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Challenges faced by transformational leaders
Leadership Theories & Approaches (i.e. Transformational Leadership)
Leadership Theories & Approaches (i.e. Transformational Leadership)
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Recommended: Challenges faced by transformational leaders
Northouse (2001) recognizes the underlying strengths and weaknesses of the theory of transformational leadership as strengths and weaknesses are inevitable dimensions of any leadership premise.
Strengths of Transformational Leadership include widely researched with instances of eminent leaders, successfully impacting followers at different levels ranging from one-on-one level to the entire institution and robustly accentuating requirements and values of the associated people.
Weaknesses of Transformational Leadership encompasses issues like containing extremely wide-ranging contents, considering the concept of leadership more as a character attribute than as a taught act and most importantly possessing the risks of power misuse.
Prior researches
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Charisma had been strongly questioned as either fundamental to transformational leadership approach (Burns, 1978; Bass, 1985) or considered as adverse to TL (Sashkin, 1986). Charisma itself might serve valuable purposes, however if the focus of the leader is solely concentrated on his or her own requirements rather than the broader necessities of the organization as a whole, charisma might promote reliance which might result in addressing urgent issues but not developing a group of true followers (Sashkin,1988).Furthermore, Graham (1991) stated that transformational leaders, if are not concerned for ethical safeguards, certainly could persuade supporters to turn into being gripped irrespective of their aspiration. According to Bass (1985), idealized influence which is a crucial element of transformational leadership conjecture, could compel supporters admire and agree with transformational leaders irrespective of the situation and could make them to impersonate the leaders which can act as a charismatic represent. In the abovementioned situation, if the leader objects are aligned with organizational and pro-social objects, this trait is assumed to address both the employees and the
...selbein and Cohen, “organizations that take the time to teach leadership are far ahead of the competition. By becoming familiar with the transformational leadership approach and combining the four I's, managers can become effective leaders in the business world.” (1999, p. 263). Transformational leadership can be applied in one-on-one or group situations. Using this approach, the manager (leader) and the associates (followers) are “transformed” to enhance job performance and help the organization be more productive and successful. All of these leaders have the attributes mentioned here. History will decide the greater impact they had on society as it is being written every day. Therefore, the qualities of transformational leadership make the essence of transformational management and the key to successful management of transformational organizational changes.
This model has been used over decades in research to chime in on the importance of knowing the behavior of leader’s and their effect on those who work for them. According to Brymer and Gray (2006), effective transformational leadership ensures a supportive culture and does not require boundaries and guidance. The concept of transformational leadership was created to bring together leaders and those who work for them, which in turn impact those in whom they serve because their personality is viewed in a positive
Transformational leadership theory conceptualized in the late 1970’s, proposed that leaders could motivate followers through shared vision and mutual interest to uplift the entire organization to a higher morality (Burns, 1978). Morality was defined as leaders and followers working together to fulfill organizational goals and achieve higher performances within a context of change and innovation. Leaders would surpass their own self-interest, in order to, foresee, foster, and indoctrinate a new organizational vision to their followers. Bass operationalized Burns’ seminal work into a leadership model to better indentify transformational leadership characteristics. The model emphasized four dimensions such as idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration in order to achieve success.
Charisma in a leader is defined in Leadership Theory, Application & Skill Development as “a social construct between the leader and follower, in which the leader offers a transformative vision or ideal which exceeds the status quo and then convinces followers to accept this course of action not because of its rational likelihood of success, but because of their implicit belief in the extraordinary qualities of the leader” (Lussier & Achua, 2013, p.325). Charismatic and transformational types of leadership styles are very similar, but a transformative leader may not have that special “it factor” that a charismatic leader possesses. Leadership Theory, Application & Skill Development give examples of such leaders; “Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Abraham Lincoln, or Jack Welch are transformational, but few will label them as charismatic” (Lussier & Achua, 2013, p.342). While these leaders have affected
According to Bass’s (2003) conceptualization, transformational leadership consists of charisma, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, and individualized consideration.
(Northouse 185) defines transformational leadership as a process that changes and transforms people. It is concerned with emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals.(Avolio, 1999; Bass & Avolio, 1990a) suggests that transformational leadership is concerned with improving the performance of followers and developing followers to their fullest potential. (Kuhnert, 1994) also advocates that persons who exhibit transformational leadership often have a strong set of internal values and ideals, and they are effective at motivating followers to act in ways that support the greater good rather than their own self-interests (Northouse 191) It is in the light of Northouse, Avolio and Bass that I deduced Mrs. Smith to be a transformational leader.
Transformational leadership consists of few components which are idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, management by exception and contingent rewards (Ahmad et al.,
Idealized influence. Idealized influence includes leaders’ charisma, or their ability to generate strong emotions in followers, and is considered the most important of the four characteristics of transformational leaders (Avolio, Bass, & Jung, 1999). Charismatic leaders are confident in themselves and hold a strong conviction in their beliefs, evoking passion in their followers (Bass, 1985). They many times place the team’s needs before their own, and they guide the organizational culture into the change envisioned (Bass et al., 2003). Bass (1985) suggested that charismatic leadership strongly influences followers, thus positively influencing organizational performance. This ability to influence is due largely in part to the charisma exhibited by the leader (Bass & Avolio, 1994). Ehrhart and Klein’s (2001) review of literature concerning charismatic leadership found four behaviors repeatedly referred to as “charismatic”: (a) communicating high performance expectations, (b) exhibiting confidence in followers’ ability to reach goals, (c) taking calculated risks, and (d) articulating a value-based vision of the future (Kark & Van Dijk, 2007). Accumulated evidence points to transformational and charismatic leadership as influential modes of leadership that are associated with high levels of individual and organizational performance (Dvir, Eden, Avolio, & Shamir, 2002; Kark & Van Dijk, 2007; Lowe, Kroeck, & Sivasubramaniam, 1996).
In this time of transition and uncertainty, research suggests that transformational leadership is highly effective (Straight, 2006). Leadership research has drifted from emphasis on the competence of leaders to “manage change” to the ability to “transform” organizations. Transformational leaders have attributes and behaviors needed to successfully motivate and empower employees. According to Bernard Bass (1990), transformational leadership occurs when a leader transforms, or changes, his or her followers in three important ways that together result in followers trusting the leader, performing behaviors that contribute to the achievement of organizational goals, and being motivated to perform at a high level. Transformational leaders can achieve greater performance by stimulating innovative ways of thinking and transforming follower’s beliefs and aspirations. Maxwell (Maxwell, 2007) articulates that most of the time, influence is more important than formal power or authority. I agree with him. Influence is very important in organizational and co...
Tom Rath explains in his book, StrenghtsFinder 2.0 (2007), that identifying and capitalizing on one’s strengths makes for a more fulfilled and effective employee, further benefitting the employing organization. Rath states that when in a position not utilizing our strengths, we are six times more likely to be disengaged in our work. Studies show that this disengagement or dissatisfaction carries over into our personal lives affecting our health and personal relationships.
Transformational leadership is the optimal style for a leader in an organization to have due mainly to its prominent characteristics such as being influential, innovative, motivating, proactive, and having the ability to both responsibly and reasonably delegate tasks. These aspects specific to the style of transformational leadership are essential to positive organizational function, environment, and advancement because they are characteristics that all hold power and constructive properties individually. When combined they are significantly capable of producing progress, change, and a healthy organizational environment.
Tucker, Bruce A. ; Russell, Robert F., “The influence of the transformational leader”, Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 2004. (http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-2375126_ITM) viewed 5.05.2008
According to Yoder-Wise (2015), a leader can be defined as, “an individual who works with others to develop a clear vision of the preferred future and to make that vision happen” (p 35). As employees, we often have our own ideal of a good leader, which may be influenced by experiences and perception of workplace norms. While one’s opinion of an effective leader may vary, there are several recognized leadership theories. The following will focus on the transformational leadership approach.
Transformational leadership is one of the most popular leadership styles. According to Kendrick (2011), “Transformational leadership involves four factors: 1. idealized influence, 2. inspirational motivation, 3. intellectual stimulation, and 4. individual consideration.” These four factors make transformational leadership have an impact on followers. The goal of transformational leadership is to cause a positive change in individuals, help motivate them, and develop a leader within each individual.
A brief description of transformational leadership, according to James MacGregor Burns, is a new paradigm