Jack Welch and Transformational Leadership Essay

There are many models of leadership that exist across a range of fields (e.g. social work, education, psychology, business, etc.). The ability to transform an organization successfully requires a different set of attitudes and skills. Transformational leadership is an approach where a leader utilizes inspiration, charisma, individualized attention, and intellectual stimulation with their employees (Iachini, Cross, & Freedman, 2015, p. 651). Transformational leadership helps to clarify organizational vision, inspires employees to attain objectives, empowers employees, encourages employees to take risks, and advocates the seeking of alternative solutions to challenges in the workplace (Transformational Leadership, 2015). It allows the leader to engage and motivate each follower identify with the organization’s values and goals.

This report’s objective is to provide analysis of the leadership challenge that General Electric (GE) is currently facing, and to recommend solutions. The primary problem is determining what kind of candidate is required to replace retiring CEO Jack Welch. This has left GE to question how much does the company want to change policy over the previous era, and where does the company want to be in future?

Transformational leadership theory is defined as a modern form of leadership that makes subordinates aware of the importance of their jobs and performance to the organization and aware of their own needs for personal growth and that motivates subordinates to work for the good of the organization (Jones & George, 2009, p. 430). According to Burns (1978), he concluded that transformational leadership occurs when leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality (Burns, 1978).

Transformational Leader: Bernard Bass extended the work of Burns (1978) and the idea of transformational leaders in 1985. Is an individual who does not only have his/her interest but still pays attention to their followers. Also defined as a leadership approach that causes change in individuals and social systems. In its ideal form, it creates valuable and positive change in the followers with the end goal of nurturing followers into leaders. Transformational leadership enhances the motivation, morale and performance of followers through a variety of skills. These include connecting the follower 's sense of identity and self to the mission and the collective identity of the organization; being a role model for followers that inspires them; challenging followers to take greater ownership for their work, and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of followers, so the leader can align followers with tasks that optimize their performance....

Jack Welch is among the celebrated chief executive officers globally. He was the manager of the General Electric Co. Welch always appears in the list of the best, the smartest, the toughest bosses whole of the America. He has changed the company’s bureaucracy in terms of planning and systems. The paper will discuss Jack Welch as one of the most prominent industry leaders. He and his colleagues have been instrumental in turning around a large company. Additionally, the paper will examine the condition of General Electric Co. when Welch took over. Furthermore, the paper will address the transformation of the Company since then. More importantly, the paper will investigate the strategy that was used to

As Northouse (2015) explained, transformational leadership is a process that can change and transform the emotions, values, ethics, standard, and long term goals of the people. It also involves transforming followers to accomplish more than what is expected of them. The four factors that are closely associated with transformational leadership includes being an idealized influence or charisma leaders who act as strong role models, have a high standard of moral and ethical conduct, and deeply respected by his or her followers. A leader who can inspire and motivate their followers to be part of a shared vision of the organization. A leader who can also stimulate followers to become more creative and innovative, and provide the necessary coaches and advice to the followers (p.167).

Transformational leadership, also known as charismatic leadership, is based upon transforming the followers into independent and confident workers. These leaders not only want the best for their followers, but they also portray themselves in a positive selfless way. Transformational leadership is one of the most popular approaches to leadership (Northouse, 2013). Throughout this informative research paper, I am going to explain what transformational leadership is, the different theories behind it, the goals, factors, strengths, and weaknesses.

Transformational Leadership empowers or enables its followers. The leader engages with the follower in a way that both the leader and follower transcend to a higher level of motivation and morality (Nicholls, 1994).

Over the past twenty years, an abundant body of researches have been done to review transformational leadership and transactional leadership. Burn (1978) was the first person to introduce and conceptualize the concept of transformational leadership and transactional leadership. Bass (1985) based on Burn’s concept and deepened his notion with modifications, which stated that one of the best frameworks of leadership is transformational or transactional. Following Bass and Avolio (1994, p. 4) provided the idea of these two leaderships and generalized them into the development of global economic world. Bass and Avolio (1997) also suggested that there was no need to view transformational and transactional leadership as

**TransformationTransformational leadership. Burns (1978) and Bass (1985) provided much of the foundational research on transactional and transformational leadership theory that led to advancements in guidelines for leaders. Although Burns (1978) and Bass (1985) agree on the characteristics for both theories, there iswas one point of difference. The one area where a difference exists is that Burns (1978) offered that translational and transformational theory were two separate approaches that existedexist on opposite ends of the spectrum. whereas Bass (1985) argued that transactional leadership was the starting point for a leader moving to a transformational approach. Before a more in-depth review is provided for these alternative views, it is first necessary to provide further background information on transformational leadership. Transformational leadership theory is based upon four specific constructs; charismatic or idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. The four constructs serve the leader’s attempt to connect with the follower at a higher level of interest (Alabduljader, 2012; Groves & LaRocca, 2011; Liu et al., 2011; Odumeru & Ogbonna, 2013; Washington et al., 2014).

Transformational Leadership can play a role in creating a successful team. It can also be the process that changes and transforms people dealing with emotions, values, ethics, and standards. Transformational Leadership is the process whereby a person engages others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower (Northhouse , 186). This applies to a team because you always have to be able to connect and motivate others

Since transformational leadership is such a powerful force for change, history has seen its fair share of transformational leaders. Leaders in sports, politics, religion and business have used the transformational style to implement their visions and change the structures around them. Examining these leaders can help understand the frameworks and characteristics of this leadership style in detail.

Transformational leadership is a leadership style that promotes change as well as improves performance in the organization as a whole as well as on the individual employee level (Phaneuf, Boudrias, Rousseau, & Brunelle, 2016). James MacGregor Burns first introduced transformational leadership in his book titled Leadership that he authored in 1978. Burns defined transformational leadership as leadership that stems from one’s core unchanging values and beliefs. Burns believed that transformational leaders not only bring together their followers, but also positively influence their follower’s values and beliefs in a way that brings about positive change (Humphreys & Einstein, 2003).

These types of leaders, according to Avolio (1991) possess the characteristics of individual consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, and idealized influence. This paper will examine the outcomes that are a direct result of transformational leaders who exhibit these types of traits such as job satisfaction and organizational commitment, job stress, safety, supervisor satisfaction, team, performance, and general.

Jack Welch’s vision of what GE was possible of gave the company a vision for twenty years while he was the CEO and chairman. He states, “leaders make sure people not only see the vision, they live and breathe it.” (Winning, pg 67) He not only allowed for employees to stretch, but demanded it. In teaching workers to stretch Welch knew that workers “may fail. In fact, they probably will fail. But stretching, and stretching the business, is going to improve performance results.” (Jack Welch on Leadership, pg 105) He also states that “only by setting the performance bar high did it become possible to discover people’s capabilities.” Jack Welch’s emphasis on candor and breaking the bureaucracy of modern business separated him from his contemporaries. He excited others of the possibility of being the biggest and best company in the world and rewarding his best employees that shared the values of GE. According to FORTUNE Editorial Director Geoffrey Colvin In "The Ultimate Manager, Welch leads the annals of management history not for anticipating the new world's changes ahead, but for acting on them: "His great achievement is that having seen it, he faced up to the huge, painful changes it demanded, and made them faster and more emphatically than anyone else in business. He led managers into this new world, which we still inhabit, and just as important, he showed business