority and genuine personal care, reinforcing the idea that transformational leadership adapts based on cultural expectations.
[39] Follower characteristics, combined with their perceptions of the leader and their own situation, did appear to moderate the connection between transformational leadership and subordinates’ willingness to take charge and be good organizational citizens.
For instance, if subordinates in a work group perceive their leader to be prototypical of them, then transformational leadership would have less of an impact on their willingness to engage in organizational citizenship behaviors.
Likewise, if subordinates are goal oriented and possess a traditional view of the organizational hierarchy, they tend to be less affected by transformational leadership.
On the other hand, when these factors are not present (e.g., employees in a work group do not see their leader as “one of us”), then transformational leadership is likely to have a much greater impact on subordinates.
Evidence shows that each of the previously talked about four components of transformational leadership are significantly associated with positive emotions and outcomes in the workplace as well as in team projects performed online.
[46] Both intellectual stimulation and inspirational motivation are associated with a higher degree of positive emotions such as enthusiasm, happiness, and a sense of pride in the follower's life and work.
Aligning the organization with transformational leaders by committing, being involved, and developing with the employees can lead to higher job satisfaction and motivation.
Studies have shown that transformational leaders who use digital tools to communicate vision and provide individualized consideration improve employee engagement and job satisfaction, even in geographically dispersed teams.
Cultural and geographical dimensions of transformational leadership become blurred as globalization renders ethnically specific collectivist and individualistic effects of organizational behavior obsolete in a more diversified workplace.
While discussing Jinnah's leadership style, Yousaf (2015) argued that it is not the number of followers, but the nature of the change that indicates whether a leader is transformational or transactional.
