This course has been very informative. The materials learned throughout this semester will carry on throughout my professional career. As someone who wishes to be an I/O Psychologist, knowing how to properly lead any group or organization in success. The transformational approach is a cornerstone for successful leadership. In order for any leader to have followers rally behind them, they must have great communication skills. My job would essentially be to go into a company, observe their current behaviors and make changes that would best fit a more productive and profitable environment.
Functioning companies require happy employees. Without employees who care and have motivation to complete their day to day operations, no one will succeed. I could potentially be going into a company and realizing that everything needs to be changed. Ruining an employee’s routine will create enemies. I cannot expect everyone to jump on board with my ideas and that will create tension within the workplace. I will need to determine which changes would be necessary and how to make these changes without increasing the turnover rate.
The purpose of the article I found focuses on the relationship between leadership and occupational success. The researchers questioned men and women, with varying occupations, about leader behavior and engagement (Vincent-Hoper et al., 2012). Data was collected through online questionnaires within a 4 month period (2012). Results show strong correlation between transformational leadership, work engagement and subjective occupational success (2012). Transformational leadership ” appears to be relevant for the enhancement of employee’s occupational success” (2012).
Learning how to properly address and transition into new policies is important. We must use the findings from this study to create new job designs and roles without damaging employee satisfaction.
Resources:
Vincent-Höper, S., Muser, C., & Janneck, M. (2012). Transformational leadership, work engagement, and occupational success. Career Development International, 17(7), 663-682. doi:10.1108/136204312http://search.proquest.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1191981499/fulltextPDF/1F3576ACED8B4A8CPQ/1?accountid=1315811283805
Connie Li says
Hi Emilee,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on transformation in the workplace. Your career goal is very interesting. Helping organizations identify their operation and performance issues can be easy, when you are equipped with academic and professional knowledge. However, as a consultant or I/O psychologist, implementing changes without increasing turnover rate would be extremely difficult because the employees may not perceive you as their leader and/or comply with your requests. Therefore, some of the characteristics and behaviors of charismatic or transformational leadership may come in handy as you guide the potential followers through these changes. This discussion will create an I/O consulting scenario, and explain how to adopt transformational leader theory in this situation.
First, the assumption is that an I/O psychologist have identified the problems in an organization, and designed a plan to resolve the issues by modifying the employees’ behaviors. The goal is to improve the workers’ job involvement and work commitment, which in turn lead to higher job satisfaction and decrease the organization’s turnover rate. As a transformational leader, you may act in certain ways to have promote the transformational effect on the followers.
A transformational leader is someone who connects and interacts with a group of individuals by attending to the followers needs and developing the followers’ full potentials, and inspiring the leader and the followers’ motivation and morality throughout the process (Northouse, 2016). This type of leaders often possesses charismatic leader’s characteristics and behaviors, which would give the transformational leader the capacity to influence others (Northouse, 2016). In the aforementioned situation, the transformational leader should display the following charismatic characteristics: having a strong desire to influence other, being dominant, being self-confident, and having a strong sense of moral values. First, when a consultant is providing guidance or implementation procedures for a new group of employees, he or she should display a strong desire to influence the followers with the organization’s new goal (i.e., increasing job involvement, work commitment and job satisfaction). Second, the leader should dominant the situation by commanding the audiences’ attention using professional knowledge, the facts from the organization’s issue analysis, and the benefits of making modifications. During this presentation, the consultant should demonstrate self-confidence about his or her capacity to guide the followers through the changes. In addition, the leader should emphasis a strong sense of moral value to ensure the followers understand that any modification made is based on a fair evaluation and towards increasing the employees’ job satisfaction. If the leader could adopt the four characteristics as he or she explains the new organizational goal and introduce him- or herself, the followers’ attentions would be captured, and the acceptance of this new leader would increase. This would be the first step to transformational leadership.
Furthermore, a transformational leader may use the following charismatic leader behaviors: articulating goals, arousing motives, communicating high expectation and expressing confidence. First, the leader should create an ideological goal that has moral overtone (Northouse, 2016). The implementation is increasing job involvement and work commitment, which may give the followers a negative impression that their performances are not up to the organizational standards. Instead, the leader should emphasis the organizational goal, which is improving employees’ satisfaction and helping individuals develop their full potentials. Articulating such ideological goals would motivate the followers to be proactive during the implementation process. In addition, the leader should discuss each employee’s needs, and set specific, but higher expectation for everyone. Meanwhile, the leader should express confidence in each employee that he or she can accomplish the goal. Overall, these behaviors would arouse the followers’ motives to be proactive or obedient during the change process, and increase followers’ confidence in improving their performance and accomplishing the organizational goal.
Being a consultant or I/O psychologist requires the leader to interact with employees who are working in an organization with performance or operational issues. It can be a difficult process, when the followers do not accept the leader’s vision. If the leader could adopt some of the charismatic leader characteristics and behaviors, the leader may successfully transform the situation by helping the employees to develop their full potentials, and the organization to overcome the adversity.
Sincerely,
Connie
Reference:
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
pib5093 says
Pursuing a career as an I/O Psychologist is a much needed profession in the business world. Businesses really benefit from their expertise and insight. Good for you! I read the article and agree with your analysis. The outcome of studies conducted provides for a greater understanding of transformational leadership. The section where stated, “Perceived as trustworthy, respected and admirable role models, leaders who exhibit idealized influence may enhance their subordinate,” in which i agree, and have seen in the workplace. Further, as stated, “effective transformational leadership behavior is expected to enhance the followers’ career development,” certainly provides encouragement. I fully agree in that, when leaders believe and support their followers and recognize their potential, it inspires them to take more risks, with the purpose of increasing their knowledge, skills, and confidence. Additionally, researchers have reported that, “studies predict a positive relation between transformational leadership and occupational success.” In my experience, it does not necessarily matter where I work, rather, it is the impact a leader has on the followers and the method of providing feedback that makes a difference. Is their intent to promote encouragement and support? I strive to become the best I can in the position I am hired.
Transformational leaders who build trust and confidence with their followers is very powerful for both the organization and its employees. I have always believed positive reinforcement is very effective.
Great post!
Irem Yaman says
You are really right about joining a new work place and expecting everyone to be on board with your ideas, which are new to them. A successful I/O psychologist should definitely consider the turnout rate, like you mentioned. It is really hard to describe how one should be a successful leader, because the situations are so interchangeable that it is impossible to know beforehand. Learning how to properly transition from a fun leader to a serious leader throughout the day is a tough job, but one who can do it well automatically becomes a good leader.