Have you ever been in a group where someone took control of the situation
by conveying a clear vision of the group's goals, a marked passion for the work, and an ability to
make the rest of the group feel recharged and energized? This person just might be what is called
a transformational leader.
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Transformational leadership is a type of leadership style that can inspire positive changes in
those who follow.
A Transformational leaders are generally energetic, enthusiastic, and passionate.
Not only are these leaders concerned and involved in the process; they are also
focused on helping every member of the group succeed as well.
Bass also suggested that there were four different components of transformational leadership.
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1. Intellectual Stimulation Transformational leaders not only challenge the
status quo; they also encourage creativity among followers. The leader
encourages followers to explore new ways of doing things and new
opportunities to learn.
2. Individualized Consideration Transformational leadership also involves
offering support and encouragement to individual followers. In order to foster
supportive relationships, transformational leaders keep lines of
communication open so that followers feel free to share ideas and so that
leaders can offer direct recognition of the unique contributions of each
follower.
1. Inspirational Motivation Transformational leaders have a clear vision that
they are able to articulate to followers. These leaders are also able to help
followers experience the same passion and motivation to fulfill these goals.
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Researchers have found that this style of leadership can have a positive effect on the group.
"Research evidence clearly shows that groups led by transformational leaders have higher levels
of performance and satisfaction than groups led by other types of leaders," explained
psychologist and leadership expert Ronald E. Riggio in an article appearing on the Psychology
Today website. The reason, he suggests, is that transformational leaders believe that their
followers can do their best, leading members of the group to feel inspired and empowered.
References
Bass,B. M. (1985). Leadership and Performance. N. Y,: Free Press.
Bass, B. M. & Riggio, R. E. (2008). Transformational Leadership. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. N.Y: Harper and Raw.
Riggio, R.E. (2009, March 24). Are you a transformational leader. Psychology Today. Found online at http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edgeleadership/200903/are-you-transformational-leader
The study, published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, involved
surveying workers as several different German information and communication technology
companies. Researchers asked participants to answers questions about their employer's
leadership style. A score for transformational leadership was then determined based on qualities
such as providing intellectual stimulation, giving positive feedback for good performance,
leading by example, and helping employees feel like they were making a contribution toward the
goals of the group.
The researchers discovered that employees who identified a higher level of transformational
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The researchers discovered that employees who identified a higher level of transformational
leadership in their employers also had higher reported levels of well-being. The effect stayed
significant even after researchers controlled for factors that are linked to well-being such as job
strain, education, and age.
"The results of this study suggest that a transformational leadership style,
which both conveys a sense of trust and meaningfulness and individually
challenges and develops employees, also has a positive effect on employee
well-being," the authors summarized.
Real-World Applications
So what impact could such results have for managers and workers? The study's authors suggest
that the results are important and can help companies develop leadership training programs that
can be used to teach transformational leadership skills. Acquiring communication skills such as
resolving conflicts in the workplace and recognizing the needs of employees are an important
part of transformational leadership.
"Such training programs can be seen as another essential component of workplace health
promotion and prevention efforts and therefore should receive wide support," explained the
study's authors
2.Introduction
Leadership is the process through which a person, in this case the leader, influences
a group of people towards the realization of a common goal. The effectiveness of
leadership depends on the style of leadership that the leader adopts, and usually
depends on the context of leadership. This implies that different leadership styles
are effective in different situations (Tittemore, 2003). Therefore, effective leaders
are supposed to know the context through which a particular approach of leadership
will be effective. In addition, the leadership approaches can be used for defining the
personal leadership style that a person is likely to put into practice (Kippenberger,
2002). This paper discusses two leadership styles and identifies the most effective
leadership that suits the philosophy of nursing leadership. In addition, the paper
compares and contrasts leadership and management.
The two main leadership styles discussed in this paper are autocratic and
democratic leadership styles. Autocratic leadership style is whereby the leader has
much power and makes use of the authority vested on him/her to initiate leadership
actions such as decision-making (Marquis & Huston, 2008). Autocratic leadership
style bases on the transactional theory, which lays more emphasis on the
significance of the relationship that exists between the leader and the followers. The
followers are supposed to obey the orders from their leaders (Marquis & Huston,
2008). In addition, this leadership style lacks participative approach to leadership
because the staffs are not consulted under any circumstance. This is administered
by using a structured outline of the rewards and punishments for failing to follow
the directives from the leader. Autocratic leadership is normally effective in cases
whereby supervision is needed to get things done, and where the followers can
challenge their leaders authority. In addition, it can be effective in cases where the
decision-making time is limited. However, this leadership style is not effective in
cases whereby the followers are resentful and have low morale (Marquis & Huston,
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2008).
The democratic leadership style is also referred to as participative leadership style,
which is based on the transformational theory, whereby the core concept of
leadership focuses on change and a visionary leadership with the goal of enhancing
both individual and organizational performance. Democratic leadership usually
entails a participative approach to leadership whereby the followers are also given a
chance to develop their leadership skills through the use shared leadership and
participative decision making. The staff are also involved in the problem solving
process, and in the process, they become effective leaders of their own (Miner,
2005). Democratic leadership is effective in cases whereby there is need for
follower motivation and the need for each to develop ones leadership abilities. In
the context of the philosophy of nursing leadership, a democratic approach to
leadership is more efficient compared to autocratic leadership. This because the
nursing environment is a dynamic one and such operations can be run effectively
depending on the decisions that are made by one leader. In addition, the nature
nursing work does not need an authoritarian approach since it will be subject to
mixed reactions, which will significantly impede the effectiveness of nursing
operations (Marquis & Huston, 2008).
There are vast differences between leadership and management. By definition,
leadership can be described as the process through which a leader influences a
group of individuals towards the achievement of a common goal. Management on
the other hand can be viewed as decision-making process that relies on the
organizational policies; it entails the organization and coordination of organizational
activities according to the organizational policies and with the aim of achieving a
particular goal. The main difference between management and leadership is that
leadership entails the formulation of a new direction and vision for the
organizational members, while management entails directing and controlling of
organizational resources based on already established organizational policies and
values. Leaders have the responsibility of establishing organizational mission, while
leaders have the responsibility of implementing the established missions (Tittemore,
2003).