INTRODUCTION

The term leadership is a word taken from the common vocabulary and
incorporated into the technical vocabulary of a scientific discipline without being
precisely redefined. Research usually defines leadership according to their individual
perspectives and the aspects of the phenomenon of most interest to them.

Most definitions of leadership reflect the assumption that it involves a process

whereby intentional influence is exerted by one person over other people to guide,
structure and facilitate activities and relationships in a group or organization. The
numerous definition s of leadership appear to have little else in common.

They differ in many respects, including who exerted, the intended purpose of the
influence, the manner in which influence exerted, and the outcome of the influence
attempt. The differences are not just a case of scholarly nit-picking; they reflect deep
disagreement about identification of leaders and leadership processes. Researchers who
differ in their conception of leadership select different phenomena to investigate and
interpret the results in different ways.

When leadership is defined in a restrictive way by researchers, they are likely to

take a narrower perspective on the processes to be studies, and it is less likely they will
discover things unrelated to or inconsistent with their initial assumption about effective
leadership. Because leadership has so many different meanings to people.

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 TRANSFORMATION LEADERSHIP

James MacGregor Burns (1978) first introduced the concepts of transformational

leadership in his descriptive research on political leaders, but this term is now used in
organizational psychology as well. According to Burns, transformatial leadership is a
process in which "leaders and followers make each other to advance to a higher level of
moral and motivation". Burns related to the difficulty in differentiation between
management and leadership and claimed that the differences are in characteristics and
behaviors. He established two concepts: "transformational leadership" and "transactional
leadership". According to Burns, the transformational style creates significant change in
the life of people and organizations. It redesigns perceptions and values, changes
expectations and aspirations of employees. Unlike in the transactional style, it is not
based on a "give and take" relationship, but on the leader's personality, traits and ability
to make a change through vision and goals.

Another researcher, Bernard M. Bass (1985), suggested a transformational

leadership theory that adds to the initial concepts of Burn's (1978) .The extent to which
leader is transformational, is measured first, in terms of his influence on the followers.
The followers of such leader feel trust, admiration, loyalty and respect to the leader and
they are derived to do more than they expected in the beginning. The leaders transform
and motivate followers by charisma, intellectual arousal and individual consideration. In
addition, this leader seeks for new working ways, while he tries to identify new
opportunities versus threats and tries to get out of the status quo and alter the
environment.

The researchers, Bass & Avolio (1993), made an empirical study which mapped
the frequent leadership styles of managers and commanders. They located the two
categories (transformational and transactional leadership) on a continuum and created
more stages at the passage between those two leadership styles. This model is called "the
full range of leadership’.

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The full range of leadership introduces four elements of a transformational leader:

1. Individualized consideration- the degree to which the leader attends to each

follower's needs, acts as a mentor or coach to the follower and listens to the follower's
concerns and needs. The leader gives empathy and support, keeps on open
communication and place challenges to the followers. This also encompasses the need to
respect and celebrate the individual contribution that each follower can make to the team.
The followers have a will and aspirations for self development and have an intrinsic
motivation for their tasks.

2. Intellectual stimulation-The degree, to which the leader challenges assumptions,

takes risks and solicits followers' ideas. Leaders with this trait stimulate and encourage
creativity in their followers. They nurture and develop people who think independently.
For such leader Learning is a value and unexpected satiations are seen as opportunities to
learn. The followers ask questions, think deeply about things and figure on better ways to
execute their tasks.

3. Inspirational motivation- the degree to which the leader articulates a vision that is
appealing and inspiring to followers. Leaders with inspirational motivation challenge
followers with high standards, communicate optimism about future goals, and provide
meaning for the task at hand. Followers need to have a strong sense of purpose if they are
to be motivated to act. Purpose and meaning provide the energy that drives a group
forward.

The visionary aspects of leadership are supported by communication skills that make it
precise and powerful. The followers are willing to invest more effort in their tasks; they
are encouraged and optimistic about the future and believe in their abilities.

4. Role and identification model – the highest level of transformatial leadership. The
leader provides communal design of vision and purpose, values and norms that gives
meaning to the work. The leader plants pride and feelings of mission within the
stakeholders, enhancing their performance capabilities and providing personal example.

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The followers trust and emulate this leader, identifying with the goals. They internalize
the attitudes and goals and act in this "spirit" even when the leader is not around.

When researching this construct, the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire

(MLQ) is used. This is a questionnaire that measures deferent factors of tranformatial and
transactional leadership (Bass, 1985). The scales in the questionnaire are based on an
initial factor analysis and latter versions.

The preliminary research of transformatial leadership was limited, because the

knowledge in this area was too primitive in order to find good examples for the items in
the questionnaire.

Another weakness in the first versions of the MLQ relates to the wording of
items. Most items in the scale of charismatic and intellectual arousals described the result
of leadership, instead of specific actions of the leader' that can be observed that, in turn,
bring to the results.

In response to the critics, Bass and his colleagues (1990) included in the revised
version many more items that describe leadership actions that are observed directly.

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 TRANSFORMATION PROCESS

Transformational leaders are usually brought into an organization that is

experiencing a crisis or approaching total collapse to institute turnaround strategies that
can rescue the organization. This often involves fundamental changes in follower’s
actions, thought, and work ethic to bring about profound and positive outcomes. There is
some agreement among scholars and practitioners that certain transformational leadership
practices are necessary for successful transformation.

Key questions often used to highlight such practices include the transformational
leader’s ability to:
(a) Challenge the status quo and make a convincing case for change
(b) Inspire a shared vision for the future,
(c) Provide effective leadership during the transition, and
(d) Make a change a permanent and institutionalize part of the organization. From this
discussion, a four-stage process of transformation, focused on these questions, can be
developed.

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 THE TRANSFORMATION PROCESS
TABLE
Stages
1. Make a Compelling Case for Change
2. Inspire a Shared Vision
3. Lead the Transition
4. Implant the Change
REFERENCES
Suggested Activities
• Increase sensitivity to
environmental changes and treats.
• Initiate change and challenge the
status quo.
• Search for opportunities and take
risks
• Encourage everyone to think of a
new and brighter future.
• Involve others in see9ing and
moving toward the vision.
• Express new vision in ideological,
not just economic, terms.
• Instill in managers a sense of
urgency for the change.
• Avoid the temptation of a quick fix.
• Increase follower’s self-confidence.
• Change rewards systems and
appraisal procedures.
• Appoint a special task force to
monitor progress.
• Encourage top leaders and
managers to model the ways.
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• www.wikipedia.com
• Leadership Theory Application Skill Development, Robert N. Lussier,Ph.D.
• Leadership in Organizations, Gary Yukl