Transformational Leadership
“Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.”
- Publilius Syrus
Current business environments have become increasingly complex, overwhelmed as they often are by rapid and unpredictable changes. Leaders are likely to face the unhappy truth that no comprehensive theories of leadership have produced a clear framework for coping with these challenges.
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).
How should leaders respond to transformation complexities, read and interpret internal and external signals, steer the ecosystem of transformation programmes and establish meaningful relationships with stakeholders? And what can help leaders 1) unfreeze interconnected systems 2) decode stakeholders’ expectations 3) change patterns and processes 4) encourage employees to embrace change 5) refreeze interconnected systems, and most important, 6) deliver expected results?
Adaptive leadership
Heifetz (1994) defines adaptive leadership as “the act of mobilizing a group of individuals to handle tough challenges and emerge triumphant in the end”. It seems, according to Bennis and Thomas (2002) that a flexible and adaptive mindset helps cope with transformational ambiguities and complexities. Flexibility enables transformation leaders to grasp the most important context, learn from difficult situations, navigate properly and when necessary change course successfully (see Article How to Make Better Choices When Leading Transformation Programmes).
Authentic leadership
Authentic leadership focuses on transparent and ethical leadership behaviour; leaders need to understand themselves and make room for others (George et al., 2007). It is evident from behavioural science that leaders should understand and address their heuristic and bias – i.e., remove bias from their feasibility studies and decision-making. Given that leaders are often exposed to the varying complexities of transformation programmes, they must authentically develop a repertoire of responses.
Inspirational leadership
Leading transformation programmes might be called the art of influencing irrational people in changing environments. Olivier and Verity (2008) define inspirational leadership as leadership that mobilizes “imagination, bringing passion and commitment to work” (p. 138). Inspirational leaders help employees to understand, accept and embrace change; guide employees through challenges and crucibles; remain open to new ideas and emerging opportunities and challenge traditional ways of thinking and decision-making.
Transformational leadership
Transformational leadership, which encompasses adaptive, authentic and inspirational approaches, not only broadens leadership repertoire but also helps deliver expected results. This synthesis helps leaders develop strategic responses to uncertainties and to a number of psychological variables. This concept can be viewed as Daoism leadership, embedding and embodying Yin and Yang values and principles. Figure 1 illustrates transformational leadership as a synthesis of authentic, inspirational and adaptive leadership approaches.
Figure 1
The synthesis of adaptive, authentic and inspirational leadership approaches
Source: Adapted from Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Change Curve (Kübler-Ross and Kessler, 2005)
Synthetizing Adaptive, Authentic and Inspirational leadership approaches helps leaders steer transformations, understanding that they are both artists and scientists. Indeed, artistry gives leaders deeper understanding of what is happening on a transformation stage. But rational science, on the other hand, detaches them from heuristics and biases - so long as behavioural patterns align with the complexity and ambiguity of the transformation. In conclusion, leading transformation programmes is both art and science. To be a master in transformation means developing and applying a comprehensive repertoire of leadership techniques when conducting change -- creating transformational performance music.
References
Bass B. (1990) From Transactional to Transformational Leadership: Learning to Share the Vision. Organizational Dynamics, 18 (3), 19-31
Bennis W. G., and Thomas R., J. (2002) Crucibles of Leadership, Harvard Business Review, September.
George B., Sims P., McLean A., Mayer D. (2007) Discovering Your Authentic Leadership, Harvard Business Review.
Heifetz, R. A. (1994) Leadership Without Easy Answers, Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Kübler-Ross E., Kessler D. On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss (Scribner, 2005)
Olivier R., and Verity J. (2008) Rehearsing tomorrow’s leaders: the potential of mythodrama. Business Strategy Series. 9(3), pp. 138-143, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
