Bass (1990) defines transformational leadership in this way: “Superior leadership performance -- transformational leadership -- occurs when leaders broaden and elevate the interests of their employees, when they generate awareness and acceptance of the purpose and mission of the group, and when they stir their employees to look beyond their own self-interest for the good of the group” (p. 21). The article proposes a concept of transformational leadership as a synthesis of adaptive, authentic and inspirational leadership approaches.

Because business environments change frequently, leaders do not invest enough time understanding cultural differences and their impact on corporate lives.

The world of transformation management has evolved significantly. Though today’s leaders use artificial intelligence techniques to predict outcomes, transformation remains challenging and unruly. Kotter (2006) says, “Most major change initiatives – whether intended to boost quality, improve culture, or reverse a corporate death spiral – generate only lukewarm results. Many fail miserably” (p. 1).

Empirical evidence and academic research show that transformation programmes almost always make problems worse than they already are. No matter how they are framed and organized, transformation programmes regularly fail: outcomes are unpredictable and horror stories are common. What is the solution? How should leaders cope with these problems?