I often hear about a mythical person called the ‘Transformative Leader’ (TL); someone who can inspire change in the world, and has quite literally attained the Buddha status of the highest form of leader. I feel like these leaders come into being very infrequently and are idolized in their greatness; Martin Luther King Jnr., Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, etc. But is it really just a high dose of charisma and a volatile environment that sparks this inspirational adoration, or are there tangible aspects that we can capture and use in our own training to make better leaders?
One psychologist thinks we can break a TL down into four parts. 1. Idealized Influence – someone who leads by example, 2. Inspirational Motivation – the ability to motivate people – usually using charisma, 3. Individualized Consideration – having genuine concern for your followers, and 4. Intellectual Stimulation – challenging your followers to be and think better (Riggio, 2009). This is Bass’ Transformational Leadership Theory; which was developed in the 1980s following preceding ideas of defining one by James McGregor Burns in the 1970s.
This theory might help to give us the tools that we need to help inspire our followers to change by becoming a TL. Aside from the intrinsic charisma and empathy that is needed, the other areas can be worked upon. So perhaps a leader with strong basic traits; remember the Big Five: neuroticism; extraversion; openness, agreeableness; and conscientiousness (Northouse, p.26) would be able to strengthen their skills and become this higher level of leader.
An extension on this theory describes these ‘leadership factors’ of which Bass names seven different factors that go into any type of leadership, perhaps explaining some of the overlap in true TLs and lesser leaders. Such factors include charisma, rewards, corrective actions, transactional approach and non-transactional approach (Northouse, p. 191).
But what if these ‘powers’ of transformational leadership were used in ways that were not for the greatest good; purely for the gain of the leader? Criticisms of Bass’ theory are arguments that the powers of impression management gained by leaders could lead to amoral self-promotion and ulterior uses; that is difficult to train as it requires a combination of natural ability/traits as well as soft skills; and that manipulation of followers by less scrupulous or moral leaders is more likely with this type of leadership (MSG).
In summary, it seems it may be possible to identify key aspects of true Transformational Leadership, and help grow skills in existing leaders to get them closer to this ideal, but only if other traits and factors are in accordance. In a way this is reassuring as I can’t imagine a world where everyone could be truly influential leaders should they follow a formula; we as a society would be lost amongst all the competing influencers.
References
MSG (date unknown), Transformative Leadership. Management Study Guide.com Retrieved January 28, 2014 from http://managementstudyguide.com/transformational-leadership.htm
Northouse, P. G. (2013) Leadership Theory and Practice. 6th Ed. Sage Publications.
Riggio, E. R. (2009, March 24) Are You a Transformational Leader? Cutting-Edge Leadership. Psychology Today. Retrieved January 28, 2014 from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/200903/are-you-transformational-leader
Wikipedia. (2014, January 21) Transformational Leadership. Retrieved January 28, 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformational_leadership
Not cited, but more information can be found on Bass’ theory:
Bass, B.M. & Avolio, B.J. (Eds.). (1994). Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Image Sources
Retrieved January 28, 2014 from http://graystoneadvisors.com/gray-stone-advisors-man-jumping-over-gap-sunset.jpg
Retrieved January 28, 2014 from http://managementstudyguide.com/transformational-leadership.htm