Key Elements Of Transformational Leadership Essay

Those that follow a transformational leadership framework believe that leaders possess many of the aforementioned qualities, but the focus is on one’s ability to inspire and empower others (Ross, Fitzpatrick, Click, Krouse, & Clavelle, 2014). These leaders literally ‘transform’ their followers by inspiring enthusiasm and performance towards a

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.

Transformational leadership theory applies four factors for leaders to influence employees to perform beyond their abilities. These factors describes leaders that promote leadership through idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration (Shresh & Rajini 2013).Transformational leaders are deem as the most effective leadership style because of their character strengths as a excellent role model who leads by example and manage people based on their strengths and weaknesses to optimizes the organization performance (Shresh, & Rajini, 2013). Transformational leaders are known to reward, encourage and mentor people based on performance through inspiration, creativity, and innovation to solve problems to exceed expectation of the organization (Smith,

For instance, rather than focusing on the value of the person to the leader, the transformational leadership style inspires the follower to do better on a personal level, often resulting in an increased value among coworkers and leaders alike.

Transformational leaders express a clear vision, inspire others and work together with their team to identify common values and goals (Marquis and Huston 2009). They also recognise followers’ potential, assist them to develop their strengths and identify individual differences (Bass 2008).

Transformational leadership theory is defined as specific behaviors that are utilized by leaders in their interaction with followers that have a lasting effect (Yukl, 1999).  According to Harms and Credé (2010), these behaviors reflect a mentor who motivates the followers to learn, succeed, and develop as individuals. Additionally, they state that the leader cultivates a trusting environment, challenges their followers, displays consideration, charisma and the ability to spark intellectual stimulation (Harms & Credé, 2010; Yukl, 1999).

In 1985, Bernard Bass expanded upon the work of Burns by attempting to determine and define how transformational leadership impacts follower outcomes. Bass postulates that transformational leaders are able to share their vision with followers and resultantly influence inspirational outcomes, and he identified four elements of transformational leadership: individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, and idealized influence (1985). In a departure from Burn’s belief that transactional and transformational leadership are mutually exclusive styles (1978), Bass suggests that truly effective leadership must demonstrate both transformational and transactional style (1985).

This connection paper reflects the courses I have taken throughout my study at Concordia University. In the analysis of this connection paper, I am going to review the various courses of study I have completed. In retrospect of the concept of effective leadership I have learned, there is an underlying issue; many professionals are experiencing due to the different viewpoint of politicians and school leaders in our community. The results of this connection will show the aspect of transactional leadership in any organizational setting. Transactional leadership Identifies and critique the dominant theories of social change and education, including the various assumptions embedded in conceptualizations of transformation. Therefore, it cultivates the ability to question, deconstruct, and then reconstruct knowledge in the interest of transformational learning (Mezirow,1991).

Johnson and Dipboye (2008) proclaimed, “Transformational leadership style mainly focuses on transformation of values and beliefs of followers by inspiring them” (As cite by Zareen, Razzaq, & Mujtaba, 2015). Connectedness, mutual respect, and collaboration on goals and responsibilities are what I see as the hallmarks that transformational leadership affords

Transformational leaders motivate and inspire followers to achieve extraordinary goals (Avolio and Bass, 2014), are process-oriented, and focus on being a leader (van Linden and Fertman). FRLT posits that transformational leadership is comprised of five factors (Antonakis, Avolio, and Sivasubramaniam, 2013; Avolio & Bass, 2014): (a) Idealized influence (attributed) refers to the perception that the leader is charismatic, confident, ethical, idealistic, and trust worthy; (b) Idealized influence (behavior) refers to leadership behavior that results in followers identifying with and wanting to emulate the leader; (c) Inspirational motivation refers to leadership that communicates high expectations, inspires commitment to a shared vision, and motivates

In my opinion, the idea of transformational leadership goes beyond work related functions. First, there must be the areas of transformation that need to occur for us as individuals. For instance, Pallota (2012)

Bass (1985) believed that Transformational Leadership would result in employees performing beyond expectations and that improvement could be due to the followers’ commitment to the leader and their sense of purpose and mission.

Boosting morale, increasing motivation, and elevating job performance of followers are all dynamics of a transformational leader. Transformational leadership can be defined as a leader’s approach to nurture and empower followers. This type of a leader exhibits charismatic and visionary tendencies. As its name suggests, a transformational leader transforms and changes people. The emergence of transformational leadership as an approach to leadership in regards to political leaders was presented by James MacGregor Burns, a political sociologist. One of his primary focuses was to link the roles of leadership and followers. Later, Bernard M. Bass, another researcher expanded the work of Bass’ original ideas by explaining certain psychological mechanisms regarding transactional and transformational leadership as well as how transformational leadership can be measured (Northouse, 2013). He also developed the earlier version of the Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) to measure transformational leadership through questions that measured the followers’ perceptions of a leader’s behavior for each of the full range of leadership factors.

Bass B.M., (1999). Two decades of research and development in transformational leadership. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 8(1), 9–26. Retrieved from: http://www.techtied.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/bass_transforrmational_leadership.pdf

He also had displayed the four key sets of leader behaviors associated with transformational leadership, namely: inspirational motivation, idealized influence, individualized consideration and intellectual stimulation. His great