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Thesis- The transformational leader inserts his/her Inserts According to Noel Tichy, the fundamental scarcity and deprivation that the world faces today is that of transformational leadership that is capable of turning out the future of organizations in a way that creates a win-win situation for them (Tichy and Devanna). Most researchers believe that the core traits and qualities associated with transformational leaders are the ability to motivate others, ability to have a strong vision and charisma. However, there are strong reasons to disagree with this premise which shall be discussed in the remaining part of this paper. It has been observed that the most significant qualities of a transformational leader are strong execution skills, leading by example and the ability to sense what requires change.
The existence of a truly ‘ transformational’ leader was identified James MacGregor Burns who differentiated between leaders who were transactional in nature and those who were transformational in nature. The latter were defined as those that brought about some considerable, constructive change in the mindset of the organization and its employees through the use of powerful vision and motivational tactics to enable the various organizational actors to look beyond their immediate self-interests and work for the interest of the entire organization (Burns). However, this definition is criticized on the grounds that the pressing need and struggle for bringing “ change” can divert the efforts of the followers away from the core tasks. For example, a school principal who insists on change management will hamper students’ learning by forcefully engaging them in CSR activities and taking time away from them. The CSR program is designed to enhance the level of educational standards within institutions and is funded by the state (U. S Department of Education). The purpose of this program is to enable students of all levels to achieve the high academic standards set by the state after thorough research (U. S Department of Education). Schools are then required to fulfill the eleven aspects of this reform. These components include professional development of staff, setting up of SMART goals, parental involvement in bringing about improvements as well as the use of an external partner that assists the school in implementing these reforms (U. S Department of Education).
The fact that the most significant quality is that of having a strong vision is also heavily debated. There are leaders who have an excellent vision, they know where to get but either do not know how to get there or lack the expertise and skills required to steer their followers towards that end. Thus, vision is not enough; it must be backed by strong execution.
Bernard Bass and several others have pioneered in developing a coherent set of qualities associated with the transformational leader; idealized influence (charisma), inspiration, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration to name a few. On the contrary, it has been observed charisma and the ability to motivate are not always used for the benefit of the followers. Transformational leaders can misuse their charisma and ability to motivate others to brainwash their followers and lure them into activities such as terrorism and homicide. Take the example of Rim Jones who enticed his followers into the Jonestown homicide. Thus, transformational leaders have strong moral boundaries and ethical standards else they wouldn’t be transformational in the true sense.
Two personalities were interviewed that is in line with the point of view regarding transformational leaders discussed in this paper (Paul, an employee at Intel and an employee of Enron, Venda). Paul Woodin is a transformative Leader, a man that has the qualities of confidence, respect and loyalty and expressive praise. He has been with Intel Corporation for about ten years. He started as a Manufacturing Technician, and before long, he was promoted to the team leader of his team. With his continued dedication and leadership ability, Paul was promoted again in no time to the Operations Manager at the Lithography Department at Intel Corporation in Hudson. A number of workers thought that other colleagues who have been with the company longer than Paul should have been chosen for that position, but to their amazement, he was selected (Paul). Therefore, the main question that arose in my mind was: why Mr. Woodin?
Truthfully, having worked with Paul for the past six years, it was observed that his leadership approach is based on transformational leadership which involves coordinating and integrating activities in the organization. One morning, on one of the Business Unit Meetings (BUM), Paul, after seeing injustice by the Plant Manager; decided to put his belief in equality and civil rights ahead of his career. Woodin led by example by taking the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference in the Company (Paul). Thus, Paul’s case is in sync with the line of thinking that transformational leaders lead by example; they take the lead and compromise their personal goals at the expense of the group’s goals. In other words, these leaders are selfless to the extent that they sacrifice their goals for the benefit of others.
In another interview with an employee of the Enron Corporation, it was revealed that the company was turned around by Stephen Cooper, the company’s CEO. He was able to steer the organization towards a vision such that the company was soon home to over 300 employees. According to Wendy, Stephen has come to be recognized as a genius as far as turnarounds are concerned and is looked upon with great respect and dignity by his employees (Wendy). The leader has gone at great lengths to demonstrate a specific route plan of how to get the organization to where it wants to be. According to her, an integral quote of Cooper which depicts his philosophy is that he believed that the core problem with Enron was that every individual wanted an artificial, steroid-backed enhancement of asset values on the Balance Sheet (Wendy). His ability to sense what was wrong, to accept it and move ahead were perhaps the central aspects of his transformational leadership traits.
To conclude, a transformational leader must have the know-how and the in-built skill which enables him/her to sense the need for change. These leaders have innate ethical and moral boundaries; if they are engaging in immoral activities such as misusing the motivation of their followers or exerting dictatorial pressure on them then they are not transformational leaders in the true sense. True transformational leaders do not just make castles in the air; they do what they plan and believe in the strength of action. Thus, by simply formulating an excellent vision they cannot become transformational leaders.
References:
Bass, Bernard M. ” Two Decades of Research and Development in Transformational Leadership.” European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology (1999): 9-32.
Burns, J. M. Leadership. New York: Harper & Row, 1978.
Paul. Interview. 7 February 2012.
Tichy, Noel M. and Mary Anne Devanna. The Transformational Leader. New York: John Wiley & Sons., 1986.
U. S Department of Education. ” Overview of The Comprehensive School Reform Program .” 2012. U. S Department of Education. 17 February 2012 Wendy. Interview. 5 February 2012.