Gregg Reynolds
For those who have experience in organizational transformation, they undoubtedly see the benefit of having leaders in that organization able to engage in transformational leadership. “As its name implies, transformational leadership is a process that changes and transforms people.” (Northouse, 2016, p. 161) Through transforming people, indeed organizations can transform as well. There are also many similarities and supporting factors between change management methodologies and transformational leadership. “Although the transformational leader plays a pivotal role in precipitating change, followers and leaders are inextricably bound together in the transformation process.” (Northouse, 2016)
First, the differentiation between transformational leadership and transactional leadership parallel the differences between static organizational behavior and organizational change. Transactional leadership is defined as “leaders develop exchanges or agreements with followers, pointing out what the followers will receive if they do something right as well as wrong.” (Bass & Avolio, 1993, p. 112) If I do X and Y happens today, if I do X tomorrow then I have reasonable intuition that Y will also happen tomorrow. This is how behavior is maintained in a static fashion and norms are perpetuated over time. “they work within the existing culture, framing their decisions and action based on the operative norms” (Bass & Avolio, 1993, pp. 112-113).
Transformational leadership, through its incorporation of “charismatic and visionary leadership” (Northouse, 2016, p. 161) can look to influence rather fundamental change within organizations. Indeed, research by Bennis and Nanus (as referenced in Northouse, 2015) has outlined how transformational leaders help transform organizations. This is done through the following strategies (Northouse, 2016):
- Clear vision
- Social architects
- Creating trust
- Creative deployment of self
Compare this with selected aspects of the Lean Enterprise Transformation Roadmap (Bozdogan, et al., 2000):
- Create Vision of the Future State
- Analyze Processes and Interaction
- Nurture, Process, and Embed Lean Culture
- Empower change agents
It is clear that those who study transformational leadership and those that study organizational change are treading on common ground. The concepts of transformational leaders and the organizational change they initiate intuitively support each other. Between the leader and the change, it is difficult to separate the two.
Bass, B., & Avolio, B. (1993). Transformational Leadership and Organizational Cuture. Public Administration Quarterly, 112-121.
Bozdogan, K., Milauskas, R., Mize, J., Nightingale, D., Taneja, A., & Tonaszuck, D. (2000). Transitioning to a Lean Enterprise: A Guide for Leaders. Lean Aerospace Initiative: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, Inc.
John Washabaugh says
You make some excellent points about the positive aspects of transformational leadership. However, some leaders use this method as a means of manipulation rather than organizational change. Some managers, claiming to be transformational leaders, only practice parts of the approach that allows goals to be attained but do not yield the results of engagement in followers. It’s sort of a blind following to avoid negative reinforcement or be positioned in an out-group. Some so called leaders learn how to manage perception through transformational leadership practices in order to mask dark side character traits. “The use of charisma paired with narcissism or other dark side trait can be used to manipulate and can lead to unethical treatment” (PSU WC 2015). It becomes apparent in time at the employee level. However many times this “false” leadership is rewarded through promotion by executive management. In this example, the concepts of transformational leadership and organizational change may be on uncommon ground.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Works Cited:
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2015). Leadership in Work Settings. PSYCH485. Lesson10: retrieved October 30, 2015 from:https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa15/psych485/001/content/10_lesson/01_page.html