Transformational Leadership Theory By James Mcgregor Burns

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).

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

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).

For centuries leaders have been analyzed in order to determine what the traits and characteristics of a successful leader are. Leadership, as defined by Koontz and Weihrich (2008) is “the art or a process of influencing people so that they will strive willingly and enthusiastically toward the achievement of group goals” (p. 311). Leadership plays an important role in employee’s participation, creativity, recruitment to an organization, their commitment to the organization, and productivity levels. Over the years, there have been a number of theories surrounding leadership such as the “Great Man” theory, which, according to Riaz and Haider (2010), “assumes that leaders are born and have innate qualities, therefore, leaders

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.

Healthcare changes occurring today along with shrinking budgets and reimbursement rates for hospitals has forced institution CEOs to do more with less. Changes and restructuring of various health facilities require nursing leaders with flexibility and adaptability. Nurse leaders must also consider budgetary constraints, cost effectiveness, patient safety, and quality care while maintaining focus on improved patient outcome. The responsibility of ensuring patients receive safe and high quality care belongs to every employee in the hospital, including support staff such as IV therapy. In this hospital, this led to the development of a nurse director position to oversee the

The nurses are the hospital are responsible for providing a healing environment while keeping patient comfortable. Nurses also need to be superb employees and support other staff to be outstanding as well. If providing high-quality care, this will help the hospital add worth and affordability. Nurse leaders also need to be a good resource to other employees and be a good role model. Lastly, nurses need to be compliant with the technology used and recognize the organizations standards of practice. Although nurses play a huge part in making sure the mission and vision implemented, all other staff members from volunteers to doctors need to follow this structure as

Another challenge for this nurse leader is maintaining her level of clinical skills and competence. Most of her duties are administrative; staffing and budgetary. However, it is important to her to maintain her nursing skills such as starting intravenous lines, obtaining vital signs, and reading cardiac monitors. Reading research and practicing skills is important in order to continue to provide evidence based care and be a role model for continued learning.

Forest Hills Hospital, a member of the North Shore Long Island Jewish Health system is a small community hospital located in Queens, NY. This acute facility promotes a flat nursing organizational structure approach. The nurse organizational structure and the organizational processes highly affect the nurses’ working conditions and the provided quality of care (Maenhout, & Vanhoucke, 2013). This discussion will focus on how Forest Hills Hospital’s flat organizational structure positively impact nurse’s ability to lead, change practice, and improve the quality of patient care. Forest Hills hospital’s leadership is comprised of an Executive Director and an Assistant Executive Director who are both registered nurses (RN).

This leader is the Nursing Supervisor of a Post Anesthesia Care Unit. She supervises 12 registered nurses and 4 logistic technicians. She earned a degree in Bachelor and Masters in Nursing. The leader’s role includes utilizing her expertise in the nursing process and delivery of high quality patient focused care. She oversees her team members and acts as a role model and resource person. She also helps the manager with budget planning, staffing, scheduling, monitors meal breaks, work attendance, tardiness and overtime. She aids the manager in creating departmental goals, initiating interdepartmental collaborations and participates in the evaluation of newly hired employees. She conducts her team’s annual individual evaluation. She acts as a catalyst for effective changes within Nursing in the unit. She collaborates with the organization by actively participating in quality improvement projects. She is the team leader for the committee on shared governance in the unit. Her clinical responsibilities includes providing direct and indirect patient care in accordance to the National Patient Goals and Policies. This includes following guidelines such as identifying patients correctly by using two patient identifiers. The date of birth and medical record number are confirmed prior to giving medications or sending blood specimens to the laboratory. Another example is monitoring staff to

Transformational leadership. Burns (1978) is recognized as one of the earliest theorist on transformational leadership, who introduced transformational leadership over 30 years ago. Transformational leaders are perceived as leaders who uplift their employee morale, subsequently uplifting the entire organizational. Transformational leaders are known by their capacity to inspire followers to forgo self-interests in achieving superior results for the organization (Clawson, 2006). Avolio and Yammarino (2002) shared Bass’s explanation of transformational leadership as leaders who act as agents of change that stimulate, and transform followers’ attitudes, beliefs, and motivate from lower to higher level of arousal.

Staff will commit their precious life resources of motivation, emotion, energy, creativity, commitment, and kindness towards patients to the extent they trust their leaders. Treating staff with respect, care, compassion, dignity, supportiveness, and honesty is essential. Good leaders strive to be transparent, just and genuine and engaged in their roles as key in nurturing culture. (Michael West, 2013)

In 1978, James MacGregor Burns, a renowned political theorist, penned an innovative grand theory of leadership that informed political strategy and governance for late 20th-century leaders. His seminal work, Leadership, enumerates the core principles of social psychology and political science that influence effective leadership. Psychoanalysis, motivation, and personal drives shape his theoretical framework. Why does conflict-theory impact politics? How do leaders convey a vision and mobilize support for it? Why do formative childhood experiences affect one’s political ideology and leadership style? While Burns’ normative values of leadership subtly guide this text, he primarily focuses his core analysis on the empirical effectiveness of

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

A TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER is a person who stimulates and inspires followers to achieve extraordinary outcomes (Robbins, 2007)It has been shown to influence organisational members by transforming their values and priorities while motivating them to perform beyond their expectations (Rowold, 2007)Increased levels of job satisfaction & reduced turnover intentions are consequences of transformational leadership. It is all about leadership that creates positive change in the followers whereby they take care of each other’s interests and act in the interestsof the groupas a whole (Warrilow, 2012)