Transformational Leadership
Definition
J.M. Burns first articulated the idea of transformational leadership in 1978 before Bernard Bass expanded on it almost a decade later. Burns proposed two leadership approaches for getting work done: transactional or transformational.
Transformational leadership focuses largely on the leader’s vision rather than on follower attributions. Transformational leaders are known for moving and changing things “in a big way,” by communicating to followers a special vision of the future, tapping into followers’ higher ideals and motives. They seek to alter the existing structure and influence people to buy into a new vision and new possibilities.
Transformational Models and Dimensions
Bass and Avilio proposed that transformational leadership is composed of four behavior dimensions
1. idealized influence
2. inspirational motivation
3. individual consideration
4. intellectual stimulation
Strength and Weaknesses
Both charismatic and transformational leaders can convey a vision and form strong emotional bonds with followers, but not all charismatic leaders can motivate followers to transcend self-interest for the benefit of a higher ideal or societal need. On the other hand, transformational leaders take charismatic leadership one step further in that they, more often than not, can articulate a compelling vision of the future and also influence followers to transcend self-interest for the benefit of society. The vision and values of transformational leaders are more in line with the values and needs of followers. It is on this basis that some have argued that all transformational leaders are charismatic but not all charismatic leaders are transformational.
World Transformational Leaders
Below are different lists of famous transformational leaders,
Ahn, Chul-Soo
Alexander The Great
Arnold, Henry
Ataturk, Mustapha
Aristotle
Attila the Hun
Aurelius, Marcus
Banks Tyra
Bloomberg, Michael
Comparison on Transformational Leadership and Charismatic Leadership
Charismatic leadership and Transformational leadership are two important classifications of leadership between which a key difference can be identified. When speaking of leadership as a whole, this has a deep history
.Leadership creates an ambiance for both change and also resistance to change. When focusing on the two leadership styles, the key differenceis that while inCharismatic Leadership the leader’s charm and attraction create inspiration and devotion among the followers towards the leader, inTransformational Leadership, change in individuals and social systems are created through a collective vision.