transformational leadership theories essay

Transformational Leadership Style: How to Inspire and Motivate

Chioma Ugochukwu

Harvard MME: President, Director of Distribution

BSc (Hons) Biological Science, Harvard University

Chioma Ugochukwu, currently studying Biological Science at Harvard University, serves as the president of the Harvard Foundation for the International Medical Relief of Children.

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Saul Mcleod, PhD

Editor-in-Chief for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester

Saul Mcleod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

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People who have transformational leadership possess four attributes to varying degrees (Bass, Avolio, & Atwater, 1996).

They are idealized and charismatic (highly liked role models), demonstrate inspirational motivation (optimistic about goal attainment), are intellectually stimulating (encourage critical thinking and problem-solving), and are considerate (show empathy and purpose).

Transformational leadership inspires positive changes in those led and is invested in the success of every single member involved in the process.

Transformational leaders are full of energy, passion, and drive. It’s not a surprise that these qualities can be the things that can make or break an organization.

This kind of leadership is very popular—it can be seen in board rooms, hospitals, schools, and in the entertainment industry. Suddenly, as we look around, transformation seems to be everywhere.

What most people overlook is the time and effort required to fully understand and apply any leadership style, let alone one as dynamic and powerful as transformational leadership.

Transformational leadership style is characteristic of leaders who focus on supervision and organizational goals achieved through a system of rewards and punishments; maintenance of the organizational status quo.

What is transformational leadership?

• Transformational leadership is a leadership model that relies on a team’s encouragement to realize overall success. By raising a team’s morale and self-confidence, the team can then align itself to an overall vision or common purpose.
• This purpose, however, must be established early on for it to be effective. Transformational leadership, when properly applied, can take a struggling or stagnant team, and completely transform it into a productive and dynamic group of individuals.
• This starts by identifying the struggles and strengths of each individual member. Next, it is up to the leader to define a new common goal and guide the members of the team towards this new vision.
• Practically, transformational leadership is used to inspire team members to work together as a single unit, rather than many individual parts. For a stat so dynamic, it is no wonder that many researchers and experts had a hand in its development.

In their seminal work, Transformational Leadership , authors Bass and Riggio explained:

Transformational leaders…are those who stimulate and inspire followers to both achieve extraordinary outcomes and, in the process, develop their own leadership capacity. Transformational leaders help followers grow and develop into leaders by responding to individual followers’ needs by empowering them and by aligning the objectives and goals of the individual followers, the leader, the group, and the larger organization.

Origin and Development

Transformational leadership was started by James V. Downton in 1973. He was the first to coin the term. This was later added to by James Burns in 1978.

Burns was a leadership expert and biographer and proposed that it was only through the strength of the vision and personality that team members could be encouraged to follow.

After agreeing to follow, members then are inspired to change their expectations, perceptions, and are invited to a higher level of morality and motivation.

A few years later, Bernard Bass (1990) added even more to the concept. This is known as “Bass’s Transformational Leadership Theory”. Bass added ways to measure and rank the success of transformational leadership as well as the idea of leaders expressing authentic and focused energy to inspire the other team members to become more like them.

Bass felt that measuring the impact inspires more authentic community. He also explained the psychological mechanisms that are the basis of the theory. According to Bass, the followers of a leader must feel not only trust and admiration, but also loyalty and respect.

These emotions create an environment where the followers are willing to work harder than they originally thought they were capable. This is because transformational leaders offer followers something beyond self-gain—an inspirational mission and self-identity.

Even though it dates to the 70’s, Bass’s model looks much more like transformational leadership today. The basis of the transformational leadership style never changes, only the environment in which it must be applied. Therefore, it can apply in every industry, especially team-focused work environments.

Components of Transformational Leadership Style

Bass also suggested that there were four primary elements to transformational leadership style (also known as the “four I”s”): idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration.

Each of these four components is valuable to the leadership style and helps to transform its followers into better, more productive people. When these factors are combined, they help transformational leaders radically change the course of their following.

1. Idealized Influence / Charismatic

Idealized influence describes leaders who have charisma, are curious, and deliver messages with simplicity and tact. These leaders are exemplary role models and are readily trusted and respected by all members of the team.

Charisma is one of the essential pieces of this characteristic. Charisma is essential because it is how leaders can rally their followers around a shared vision. Charisma is most often expressed by their ability to listen actively to each team member and focus on the present moment.

Charismatic leaders give praise to individual members of the team with each success, and they are the first to take responsibility when things go wrong. They also provide constructive feedback to each individual team member. Intended influence is also represented through their curiosity.

Curiosity, not intelligence, is the driving force behind the success of these leaders. It is their job to find innovative solutions to problems and create new and dynamic paths for a team to follow.

Displays of charisma make others want to be more like that person, and as a role model, members will strive to mimic this leader.

2. Inspirational Motivation

Inspirational motivation describes leaders that are motivating and willing to commit to a vision. They encourage team members to also commit to this vision by raising team spirit, fostering community and a sense of purpose.

To do this, there must be simplicity in communication. This means their communication style must be best suited to the needs of the team. Leaders speak clearly and concisely to easily articulate their vision to the members.

This provides structure and order so that members can execute tasks without confusion. Leaders articulate a clear plan for the future and communicate expectations in the beginning before the work starts. Leaders must also express their messages with a sense of authority, in order for members to respect their thoughts and trust in their vision.

Along with this, leaders must be upbeat and positive, bringing energy to a room with their enthusiasm. As a visionary, transformational leaders use these skills to look toward future goals and have the foresight to see the small obstacles that may hinder this vision.

They recognize the smallest things that can turn into larger issues. Leaders have intuition towards the things that help to push their team and goals forward. These actions begin to instill trust in their followers and confidence in their leader.

3. Intellectual Stimulation

Intellectual stimulation describes leaders who encourage their members to think outside the box and be innovative. Stimulating followers promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills in order to improve the group or organization as a whole.

This challenges the normal beliefs of a group and encourages the team to perform better than they ever thought originally possible. Encouraging innovation involves each team member in the decision-making process and fosters a sense of importance and a stake in the organization’s over-all success.

The important thing about this is a leader must not criticize the thoughts or opinions of the members. Premature shutting down of ideas can create a climate of distrust and hurt.

Leaders must, therefore gently change the way followers problem-solve and brainstorm new and innovative ways to achieve their teams” goals. In short, leaders must recognize that there are many ways to achieve a goal, and no ordinary path to innovation.

Being a transformational leader requires risk-taking, creativity, curiosity, and openness to new ideas from each individual member.

4. Individual Consideration

Individual consideration is the degree to which a leader attends to each follower’s personal needs. Transformational leadership encourages members by focusing on the way each person effects the overall goal.

This means recognizing and valuing the motivations, desires, and needs of individual members. Upon recognizing the motivation behind the drive of the individual, leaders then provide opportunities for customized training.

This allows team members to grow and learn in an environment they feel comfortable in. Engaging individuals requires emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence includes showing genuine compassion, empathizing with the needs of individuals, and encouraging the on-going personal growth of individuals. When a leader takes into account the emotions of their followers, they then learn how to best engage with them.

Emotionally intelligent leaders connect with members, and build a bond based in trust. Leaders act as mentors, or a coach and are willing and open to listening to their followers’ concerns.

Examples of transformational leaders

Transformational leaders are all around us. Because of their marked positive impact on productivity and success, they are at the top of each of their individual industries.

Below are 5 examples of transformational leaders, their stories, and ways that you can begin to apply this leadership style to your own team.

Oprah Winfrey: Media Mogul

Oprah Winfrey was the host and producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show from 1986 to 2011. It is one of the highest rated talk shows in American history, so it is no surprise that Winfrey quickly became one of the richest women in the 20th century.

Winfrey was the continent’s first black multi-billionaire and was among Time Magazine’s most influential people for 6 years straight. Winfrey’s amazing communication skills, beginnings in poverty, and charismatic persona have enabled her to connect with people from every background and inspired people everywhere to dream big.

Amazon boss Jeff Bezos

In 1994, Jeff Bezos took the first step to creating the world’s first online bookstore. Bezos spearheaded the first initiative to create an online eBook reader, where digital eBooks could be stored in an eLibrary for later consumption.

This was introduced as the Kindle. Kindle sales, in addition to multiproduct sales, have contributed to Amazon’s current market value of 1.14 trillion as of April 2020.

Nike Corporation

Nike is one of the most famous footwear companies of the 20th century. With their slogan, “Just Do It,” it is one of the most obvious examples of transformational leadership and motivation.

Nike connected with customers through this focused marketing and created exclusive membership opportunities. By motivating its entire customer base to be the best, most healthy versions of themselves, Nike increased its product development cycle, quickly responding to changes in trends and customer feedback.

This resulted in Nike’s stock price increased from less than $50 to nearly 100 dollars in two years.

Netflix’s Reed Hastings

Reed Hastings founded Netflix in 1997, with a handful of team members. The subscription-based video streaming service offers popular movies and TV shows as well as original content.

When it first launched, despite its large competitor, Blockbuster, Hastings had a grand vision of Netflix replacing this company. He came up with the novel idea of user-friendly streaming that became the starting point of this dream’s actualization. Today, Netflix has nearly 200 million subscribers world-wide and is the largest online streaming service.

Apple’s Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is one of the best examples of transformational leadership in the 21st century. From wearing pairs of the same clothing each day for increased productivity, to designing the break-through idea of the iCloud, Steve Jobs was the brain behind the success of Apple.

With Steve Jobs’ legacy guiding the company, the company shifted from product-based identification to more services and brand loyalty services. Apple is a 2 trillion-dollar company today, and in the next few years, this is only expected to expand.

What are the effects of transformational leadership?

Transformational leaders are those who inspire their members to achieve beyond their presumed potential. In the same way, these transformed members then go on to become leaders in their own right.

Transformational leaders’ personalized response empowers individuals and helps them to develop their potential. The effects of transformational leadership have a lasting and positive impact.

Research evidence from Psychology Today reported that teams led by transformational leaders have higher levels of performance and report overall high satisfaction than teams led by other styles.

Members develop positive psychological states and find greater meaning in their work. In addition, they also learn to think positively about themselves and the tasks that they are meant to complete.

This results in decreased burnout, social loafing, and increased individual motivation.

Leadership expert Ronald Riggio suggests that this is because of transformational leaders’ unflinching belief that each and every member brings unique talents and skills to a team, and that the voice of each member is important.

He also suggests that the leaders’ strong belief in the vision of the team has a significant impact on the overwhelmingly positive results of the leadership style. By creating a common goal, or vision, leaders enhance the quality of their relationships and create environments that are fair, respectful, and supportive.

It is important to recognize that while this leadership style is extremely effective, there are some team members who will not respond as favorably to transformational leadership. Leaders must adjust their efforts as needed in order to meet their goals.

Implications for managers

While it is important to look at the success and growth of companies and entrepreneurs, it is important to recognize that most of these companies and people did not start out successful.

It is important to recognize that these people and companies were mentored and guided by a transformational leader. The stories here show that this leadership style can help to transform you, your team, and your mission.

What can you do to become a more transformational leader? One of the critical ways to start is by having belief. You must believe in the vision and path you have created, so that you can inspire others to believe in your vision as well. Being charismatic, motivating, and focusing on each individual team member can help you accomplish this through transformative leadership.

Yukl (1994) draws some tips for transformational leadership:

• Develop a challenging and attractive vision, together with the employees.
• Tie the vision to a strategy for its achievement.
• Develop the vision, specify and translate it to actions.
• Express confidence, decisiveness and optimism about the vision and its implementation.
• Realize the vision through small planned steps and small successes in the path for its full implementation.

Bass, B. M. (1985) Leadership and Performance beyond Expectations. Free Press, New York.

Bass, B. M. (1990) From transactional to transformational leadership: Learning to share the vision. Organizational Dynamics 18, 19-31.

Bass, B. M. and Avolio, B. J. (1989). Manual for the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto.

Bass, B. M. and Avolio, B. J. (1994) Improving Organizational Effectiveness through Transformational Leadership. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Bass, B. M., Avolio, B. J., & Atwater, L. (1996). The transformational and transactional leadership of men and women. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 45 , 5–34

Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership.

Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. NY: Harper & Row.

Downton, J. V. (1973). Rebel leadership: Commitment and charisma in a revolutionary process. New York: Free Press.

Yukl, G.(1999). An evaluation of conceptual weaknesses in transformational and charismatic leadership theories. Leadership Quarterly, 10, 285-305; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(99)00013-2

Further Information

• Leithwood, K., & Jantzi, D. (2005). Transformational leadership. The essentials of school leadership, 31-43.
• Bass, B. M. (1999). Two decades of research and development in transformational leadership. European journal of work and organizational psychology, 8(1), 9-32.
• Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1993). Transformational leadership and organizational culture. Public administration quarterly, 112-121.
• Bass, B. M., & Steidlmeier, P. (1999). Ethics, character, and authentic transformational leadership behavior. The leadership quarterly, 10(2), 181-217.

Transformational leadership is a leadership style where leaders inspire, motivate, and stimulate their followers intellectually to work towards a shared and valued goal. These leaders encourage innovation, creativity, and personal development among their team members, fostering an environment of trust, respect, and admiration. They aim to transform their followers’ individual and collective consciousness to achieve organizational success.

Which leadership style can resemble transformational leadership because these leaders inspire enthusiasm in their teams and are energetic in motivating others to move forward?

Charismatic leadership style can closely resemble transformational leadership as charismatic leaders inspire enthusiasm and motivate others towards their goals. They use their personal charm and appeal to inspire, energize, and encourage their teams to move forward.

What is Transformational Leadership? (Examples + How-To)

You're on a quest to become a better leader, and you've stumbled upon a term that keeps popping up: transformational leadership. You're in the right place to find out what it means, why it matters, and how it could change your life and the lives of those you lead.

Transformational Leadership is a leadership style where the leader inspires and motivates team members to exceed expectations, fosters an environment of trust and respect, and ultimately drives positive organizational change.

Don't just skim the surface; let's get into the nitty-gritty of transformational leadership. We'll uncover its roots, its impact, organizational effectiveness, and even its criticisms.

What is Transformational Leadership?

Transformational Leadership is a term that gets tossed around a lot, especially when people talk about great leaders who've made a real difference. But what does it actually mean?

Imagine you're in a boat and everyone's rowing. But there's a catch: You're not getting anywhere because everyone's rowing in different directions. A great transformational leader steps in and not only aligns everyone to row in the same direction but also makes them want to row harder and faster.

In simpler terms, a good transformational leaders' leader isn't just a boss; they're more like a mentor or coach.

Transformational Leadership is when you, the leader, motivate and inspire your team to exceed usual expectations and performance levels. You achieve this through various ways: communicating a compelling vision, fostering creativity, and building strong, respectful relationships with team members.

Importantly, transformational organizational leadership is not about directing or controlling. It's about nurturing growth—in both individuals and organizations.

The History of Transformational Leadership

You now know what transformational leadership is, but where did it come from? The concept of transformational leadership isn't as new as you might think; it has roots that date back to the late 20th century.

The term was first introduced in a presidential address by sociologist James V. Downton in 1973. But the concept really gained traction when James MacGregor Burns penned his seminal book "Leadership" in 1978.

Burns drew a line between transactional leaders , those who operate on an exchange basis like "do this for me, and I'll give you that," and transformational leaders , who ignite the internal motivations of their team members to exceed expectations.

Burns argued that effective transformational leaders create a more ethical and empowering environment.

The 1980s brought more meat to the bones of transformational leadership theory. Researchers like Bernard M. Bass expanded upon Burns' ideas.

Bass introduced the concept of Charismatic Leadership , which is a component of transformational leadership. He said that transformational leaders often have strong sense of charisma, but charisma alone isn't enough. You also need to empower your team, listen to them, and encourage their personal growth.

By now, you're starting to see how this leadership style has evolved over time. Knowing its history gives you a richer understanding of why it's so impactful today.

And as you'll find out, transformational leadership is not just a theory but a practice that has been embraced across diverse settings—from businesses to politics and education.

The Four 'I's of Transformational Leadership

You're probably thinking, "Okay, transformational leadership sounds great, but what makes it tick?" Experts usually break it down into four key components, often referred to as the Four 'I's.

First up is Idealized Influence . This is all about being a role model. You set high standards for ethical behavior and show dedication. When your team sees you walking the walk, they're more likely to trust you and follow your lead.

Second is Inspirational Motivation . Imagine you're a coach giving a halftime speech. You're uplifting your team, filling them with energy and enthusiasm for the tasks ahead. You set exciting visions for the future and show how everyone plays a vital part in reaching that vision.

The third 'I' stands for Intellectual Stimulation . Here, you're not just giving orders; you're encouraging your team to think creatively and solve problems. Imagine a teacher who doesn't just want the correct answer but challenges students to explain how they got there.

Last but not least, is Individualized Consideration . This means you're tuned into each team member's needs and potential for growth. It's like a gardener knowing exactly how much water, sunlight, and nutrients each type of plant in the garden needs. You provide coaching, give feedback, and open doors for individual consideration and opportunities that will help them grow.

Together, these four components make the transformational leadership style what it is—a holistic approach to guiding a team to reach and exceed their potential.

Transformational Leadership vs Other Leadership Styles

By now, you're getting a pretty good grip on what transformational leadership entails. But how does it stack up against other leadership styles? After all, it's not the only game in town.

You might have heard of Authoritarian Leadership , where the leader calls all the shots and expects the team to follow without question. It's like a strict parent dictating every move their child makes.

Transformational leadership, in contrast, gives room for creative thinking and individual growth. Instead of telling you what to do, a transformational leader guides you in discovering the best course of action for yourself.

Then there's Laissez-Faire Leadership , a style of organizational structure where the leader takes a hands-off approach. Picture a laid-back supervisor who lets the team figure things out on their own.

While this approach can foster independence, it often lacks the motivational spark that transformational leadership provides.

Don't forget about Transactional Leadership , which we touched on earlier. This management style is more about give-and-take. It's like a business deal: "You complete this task, you get a reward."

While transactional leadership can be effective, it doesn't aim to transform or inspire on a deeper level.

Transformational leadership has its own unique flavor. It combines the best of different worlds: it's motivating but not controlling, structured but not rigid, and inspirational without being unrealistic.

Examples of Transformational Leaders

1) Nelson Mandela

First, let's talk about Nelson Mandela. He led South Africa out of apartheid and into a new era of racial equality and democracy.

Mandela didn't just give orders; he inspired a nation. His leadership wasn't about transactions; it was about transformative change.

He exemplifies Idealized Influence , one of the Four 'I's we talked about earlier, by being a moral compass for his followers.

2) Oprah Winfrey

Next up is Oprah Winfrey. She broke multiple barriers in her career, and her impact extends beyond television to education and philanthropy.

Oprah is a fantastic example of Inspirational Motivation . She has the unique ability to connect with people, inspiring them to take action and make positive changes in their lives.

3) Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, transformed the way we interact with technology. He pushed for innovative designs and user-friendly interfaces, changing our relationship with computers, smartphones, and tablets.

Jobs exemplifies Intellectual Stimulation by encouraging his team to think differently and challenge the status quo.

4) Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai stood up for girls' education in Pakistan, despite facing life-threatening dangers. Her courage and advocacy have inspired a global movement.

Malala represents Inspirational Motivation and Idealized Influence by standing up for what she believes in and motivating others to do the same.

5) Richard Branson

The founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson, is known for his adventurous spirit and willingness to take risks. He has created a culture that fosters innovation and creativity across various industries, from music to air travel.

Branson illustrates Intellectual Stimulation by continually encouraging new ideas and approaches.

6) Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany for over a decade, was a stabilizing force in European politics. She managed multiple crises, from the financial downturn to the refugee situation, with a balanced and humane approach.

Merkel shows Individualized Consideration by focusing on long-term solutions that consider the well-being of all parties involved.

7) Tony Dungy

Tony Dungy, former NFL coach, transformed the Indianapolis Colts into a Super Bowl-winning team. More importantly, he did it while emphasizing the importance of character and moral integrity.

Dungy is a prime example of Idealized Influence because he led by example, setting a standard for both sportsmanship and leadership.

The Psychology Behind Transformational Leadership

You might be wondering, "What's the secret sauce that makes transformational leadership so effective?" Well, it's not just about actions; it's also about the psychological impact on the team.

Firstly, this leadership style taps into Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs . Remember Maslow? He's the guy who said we have a pyramid of needs , from basic survival up to self-actualization. Transformational leaders aim for the top. They're not just offering you a paycheck (survival); they're helping you fulfill your potential ( self-actualization ).

Second, there's the concept of Emotional Intelligence , or EQ. Transformational leaders usually score high in EQ. They're tuned into their own emotions and can read the room, sensing the team's mood and adjusting their approach accordingly.

Lastly, let's talk about Intrinsic Motivation . This means you're doing something because you genuinely want to, not because you're getting a reward or avoiding a penalty. Transformational leaders excel at firing up this kind of motivation. They inspire you to give your best not for external rewards and punishments, but because you're committed to the vision and the team.

So, the psychology of transformational leadership is a mix of meeting higher-level needs, emotional intelligence, and intrinsic motivation. It's a compelling blend that not only gets results but also fosters a positive, engaged, and loyal team.

How to Cultivate Transformational Leadership Skills

By now, you've got a solid understanding of what transformational leadership is and why it works so well. You've even seen it in action through real-world examples and psychological frameworks. But here's the kicker: you can develop these skills, too. Let's break it down step by step.

First on the list is Self-Awareness . Before you can lead others, you need to know yourself . Take some time to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses. There are tools like the SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) that can help. Knowing where you stand enables you to be a more effective leader.

Second, work on Communication Skills . Effective communication is more than just talking; it's about listening, too. If you can clearly articulate your vision and also pay attention to what others are saying, you're on the right track.

Last but not least, cultivate Empathy . This means putting yourself in someone else's shoes and understanding their perspective. Empathy allows you to connect on a deeper level, making it easier to inspire and motivate your team. It turns out, being a good leader is also about being a good human.

So there you have it—three achievable steps to hone your transformational leadership skills. And guess what? As you develop these skills, you'll not only become a better leader but also a better teammate, friend, and overall person.

Applications of Transformational Leadership

You've read about how transformational leadership works and how to cultivate the skills it requires. But where does this leadership style really shine? Let's unpack its applications in various fields, showing you that it's not a one-size-fits-all kind of deal.

In the Business World , transformational leadership helps companies adapt and innovate. Whether it's a tech startup or a century-old manufacturing firm, this leadership style can invigorate a company's culture. Leaders inspire employees to be proactive, solve problems creatively, and feel a stronger commitment to their roles.

Workplace Scenario: Improving Productivity in a Sales Team

• Identify the Issue : The sales team is not meeting its targets.
• Open Dialogue : The manager arranges a meeting to understand the challenges faced by the team. This is a form of Individualized Consideration .
• Clear Vision : The manager outlines a new sales strategy, which focuses on relationship-building with clients rather than just meeting quotas. This falls under Inspirational Motivation .
• Skill Development : The manager organizes training sessions to improve customer communication skills, tapping into Intellectual Stimulation .
• Celebrate Wins : Small victories, like landing a big client or successfully implementing a new sales tactic, are celebrated, reinforcing Idealized Influence .

Now, imagine a Healthcare Setting . Medical professionals often face high stress and life-or-death situations. A transformational leader in this space focuses on team well-being, encourages continued education, and fosters an environment where everyone feels valued. This can lead to improved patient care and job satisfaction.

Hospital Scenario: Reducing Stress and Improving Patient Care

• Identify the Issue : The nursing staff is stressed due to high patient load, leading to decreased patient satisfaction.
• Foster Team Cohesion : The head nurse organizes team-building activities aimed at reducing stress and improving collaboration. This is an application of Idealized Influence .
• Streamline Processes : The head nurse introduces a new roster system that distributes workload more evenly, embodying Inspirational Motivation .
• Education and Upskilling : Workshops are arranged to train nurses in stress management techniques and advanced patient care methods, encouraging Intellectual Stimulation .
• Personal Attention : The head nurse holds regular one-on-one meetings with each nurse to discuss challenges and offer solutions, showcasing Individualized Consideration .

Let's not forget Education . Teachers and administrators can significantly benefit from applying transformational leadership principles. By inspiring both educators and students to strive for higher standards and increased performance, learning environments become more enriching and productive.

Classroom Scenario: Boosting Student Engagement in History Class

• Identify the Issue : Students find history boring and are disengaged during class.
• Vision and Inspiration : The teacher decides to tie historical events to current social issues, making it more relatable and exciting. This is an example of Inspirational Motivation .
• Involve the Students : The teacher includes students in the lesson planning, asking them to pick current events that interest them. This exemplifies Individualized Consideration .
• Empower and Educate : The teacher breaks the class into small groups and asks them to research and present their chosen topic, fostering critical thinking and teamwork.
• Feedback Loop : After the presentations, the teacher praises individual and group efforts and gives constructive feedback, reinforcing Idealized Influence and Intellectual Stimulation .

And it doesn't stop there; transformational leadership can be applied in Non-Profits , Community Organizations , and even in Home Settings . It's that versatile. You see, this transformational leadership characteristics and style is more than just a management tactic; it's a strategy for enhancing collective effort and well-being, regardless of the context.

So there you have it—a broad look at where transformational leadership can be effectively applied. No matter the field, the core principles hold true: inspire, engage, and bring out the best in everyone.

Criticisms of Transformational Leadership

Alright, we've talked a lot about the good stuff, but nothing is perfect, right? Transformational leadership also has its fair share of challenges and criticisms. It's crucial to be aware of these to get a well-rounded understanding.

First off, there's the Hero Syndrome . Sometimes, transformational leaders are put on such a high pedestal that they become viewed as irreplaceable . This can lead to problems like lack of accountability or an over-reliance on a single individual for the group's success. It's vital to remember that even great leaders have limitations.

Then there's the issue of Manipulation . Because transformational leaders are so good at inspiring people, they could potentially use their influence for personal gain rather than the collective good. This could lead to ethical dilemmas, where the line between motivation and manipulation gets blurry.

Finally, let's talk about Sustainability . Can a leader keep up the high levels of enthusiasm and vision indefinitely? Burnout is a real concern. Additionally, once a leader has successfully transformed an organization or team, what comes next? Continuous transformation isn't always feasible or desirable.

So yes, while transformational leadership has numerous benefits, it also comes with its set of challenges. But don't fret; understanding these potential pitfalls prepares you to navigate them effectively.

The Future of Transformational Leadership

So, where is transformational leadership headed? In a world that's changing faster than ever, this style of leadership seems more relevant than ever. Let's explore some future trends and how they might shape or be shaped by transformational leadership.

First, we've got the Digital Age . Technology is revolutionizing how we work and communicate. Transformational leaders will need to adapt by fostering digital literacy and creating an environment where innovation thrives. Embracing tech tools can facilitate better communication, real-time feedback, and more efficient ways to inspire a remote workforce.

Second, there's an increasing focus on Diversity and Inclusion . Future transformational leaders will need to be well-versed in managing diverse teams . It's no longer just about being a great leader; it's about understanding different cultural perspectives and working towards inclusive growth. These leaders can act as bridges, uniting varied talents to achieve common goals.

Lastly, we have the Gig Economy . More people are opting for freelance or part-time roles . Traditional leadership models may struggle in such a setup, but transformational leaders could excel. They're skilled at quickly building rapport and aligning even short-term team members with a larger vision.

The world is evolving, and so are the challenges and opportunities that leaders face. The transformational leadership style, with its adaptability and focus on genuine connection, seems well-suited to navigate these changes. Whether you're an aspiring leader or already in a leadership role, understanding this future landscape empowers you to stay ahead of the curve.

From the very origins of transformational leadership, tracing back to James MacGregor Burns, all the way to its practical applications and future relevance, you've journeyed through a comprehensive understanding of this leadership style. You've even seen it in action across different settings like classrooms, workplaces, and hospitals.

While transformational leadership isn't the only game in town, its focus on genuine relationships, inspiration, and growth makes it incredibly relevant for today's challenges. It's a style that adapts well to change, making it a strong fit for our ever-evolving world.

Now, you're not just familiar with transformational leadership; you have the tools to implement it. Whether you’re an aspiring leader or already steering the ship, the principles you've learned can help you become more effective, empathetic, and yes, more transformational leader.

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• 45+ Transformational Leaders (Examples + Quiz)
• Skinner’s Box Experiment (Behaviorism Study)
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How Transformational Leadership Can Inspire Others

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

• Key Components
• Transformational Traits
• Transformational vs. Transactional
• Potential Pitfalls

Are You a Transformational Leader?

Transformational leadership is a  leadership style that can inspire positive changes in those who follow. Transformational leaders are generally energetic, enthusiastic, and passionate. Not only are these leaders concerned and involved in the process, but they are also focused on helping every member of the group succeed.

Transformational leaders take control of situations by conveying a clear vision of the group's goals. These leaders have a marked passion for the work and an ability to make the rest of the group feel recharged and energized.

Transformational leaders focus on helping members of the group support one another and provide them with the support, guidance, and inspiration they need to work hard, perform well, and stay loyal to the group. The primary goals of transformational leadership are to inspire growth, promote loyalty, and instill confidence in group members.

This article discusses the characteristics of transformational leadership and its effects on groups.

History of Transformational Leadership

The concept of transformational leadership was initially introduced by leadership expert and presidential biographer James MacGregor Burns. According to Burns, transformational leadership can be seen when "leaders and followers make each other advance to a higher level of moral and motivation."

Through the strength of their vision and personality, transformational leaders are able to inspire followers to change expectations, perceptions, and motivations to work towards common goals.

Later, researcher Bernard M. Bass expanded upon Burns's original ideas to develop what is today referred to as Bass’s Transformational Leadership Theory. According to Bass, transformational leadership can be defined based on the impact that it has on followers. Transformational leaders, Bass suggested, garner trust, respect, and admiration from their followers.

Components of Transformational Leadership

Bass also suggested that there were four different components of transformational leadership. The four main elements of transformational leadership are:

• Intellectual stimulation: Transformational leaders not only challenge the status quo; they also encourage creativity among followers. The leader encourages followers to explore new ways of doing things and new opportunities to learn.
• Individualized consideration: Transformational leadership also involves supporting and encouraging individual followers. To foster supportive relationships, transformational leaders keep lines of communication open so that followers feel free to share ideas and so that leaders can offer immediate recognition of the unique contributions of each follower.
• Inspirational motivation: Transformational leaders have a clear vision that they can articulate to followers. These leaders can also help followers experience the same passion and motivation to fulfill these goals.
• Idealized influence: The transformational leader serves as a role model for followers. Because followers trust and respect the leader, they emulate this individual and internalize their ideals.

Groups led by this type of leader tend to be both successful and loyal. They give a lot to the team and care deeply about the group's ability to accomplish its goals. Turnover tends to be relatively low as transformational leaders can inspire a great deal of commitment in their followers.

Transformational Leadership Traits

So what are some typical signs of a transformational leader? Common characteristics of transformational leaders include:

• Able to encourage others to communicate and participate
• Active listening skills
• Adaptability
• Authenticity and genuineness
• Emotionally intelligent
• Inspirational
• Open-mindedness
• Proactive problem-solvers
• Self-awareness
• Willingness to take responsibility
• Willingness to take well-informed risks

While each leader is different, transformational leadership is characterized by a number of key traits. Five of the main qualities of a transformational leader are authenticity, self-awareness, humility, collaboration, and interdependence.

Examples of Transformational Leadership

Recognizable figures who are often cited as examples of transformational leadership include:

• Barack Obama : The former U.S. President was known for his transformational approach to running his administration, as well as his unifying, motivating, and hopeful communication style.
• Nelson Mandela : The former President of South Africa was famous for serving as a source of authentic inspiration.
• Oprah Winfrey : The media mogul is famous for her charismatic, visionary, and inspirational leadership style.
• Steve Jobs : Jobs was famous for his visionary leadership that transformed Apple into a leader in the technology industry.

Effects of Transformational Leadership

In their classic text, Transformational Leadership , authors Bass and Riggio explained that these leaders inspire people to achieve extraordinary results. Group members are not just encouraged to participate; they are also inspired to become leaders themselves.

Transformational leaders can accomplish this by being responsive and empowering. The individual's goals become better aligned with the purposes of the entire group so that each group member's success furthers the organization's goals.

Researchers have found that this style of leadership can have a positive effect on the group. Some of these effects include:

• Better performance : Those led by transformational individuals have better performance and are more satisfied than those in groups with different types of leaders.
• Better well-being : Employees who identified a higher level of transformational leadership in their employers also reported higher levels of well-being. The effect stayed significant even after researchers controlled for factors linked to well-being, such as job strain, education, and age.
• Sense of empowerment : This is attributed to the fact that transformational leaders believe that their followers can do their best, leading group members to feel inspired and empowered.

How to Become a More Transformational Leader

Becoming a more transformational leader may provide many benefits. Researchers believe that such results can help companies develop leadership training programs that can be used to teach transformational leadership skills.

Acquiring communication skills such as resolving workplace conflicts and recognizing employees' needs are important parts of transformational leadership. Such programs can serve as essential parts of health promotion efforts in the workplace to help improve employee well-being.

What can you do to become a more transformational leader? Leadership experts suggest that a robust and positive future vision plays a critical role. Not only is it essential to believe in this vision yourself, but you've also got to inspire others to buy into your vision as well.

You can also develop your transformational skills by being:

• Trustworthy

Transformational Leadership vs. Transactional Leadership

Transformational leadership is often contrasted with transactional leadership , which is a style that is essentially the opposite of transformational. In the transactional approach, leaders motivate their subordinates through the use of rewards and punishment.

While the transformational approach focuses on communication, inspiration, and positive reinforcement, transactional leaders supervise, monitor performance, and create routines to maximize efficiency. While the transactional approach can be effective in some situations, it does not foster loyalty, innovation, or creativity.

Motivates using rewards and punishments

Focused on compliance

Tends to focus on short-term goals

Uses extrinsic rewards (pay, promotions, etc.)

Motivates using enthusiasm and charismatic inspiration

Focused on commitment

More focused on long-term success

Uses intrinsic rewards (esteem, pride, etc.)

Potential Pitfalls of Transformational Leadership

While transformational leadership is often viewed as one of the best approaches to leadership, that doesn't mean that it is necessarily right for every situation. For example, when group members need more guidance and direction, it can be more effective to utilize a more transactional approach.

The transactional style can help improve group cohesion and commitment, but it can also contribute to burnout when group members feel constantly pressured to give up all of their time and effort to support the goals of the group.

In situations where a lot of creativity and innovation are important to success, a transformational style is often a beneficial approach. But if the focus is on achieving a prescribed set of short-term goals, taking a more transactional approach might lead to less chaos and better results.

Try our fast and free quiz to find out if you tend towards transformational leadership or one of the other styles.

The transformational style of leadership can be highly effective when used appropriately, but it might not necessarily be the best choice for every situation. In some cases, groups may require a more managerial or autocratic style that involves closer control and greater direction, particularly in situations where group member are unskilled and need a lot of oversight.

One way to improve your own leadership skills is to assess your own current leadership style and think about ways in which your strengths can benefit the group you are leading. By evaluating your own skills, you will be better able to play to your strengths and work on improving your areas of weakness.

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Psychology Today. Are you a transformational leader ?

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By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Transformative Leadership Theory : Critical, Comprehensive, and Activist

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• Carolyn M. Shields 2  

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Although the field of educational leadership has been dominated for over a century by technical and rational perspectives, debates about this positioning are almost as long-standing. By the end of the twentieth century, calls for more critical theories focused on students who had not traditionally been successful in educational institutions as currently constituted became more frequent. The result is a somewhat crowded field of competing and often overlapping theories. Compounding what has become a confusing and inefficient field is the lack of definition of terms, shifting signifiers, competing theories, and frequent atheoretical guidance offered to practitioners.

The purpose of this chapter is threefold: to provide an etymology of transformative leadership theory (TLT); to distinguish it clearly from transformational leadership; and to present it as a critical, comprehensive, and activist theory that foregrounds diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. The chapter outlines the two underlying assumptions or hypotheses of TLT (absolute regard and deep democracy) and eight interconnected guiding tenets.

The chapter concludes with consideration of the advantages and limitations of TLT and a brief consideration of why more critical theories seem to have had little sustained impact on the field.

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Shields, C.M. (2021). Transformative Leadership Theory : Critical, Comprehensive, and Activist . In: The Palgrave Handbook of Educational Leadership and Management Discourse. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39666-4_75-1

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• Transforming Organizations with Transformational Leadership
• The Ultimate Guide to Top Leadership Theories

Transformational leadership is often viewed as one of the most successful approaches to leadership. The concept of transformational leadership was first devised in 1973 by James Downton and was further developed by James Burns and Bernard M. Bass in the subsequent years.

In the contemporary world, transformations at the organizational level have become the need of the hour. Ultimately, those who have the ability to drive outstanding transformations will redefine the very notion of success. Why we are emphasizing this is because transformational leadership is closely linked to the ideation of transformations within organizations.

To elaborate, the Transformational Theory of Leadership endorses a leadership wherein leaders go beyond their self-interests to bring major transformations to the floor for their organization to unlock new horizons of success. To make transformations possible, transformational leaders undertake effective change management and motivate their subordinates to participate in the change with great effectiveness. Transformational leaders have unique visions based on which they envisage organizational changes and do whatever it takes to make the transition successful. This style of leadership has its own unique place among various leadership theories relevant in contemporary times.

To delve deeper into this leadership style, let us shed light on some of the core fundamentals of transformational leadership.

Table of Contents

Key features of transformational leadership theory.

• Relevance of transformational leadership theory in modern workplace

A real-world example of a transformational leader

Transformational leaders are change-makers, have great risk-taking abilities, question the status quo of things, and effectively envisage the need for change and the impact on the other side of the transformation. They embrace the challenges of experimenting with difference change management models to determine the best strategies for transformations.

Transformational leaders as per the theory guide their subordinates through the change by clearly defining the need for the change, the vision, and values associated with the change, and the benefits of the change. They clearly define the mission and objectives that are linked to the change. They also empower their employees to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to facilitate the change and sustain it. Also, they encourage their subordinates to take initiative and decide for themselves.

The transformational leadership style is aimed at encouraging high innovation and creativity among the employees so that employees develop as change leaders in the future. Transformational leaders are innovators and they aim to cultivate similar attitudes among their team members. In fact, transformational leaders are more than happy to look beyond the traditional ways of doing things to boost efficiency with outside-the-box strategies

The Transformational Theory of Leadership also proposes that leaders need to lead from the front when it comes to talking and implementing changes within the organization. The theory focuses on the need for leaders to have an idealized influence on their followers by practicing what they preach to set fine standards.

The theory further states leaders should act as mentors and coaches for their employees and should appreciate even the smallest acts of creative intellect coming from the employees. Besides, leaders extend great support to employees who have similar characteristics and are inclined to the idea of transformations.

Relevance of the theory in the contemporary corporate world

In any organization, the need for transformational leadership may exist at different levels. To explain, transformations may be needed within the organizational structure, teams, operational processes, marketing strategies, product portfolio, and so on. Otherwise too, if we look at the external business environment in contemporary times, the enormous competition is pushing businesses to evolve constantly and incorporate positive changes.

This is where transformational leaders will prove to be the greatest assets for businesses. Transformational leaders have the ability to facilitate changes and keep all employees motivated and aligned to the process of change. With their great vision, transformational leaders can contribute with incredible business planning strategies linked to product development, business diversification , exploring new markets, and so on. With respect to business expansion, higher profitability, and diversification of revenue streams, transformational leadership has the potential to offer unparalleled competitive advantages.

Also, whenever employees will show resentment toward change or will begin to lose productivity amid new processes, transformational leaders are best suited to manage them. As per the transformational theory, leaders will help employees accept the change as well as participate in the change. When employees face productivity issues, leaders will contribute to their learning and adaptation by providing learning and training opportunities. They can lend perspective to their employees with their knack for innovation and creativity and reward innovation to keep the morale high.

Subsequently, they can have everyone on the same page when it comes to institutionalizing the change within the organization.

Also, by identifying the characteristics of transformational leadership, organizations can identify prospective leaders who have the capability to drive positive changes in the organization. In a fast-changing business environment, organizations can recognize exceptional and reliable leaders to be the face of change in the organization.

Reed Hastings leadership style analysis

Binge-watching is in vogue today and most millennials and Gen Z folks will tell you that ‘Netflix and Chill’ is one of their favorite interests to pursue. But was Netflix always a streaming platform or has it transformed its way to becoming the global hub of entertainment and binge-watching?

In case you don’t know, Netflix began its journey in 1997 as a small business that would rent DVDs to people via mail. It was founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in California and little did they know that Netflix will amass such exemplary success. However, as a truly transformational leader Reed Hastings always continued to believe that Netflix can be a big thing one day and today, owing to his transformational leadership, Netflix is the most beloved video streaming service in the world with a market capitalization of USD 174.8 billion.

Reed Hastings has never been shy of taking risks, proposing major changes in the company, and effectively leading these changes while keeping his teams motivated. What started as a DVD renting service in 1997 transformed in 2007 to become a streaming service after it became a profitable company in 2006. The first trial was started in Canada and in 2010, Netflix introduced its streaming services in the US as it embraced more positive changes under the transformational leadership of Reed Hastings. Through all these massive transitions, Reed Hastings ensured that he explained the need for change to his teams, defined the vision and value behind the change, and helped his employees to adapt to the change.

Further, in 2012, Netflix changed its strategy and started creating original content. In the subsequent year, the company transformed and innovated again to introduce Netflix subscriptions that would add to the revenues in a mammoth way. By the end of 2021, owing to the transformational leadership of Reed Hastings who is still the CEO of Netflix, the company had built a strong presence in more than 190 countries having amassed 209 million global subscribers.

In fact, the saga of transformations at Netflix still continues and the company is now looking forward to launching cloud gaming services. For that, Netflix has acquired Next Games, a Finland-based gaming company to pursue its ambitions of becoming the next gaming giant. The story of Netflix is quite intriguing and full of milestones that were set for some massive transformations. This is why Reed Hastings is one of the most exceptional examples of transformational leadership. With his strong vision, a knack for innovation, great mentorship, and progressive approach as a leader, he has led Netflix to become one of the most highly valued companies in the world. He was never reluctant to take risks, offer creative liberty to his employees and change the status quo to aim higher.

Are there any potential challenges with the Transformational Theory of Leadership?

While the Transformational Theory of Leadership is generally effective, some leaders might rely too heavily on charisma and vision, neglecting the importance of day-to-day management. Additionally, if followers' expectations are not met, their motivation may wane over time.

Can Transformational Leadership be combined with other leadership styles?

Yes, leaders often combine Transformational Leadership with other leadership styles to address various situations effectively. The combination of transformational and transactional leadership, known as the "transformational-transactional leadership continuum," allows leaders to balance inspiring followers with managing performance.

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The Impact of Transformational Leadership in the Nursing Work Environment and Patients’ Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Line miray kazin ystaas.

1 Department of Health Sciences, School of Life and Health Sciences, University of Nicosia, Nicosia 1700, Cyprus

Monica Nikitara

Savoula ghobrial, evangelos latzourakis, giannis polychronis, costas s. constantinou.

2 Department of Basic and Clinical Sciences, Medical School, University of Nicosia, Nicosia 1700, Cyprus

Associated Data

The articles’ data supporting this systematic review are from previously reported studies and datasets, which have been cited. The processed data are available in Table 2 and in the reference list. Further information can be requested from the corresponding author.

Background: With the increasingly demanding healthcare environment, patient safety issues are only becoming more complex. This urges nursing leaders to adapt and master effective leadership; particularly, transformational leadership (TFL) is shown to scientifically be the most successfully recognized leadership style in healthcare, focusing on relationship building while putting followers in power and emphasizing values and vision. Aim: To examine how transformational leadership affects nurses’ job environment and nursing care provided to the patients and patients’ outcomes. Design: A systematic literature review was conducted. From 71 reviewed, 23 studies were included (studies included questionnaire surveys and one interview, extracting barriers and facilitators, and analyzing using qualitative synthesis). Result: TFL indirectly and directly positively affects nurses’ work environment through mediators, including structural empowerment, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction. Nurses perceived that managers’ TFL behavior did not attain excellence in any of the included organizations, highlighting the necessity for additional leadership training to enhance the patient safety culture related to the non-reporting of errors and to mitigate the blame culture within the nursing environment. Conclusion: Bringing more focus to leadership education in nursing can make future nursing leaders more effective, which will cultivate efficient teamwork, a quality nursing work environment, and, ultimately, safe and efficient patient outcomes. This study was not registered.

1. Introduction

Patient harm caused by errors in healthcare is the leading origin of morbidity and mortality internationally [ 1 ]. Researchers are linking adverse patient safety outcomes to a lack of effective leadership, while relational leadership styles, like transformational leadership, continue to be associated with reduced adverse patient outcomes [ 2 , 3 ]. Nursing is dynamic and requires inspiring and engaging leaders and role models. However, the development of nurse leaders is challenging for the nursing profession.

Currently, nurses face a burnout epidemic rooted mainly in the work environment influenced by excessive workloads and a lack of organizational support and leadership [ 4 ]. Maben et al. (2022) reported that nurses globally face a heightened vulnerability to mental health issues and suicide, surpassing other occupational groups, while the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the existing challenges in their work environment, further intensifying the already demanding conditions [ 5 ]. The engagement in emotional labor within the nursing profession exposes practitioners to a notable susceptibility to experiencing burnout, moral distress, and compassion fatigue. Prior to the onset of the pandemic, the international cadre of nurses was already confronting considerable hurdles, encompassing prolonged duty durations, rotation schedules, inadequate staffing, and periodically arduous situations [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Throughout the pandemic, nurses encountered a range of stress-inducing factors, including managing heightened public expectations and pressure, adapting to new work responsibilities, facing elevated mortality rates, dealing with the infectious nature of COVID-19, experiencing psychosocial stress, confronting the scarcity of personal protective equipment, handling demanding job requirements, and contending with inadequate psychological support [ 8 ]. At the same time, scholars have found poor working conditions for nurses and inadequate staffing to predict adverse patient outcomes based on the low-quality nursing job atmosphere and the absence of appropriate leadership styles [ 9 , 10 ].

Safety issues in care, such as adverse events, medication errors, falls, and surgery mistakes, have plagued healthcare systems internationally for decades. Several investigations have acknowledged healthcare environments as high-risk with a lack of safety culture, causing long-delayed discharge, disability, or even death [ 2 , 11 ]. Inherently, the nursing profession and current healthcare climate are chaotic, and a positive safety culture has been proven to come from a creditable and visible leader who supports patient safety behaviors [ 12 ]. It is important to recognize that nurses have the highest patient interaction, making nurse leaders central catalysts to positively influencing patient safety culture to reach safer patient outcomes [ 13 , 14 ].

The quality of the nursing work environment is an indicator of nurse satisfaction. A leader who involves staff fosters teamwork, rewards good performance, and encourages motivation can impact the quality of work life [ 15 , 16 ]. The leadership style describes how the leader interacts with others and can be categorized into two main styles: task-oriented and relational [ 17 ]. Historically, leadership theories started with the Great Man Theory during the Industrial Revolution with strong hierarchical leader-centric decision making, focusing on command-and-control, productivity, and seeing the organization as linear, operating like a machine [ 18 ]. This leadership style model in healthcare is no longer sustainable, as proven by a lack of change and persisting patient safety issues. Researchers have found that healthcare innovation requires nonlinear and emergent social processes that result in improved organizational outcomes [ 19 ]. In recent years, the two relational styles, transformational and transactional leadership, have been explored through nursing literature and have become high profile in general healthcare research.

Transformational leadership is composed of four key components. Firstly, “idealized influence” involves the leader behaving as a robust role model toward followers, demonstrating a work ethic and strong values while preaching the organization’s vision, thereby winning the staff’s trust and confidence [ 20 ]. The second type of behavior is referred to as “inspirational motivation”. It includes creating a compelling and inspiring vision for the future and communicating it to followers through emotionally charged speeches, vivid imagery, and captivating symbols. This encourages followers to strive to reach this shared vision, thus creating a deeper level of commitment and higher performance [ 17 ]. The third type of behavior is called “intellectual stimulation”. Intellectual stimulation encourages followers to think outside the box and consider different approaches to everyday issues, enabling them to devise innovative solutions to these problems [ 21 ]. The final category of behaviors is “individualized consideration”, including coaching, helping followers achieve goals, and providing a supportive climate. By carefully listening, leaders can help fulfill those needs [ 22 ]. For instance, some followers might require explicit guidance regarding how to get a job done, while others require the provision of needed resources so they can figure out the solution on their own. Nonetheless, TFL’s four behaviors construct a transformational leader if performed consistently and are found to bring respect and admiration by followers [ 23 ].

1.1. Rational

Healthcare systems are globally facing a crisis, with nurse shortage being a perennial issue. Nurses have the highest patient interaction, making nurse leaders central catalysts in positively influencing patient safety culture to reach safer patient outcomes [ 13 ]. At the same time, negative nursing work environments cultivate dissatisfied nurses who are likely to suffer from emotional exhaustion or burnout because of ineffective leadership [ 14 ]. Amidst these challenges, there is growing recognition of the potential impact of transformational leadership in healthcare settings.

Transformational leadership is characterized by its focus on relationship-building, empowering followers, and emphasizing shared values and vision. This leadership style has been found to positively affect various industries and sectors, including healthcare. However, there remains a gap in knowledge regarding its specific effectiveness in healthcare settings. A comprehensive analysis of the potential benefits of transformational leadership in the healthcare context is warranted. This systematic review aims to address this gap by investigating the effectiveness of transformational leadership and its potential to create better working environments, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes. We have identified a crucial area of inquiry that has not been thoroughly examined in the existing literature—a systematic review that delves into the relationship between transformational leadership and its effects on both the working environment and patient outcomes. We have identified a single literature review from the preceding decade (2002–2012) that focused on the efficacy of transformational leadership in relation to both work environments and patient outcomes [ 24 ]. Considering this, our current investigation is oriented towards delving into scholarly works spanning the subsequent decade (2012–2022), with the intention of comprehensively examining the evolving discourse on this subject matter. By exploring and synthesizing the current body of knowledge on this topic, our study will contribute valuable insights to the field, allowing healthcare organizations to better understand the impact of transformational leadership and make informed decisions regarding their leadership practices.

The significance of this research lies in its potential to shed light on a promising approach to address the pressing challenges faced by healthcare systems—nurse shortage and dissatisfaction—through effective leadership strategies. By providing evidence-based insights, this review seeks to guide healthcare leaders in adopting transformational leadership practices to create a positive work environment for nurses, reducing emotional exhaustion and burnout, and ultimately enhancing patient care and safety.

In conclusion, the dearth of research on the relationship between transformational leadership, work environment, and patient outcomes in healthcare settings highlights the necessity of this review. By examining the effectiveness of transformational leadership and its potential impact on nurses’ well-being and patient outcomes, our study aims to fill this critical gap in knowledge and contribute to the advancement of healthcare leadership practices.

1.2. Objective and Research Question

Having delineated the rationale and imperative for conducting this systematic review, our primary aim was to search, retrieve, and critically evaluate all pertinent studies centered around the concept of transformational leadership, with a particular focus on its efficacy in fostering an improved working environment for nurses and influencing patient outcomes comprehensively and systematically.

Our aim was to synthesize and analyze studies, and therefore, we used the PICo framework for studies to determine a research question. PICo is the simplest of the frameworks to use for qualitative questions; it stands for Population, Interest, and Context and can be used to find a range of primary literature. The Population in our study is nurses; the Interest is transformational leadership, working environments, and patient outcomes; and the Context is hospitals. Based on the PICo framework, we formulated our research question as follows: “What is the impact of transformational leadership on staff nurse work environments and patient outcomes?”

2. Methodology

To effectively accomplish our aim and investigate our research question, we utilized a systematic review approach following the guidelines outlined in the PRISMA 2020 statement [ 25 ]. The PRISMA 2020 checklist is available in Appendix A . In the subsequent subsections, we provide a comprehensive overview of our methodology.

2.1. Eligibility Criteria

Each of the chosen studies incorporated in this systematic review had to fulfill specific inclusion criteria, as outlined in Table 1 provided below.

Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria.

2.2. Information Sources and Search Strategy

We used the following databases to choose the articles: MEDLINE, CINAHL, and SCIENCE DIRECT. The search approach employed the Boolean operator OR between the keywords nurse, working environments, patients’ outcomes, and transformational leadership and comparable MeSH phrases. To refine the search, phrases with diverse meanings were joined using the Boolean operator AND. The search approach used on the EBSCO platform for the aforementioned databases is described in Table 2 We limited the search to journal articles in English with the full text available. However, numerous studies were rejected as they referred to other leadership styles than transformational leadership in addition to other healthcare settings than a nursing work environment.

Search approach.

* The asterisk in Ebsco platform wildcard in search finds words with a common root.

2.3. Selection of Studies Process

Two researchers (the first two authors) conducted independent searches, retrievals, and selections of studies, initially based on three primary criteria: (a) the presence of primary research, (b) the inclusion of transformational leadership as a topic, and (c) relevance to nursing care. Subsequently, additional criteria, such as peer-reviewed articles published in journals or conference proceedings, as well as the publication date, were employed for further refinement. Upon completing the initial selection process, the two researchers engaged in discussions and compiled a list of prospective articles. This list was shared with four other researchers, who collectively determined the final articles to be included in the review, making any necessary additions or removals as deemed appropriate.

2.4. Data Collection Process

The data from the selected studies were independently collected by two researchers. They extracted the components, items, statements, or competencies that had achieved consensus among experts during the final round of each study. Specifically, the following data from each study were extracted: title of the study, authors’ names, publication year, study design, tools, sample characteristics, and summary of main findings and results. Subsequently, the researchers thoroughly reviewed the extracted data multiple times and proceeded to code and identify overarching themes.

2.5. Synthesis Methods

The data were synthesized by content analysis, and the findings were categorized into themes. After carefully examining the results and findings section of a chosen article, an initial set of codes was created. These codes underwent further improvement as more articles were analyzed. Each line of text was assigned a code, and a code tree was utilized to identify emerging themes. From the interpreted meanings, sub-themes were derived and combined. These sub-themes underwent further analysis and were eventually condensed into a single overarching theme. Content analysis can aid in the identification and summarization of submerging key elements within a large body of data during the review process [ 26 ]. The themes of the effectiveness of TFL in the nursing environment were organized according to the content analysis suggested by Zhang and Wildemuth (2009) [ 27 ].

To ensure the validity of the results, a two-level quality assurance process was implemented. The authors of this paper independently followed the review procedure, including coding, categorization, revisiting the studies, and refining the codes and categories. Subsequently, they convened, engaged in discussions, refined the analysis, and finalized the results.

This review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement ( Figure 1 ) [ 25 ], which provides a set of guidelines for conducting reviews and meta-analyses in a comprehensive and systematic manner.

PRISMA flowchart with the search strategy of the systematic review.

3.1. Studies Selection

The initial search process resulted in 71 articles related to transformational leadership. There were no duplications ( Figure 1 ), and therefore, 71 articles were included for advance screening. Fourteen (14) articles did not relate to nurses’ work environment and were omitted. Two researchers thoroughly reviewed the remaining 57 articles independently. From this process, 34 articles were excluded as they did not satisfy the criteria for inclusion. The final number of articles that met the criteria for inclusion was twenty-three (23).

3.2. Studies Characteristics

These 23 articles were conducted in various countries and assessed the effect of transformational leadership in a nursing clinical work environment. Most of the studies included a multifactor leadership questionnaire to evaluate nurses’ perceived effectiveness of transformational leadership (1–10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 22, 23). Further information about the articles, such as author, year, tool, methodology, sample, and main results, is described in Table 3 below.

Articles Description.

3.3. Study Assessment

The quality of the articles included in this review was checked by the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument Critical Appraisal Checklist. The Joanna Briggs checklist evaluates the methodological quality of a study while determining the possibility of an indication of bias in its conduct, design, and analysis. As can be seen from Table 3 , there were 21 cross-sectional studies (1–11, 13–19, 21–23), 1 descriptive–correlational study (12), and 1 qualitative study (20).

All the included studies largely adhered to the Joanna Briggs criteria, providing comprehensive and detailed descriptions of their respective methodologies and procedures Table 4 , Table 5 and Table 6 . However, it was observed that two of the cross-sectional studies did not explicitly outline any specific strategies to address the stated confounding factors. Nevertheless, as Dekkers et al. (2019) argue, confounding is not dichotomous but rather a continuum where varying degrees of confounding influence can exist [ 28 ]. Furthermore, in accordance with the Joanna Briggs guidelines, the qualitative study failed to disclose the researcher’s cultural or theoretical standpoint, as well as the potential influence of the researcher on the research process. It is worth noting that such omissions are common in qualitative studies, where the focus is on understanding the subjectivity of the participants and allowing their perspectives to emerge naturally.

JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies.

Risk of Bias Assessed by the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Study Results.

JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Studies Reporting Prevalence Data Results.

3.4. Results of Synthesis

Two major themes emerged, effectively addressing the research questions. Within each theme, several categories were identified, shedding light on the multifaceted nature of the topic under investigation. The themes and their corresponding categories were as follows.

Theme 1: Staff nurses’ work environment:

• Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment;
• Reduce Nurse Retention;
• Nurses’ Empowerment and Autonomy;
• Nurses’ Compliance with Safety Measures.

Theme 2: Patients’ outcomes:

• Patient Safety Culture;
• Reporting Adverse Events.

3.4.1. Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment

Various studies that investigated the mechanism of TFL detected its strong influence on employee attitudes and behaviors in nursing. Nurses’ work attitudes are reflected in their levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment [ 29 , 30 ]. It was clear from the literature that TFL frequently positively influenced nurses’ work environment by indirectly increasing job satisfaction [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. Employees’ positive perception of jobs and organization is revealed through job satisfaction [ 30 ]. Researchers link TFL and empowerment to the establishment of self-determination and competency, which is proven to impact job satisfaction, suggesting the direct relationship between nurse empowerment and nurse job satisfaction, enhancing the quality of the nurses’ work environment [ 9 , 32 ].

There is also evidence to construct a strong link between organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Interestingly, the statistics showed that nursing staff committed to their organization with a strong sense of loyalty and dependence also had higher levels of job satisfaction [ 29 , 33 ]. Further, higher levels of organizational commitment and job satisfaction were also associated with increased health status in the nurses [ 33 ]. More specifically, TFL was related to more excellent supervisor support, increasing job satisfaction among the nurses, and resulting in more significant organizational commitment [ 29 ]. In a study examining the effectiveness of TFL in the environment of elderly care, TFL was found to effectively strengthen the nursing staff’s sense of belonging to the organization, reducing their burnout. The clan culture established through TFL effectively influenced organizational commitment and job satisfaction, where the atmosphere of a home culture created within their work environment promoted the intrinsic values of nursing staff while improving cohesion between the nurses and the quality of care [ 33 ]. However, TFL was found to have a direct positive effect on organizational commitment [ 33 , 35 ].

3.4.2. Reducing Intention to Leave the Job/Organization

Studies also found that TFL can reduce the nurses’ intent to leave the job, which is closely related to the previous category, as job dissatisfaction can be the primary precursor of nurses’ intent to leave [ 29 ]. The literature generally highlights that the TFL style shapes employees’ perceptions and feelings around their nursing managers and affects their desire and obligation to maintain the intent to stay in their organization [ 36 ]. A recent cross-sectional study examining 645 nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic found that a supportive workplace culture can construct an adaptive mechanism through which transformational leaders can improve retention [ 37 ]. Additionally, the literature found TFL to decrease emotional exhaustion amongst nurses by encouraging a spiritual climate, indicating that a positive spiritual climate facilitated through TFL can reduce burnout and decrease nursing staff’s intent to leave [ 31 ]. However, there was insufficient evidence proving a direct correlation between TFL and staff nurses’ decision to stay or leave their job [ 33 , 35 ], but it was suggested that TFL has the potential (but not the primary factor) to slow down attrition and retain nurses by improving job satisfaction and organizational commitment, creating a positive work environment and increasing nurses’ probability of staying [ 35 ]. TFL seems to not act directly on job satisfaction or intent to stay but rather create a multifaceted positive work environment leading to a quality nursing environment. Consequently, it was reported that TFL indirectly influenced willingness to stay by positively influencing staff organizational commitment and job satisfaction [ 29 , 33 , 35 ].

3.4.3. Nurses’ Empowerment and Autonomy

Literature highlights that the TFL style within nursing can give staff nurses increased autonomy through empowerment strategies and meaningful participation in decision-making [ 30 , 31 , 36 ]. In turn, TFL-facilitated empowerment has been proven to increase employee commitment within their units by delegating power to nurses, leading to increased authority within their work environment [ 30 , 36 ]. Empowerment through decision-making involvement via removing formal organizational barriers has been found to reduce powerlessness in the nurse work environment, reducing job burnout and increasing job satisfaction [ 30 ]. RN-MD collaboration and teamwork within and across units were thought to be necessary for the nurse’s autonomy [ 38 ]. Further, the literature relates to the concept that a well-functioning patient safety climate requires nurses with autonomy to deal with problems regarding patient safety while proposing specific solutions and getting support and encouragement from organizations to facilitate patient safety-based innovations [ 39 ].

TFL and transactional leadership behaviors were found to affect empowerment amongst the nursing staff positively. However, TFL behaviors allowed nursing managers to reach even higher levels of success without congruence and reward, embedding empowerment into the clinical environment [ 40 ]. Some studies also identified the empowerment subscale, autonomy, as the statistically significant predictor of commitment, indicating that managers can engage nurses in appropriate decision making about patient care and safety in their work environment [ 30 , 36 ]. Management that does not accept decision-making participation dissembles empowerment, which frustrates and makes staff dependent on an authoritarian structure [ 36 ].

3.4.4. Nurses’ Compliance with Safety Measures

Lievens and Vlerick (2014) found a strong association between TFL and nurse safety compliance [ 41 ]. The more transformational the leader was perceived, the more the nursing staff participated and complied with patient safety practices. Further, staff nurses’ structural empowerment also experienced a significant correlation with the degree to which they perceived nursing managers’ (NMs) TFL behaviors [ 36 , 40 ]. Research also suggested that when nurses perceived their TFL to facilitate an innovative work climate, they automatically contributed to developing innovation behaviors [ 39 ]. Previously mentioned research suggested that nurses need to feel a part of their work environment. However, countries where staff are hesitant to challenge authority create a reluctance to change, and compliance can breed a lack of stimulation [ 31 ]. It was reported that nurse managers should be trained to challenge nurses to resolve problems and specialize their competence to foster innovation and grow talents and creativity [ 36 ].

Lievens and Vlerick (2014), in their cross-sectional study which included 145 nurses, also found intellectual stimulation to strongly impact knowledge-related characteristics, suggesting an indirect link between safety performance and TFL through skills and ability demands, where the more knowledge-related job characteristics were perceived, the more nurses complied with safety rules [ 41 ]. Skill utilization or intellectual stimulation was further found to be the strongest single predictor of work engagement, compared to TFL, where nurses appreciated opportunities for personal development, learning new things, and achieving something meaningful, encouraging work engagement [ 2 , 42 ].

Patients’ outcomes:

The literature shows a positive relationship between TFL and the improvement of patient safety climate and culture, emphasizing that nursing managers are key to developing a safety climate and maintaining a culture of patient safety, preventing adverse events.

3.4.5. Increase Patient Safety Culture

There was a significant prevalence of findings reporting TFL to facilitate patient safety either directly [ 2 , 9 , 38 , 42 ] or indirectly [ 32 , 39 , 41 ]. Seljemo et al. (2020), in their cross-sectional study, questioned 156 nurses; Ree and Wiig (2019), also in a cross-sectional design study, questioned 139 nurses and found TFL to be the strongest predictor of patient safety culture and overall perception of patient safety compared to job demands and resources [ 2 , 42 ]. This was suggested to result from TFL having a positive direct effect on the psychosocial work environment. Further evidence also links TFL directly to quality patient outcomes, reducing the possibility of adverse patient outcomes and increasing the quality of care [ 9 ].

Patient safety culture includes themes such as teamwork within units, managers’ support, organizational learning, overall perceptions of safety, feedback and communication openness about the error, frequency of events reported, staffing, handoffs and transitions, and non-punitive response to errors. “Teamwork within units” generally had a common positive perception amongst the nurses, indicating collaboration within their units as effective within TFL [ 38 , 43 , 44 ]. Anselmann and Mulder (2020) asked 183 geriatric nurses in their cross-sectional study, and they support the above, finding that TFL has a positive impact on team performance when a safe climate is fostered [ 45 ]. Even though nurses found cohesion within their units, literature revealed a common theme of insufficient “teamwork between units”, indicating that each unit had an independent culture [ 38 , 43 , 44 ]. Further, a generally weak perception of the effectiveness of RN-MD collaboration was also observed [ 38 , 43 ].

Researchers stressed the necessity of having efficient teamwork between units and on a multi-professional level to create an effective patient safety culture [ 9 ]. Another reoccurring subdimension, “feedback and rewarding”, was also identified as a weak component of TFL in relation to patient safety culture, illustrating a lack of adaptation and implementation of TLF behavior [ 9 , 43 , 46 ]. The TFL nursing manager generally seemed to conduct insufficient work around feedback and rewards, resulting in staff nurses not being encouraged and ensuring that medical errors were prevented and learned from [ 43 , 46 ].

3.4.6. Reporting Adverse Events

Adverse events can result in patient disability or death, prolong the time necessary to provide care, and increase healthcare costs and patient dissatisfaction [ 47 ]. However, a part of the literature showed that when TFL and transactional leadership were compared, reporting errors without blame and discussing errors openly were the two initiatives that transactional leadership implemented better than TFL [ 40 , 48 ]. A significant finding in the literature was the reoccurring theme of weak patient safety culture in relation to “non-punctual reporting of adverse events” in hospitals with TFL, where staff nurses rarely reported occurring medical errors to their NMs [ 34 , 44 , 46 , 48 , 49 ]. In a Finnish study, one in four nurses showed to not have reported one or more medication errors using their units’ adverse event registration system [ 46 ]. Tekingündüz et al. (2021), in a cross-sectional study with 150 participating nurses, also found a significant weakness in their organization’s patient safety culture, where 52.7% of the nurses did not report any adverse events in the last 12 months, 31.3% reported 1–2 adverse events while 10% reported 3–5 adverse events [ 49 ]. Further, in a qualitative study, the eleven nurse manager participants expressed the importance of nursing staff reporting the occurrence of adverse events to detect why each event happened and identify patient safety risks and solutions [ 50 ]. There was evidence to suggest that nurses reported that the occurrence of errors only sometimes led to a positive change, whereas at other times, it did not lead to any change, and errors were repeated [ 38 ]. The literature explained blame culture and fear in the nurse’s work environment as a factor distancing them from punctuative reporting of medical errors [ 46 , 49 , 50 ]. It was suggested by researchers that nursing staff were not encouraged to report and discuss adverse events openly and blame-free [ 48 , 49 , 50 ]. This involves handling adverse reports by nursing managers without making nursing staff feel guilty.

Managers reported that a culture where it is recognized that everyone makes mistakes is imperial, while it was observed that nurses tended to report other colleagues’ mistakes compared to their own [ 50 ]. Further, nursing managers noticed that nursing staff may blame themselves for a patient safety incident where they feel ashamed and worry about their colleague’s perception of them [ 49 ]. These perceptions were confirmed by nursing staff in another study, expressing their tendency to avoid reporting due to fear of punishment, humiliation, damage to reputation, disciplinary action by a licensing board, malpractice lawsuits, and limited follow-up after reporting loss of job [ 48 ]. Tekingündüz et al. (2021) also found the defect in reporting medical errors to be rooted in nurse’s fear of punishment and lack of confidentiality [ 49 ]. Generally, fear was perceived as a major reason for not reporting adverse events, and nursing managers saw this as a barrier to the effectiveness of their leadership and the attempt to develop their operational models to improve patient safety [ 46 , 49 , 50 ]. However, visionary leadership styles such as TFL correlate positively with both incident reporting and patient safety outcomes. Additionally, TFL is linked to improved patient safety, including reduced mortality rates, fewer medication errors, lower incidences of pneumonia and urinary tract infections, and fewer patient falls, attributed to the leaders’ approach of using errors as chances to enhance processes and promoting the reporting of near misses and adverse events [ 17 , 51 ].

Interestingly, a part of the literature showed that when TFL and transactional leadership were compared, reporting errors without blame and discussing errors openly were the two initiatives that transactional leadership implemented better than TFL [ 40 , 48 ]. These findings confirm the weakness around reporting adverse events and blame culture within TFL units.

4. Discussion

This review has collectively reviewed literature that has examined the effectiveness of transformational leadership (TFL) in a nursing work environment and patients’ outcomes. TFL has a complex, interconnected effect on nurses’ intrinsic environment and patient outcomes.

Nurses’ Work Environment:

The literature revealed substantial evidence that TFL can significantly enhance nurses’ psychosocial work environment by indirectly increasing job satisfaction. Three significant mediators between TFL and job satisfaction were nurse empowerment, organizational commitment, and spiritual climate, which altogether were thought to prevent retention in nursing [ 29 , 30 , 31 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 37 ]. Simultaneously, TFL was not the primary factor in job satisfaction but instead a facilitator and constructor of structural empowerment, organizational commitment, and spiritual climate. It is, therefore, evident that the literature revealed a positive domino effect that transformational leaders in nursing can generate. Generally, the literature revealed a strongly positive relationship between TFL and workplace culture in nursing [ 33 , 37 ]. Specific TFL attributes created an inclusive and supportive work environment, either directly or indirectly enhancing the nurses’ work environment and decreasing the risk of nurse burnout [ 37 , 52 ]. Nurses continuously reported managers’ support as a particularly important resource in their work environment, where establishing a high-quality relationship with their leaders was seen as imperial for patient safety culture [ 38 , 42 ].

The correlation observed between supportive leadership and favorable patient safety outcomes underscores the significance of Transformational Leaders (TFLs) possessing a comprehensive grasp of patient safety protocols, as well as recognizing the pivotal role played by bedside nurses in advancing improved safety outcomes. [ 17 ]. More specifically, managers’ support was also found to reinforce innovative behavior [ 39 ], increase job satisfaction [ 35 , 37 ], and even be the primary factor in a positive work environment, compared to TFL [ 29 ]. Conversely, the literature also described managers’ support as a core transformational behavior, where the more transformational the leader was perceived, the more the staff nurses experienced individual support in their clinical environment [ 29 , 42 , 46 ]. As concluded by the literature, TFL is not the primary factor but rather a mediator to job satisfaction, which was determined as an essential nursing outcome, shadowing quality work environment and may be an effective retention strategy in nursing. Previous studies confirm that safety outcomes are improved when workplace empowerment takes place in a positive nurse–leader relationship based on trust and respect, where they, together, work toward a patient safety culture [ 53 ].

Therefore, incorporating transformational leadership in nursing has numerous implications, with a direct and positive impact on job satisfaction. By nurturing a sense of purpose, providing support and empowerment, and promoting individual growth, transformational leaders create a fulfilling work environment that motivates nurses to excel. As nurses experience greater job satisfaction, patient care quality also improves, resulting in cooperative success for healthcare organizations, nursing staff, and the patients they serve.

Patients’ Outcomes:

The connection between supportive leadership and positive patient safety outcomes points to the importance of the TFL’s understanding of patient safety processes and the role of bedside nurses in promoting better safety outcomes [ 38 ]. However, several researchers reported not having a visible leader [ 43 ], which is documented as essential for patient safety changes to occur [ 53 ].

Researchers are linking negative patient safety outcomes to a lack of effective leadership, while relational leadership styles like transformational leadership continue to be associated with reduced adverse patient outcomes [ 17 ]. However, TFL nursing managers were repeatedly reported by the staff nurses only to communicate errors and problems after the adverse event, waiting for the event before resolving problems and taking proactive action [ 36 , 50 ]. Literature highlights that organizations that have successfully created a non-blame culture have better patient safety outcomes because the staff are encouraged to report errors, unsafe practices, and adverse events, perceiving safety around seeking help and assistance without threat [ 54 ]. Therefore, avoiding a blame culture and developing a reporting system serves as a proactive approach to identifying and mitigating risks, ultimately preventing errors and recurring mistakes, which, when left unaddressed, can result in significant social and economic burdens due to fatalities and preventable incidents [ 51 ] Additionally, developing a safety culture through managers’ interdisciplinary walkabout safety rounds has been associated with safety outcomes [ 17 ].

Transformational leadership in nursing has far-reaching implications for patient outcomes and care quality. By fostering a collaborative and patient-centered approach, empowering nursing staff, encouraging continuous learning, and promoting a culture of excellence, transformational leaders enhance the overall care experience for patients. Ultimately, the positive impact of transformational leadership on patient outcomes establishes it as a key factor in ensuring the delivery of high-quality healthcare services in nursing settings.

This literature review enriches nursing practice and research in a time where nursing leaders are sought to have an important and prominent role in healthcare policy development and improvement. Increased demand and complexity of patient care require effective and competent leadership skills and an understanding of TFL’s function in the current healthcare environment. Even though literature has constructed the idea of the nexus between patient safety and leadership, patient safety outcomes are unlikely to improve without facilitating and fostering the professional growth of future leaders. Additionally, factors influencing organizational job satisfaction and organizational commitment are significantly under the influence of TF nurse leaders. Therefore, healthcare organizations and the educational sector should invest in leadership training and curriculum to implement it further into nursing to support and ensure safe, quality work environments for both nurses and patients.

5. Limitations of the Study

This literature review predominantly incorporated quantitative research methodologies, which, in certain instances, can present challenges in contextualizing a phenomenon comprehensively, as the data may not always possess the robustness required to elucidate intricate issues. Additionally, it should be noted that the review’s scope was confined to studies published exclusively in the English language, with no inclusion of relevant content from the grey literature beyond the stipulated publication sources, and unpublished dissertations were also omitted from consideration. Consequently, it is essential to acknowledge that this review may not provide a fully representative overview of all pertinent scholarship within the field.

6. Conclusions

Despite the global recognition and attempted implementation of TFL in healthcare, the statistics still show that TFL is yet to be mastered within nursing. The strong relationship between TFL, structural empowerment, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment signify that an improved quality work environment may be the most essential element to enhance job effectiveness and patient safety in nursing. TFL is a vital facilitator that could help healthcare to improve job satisfaction and reduce adverse events. Evidence suggests that nursing managers who possess effective TFL attributes are likely to influence their nursing staff’s satisfaction and mitigate the risk of burnout by establishing a supportive and inclusive work environment directly or indirectly. Focusing on the adoption of a blame-free culture through effective leadership is likely to break down barriers to safety culture, which has resulted in poor patient care worldwide. Patient safety outcomes rely on a well-established patient safety culture, which is most influenced by the bedside nurse, either directly or indirectly. With effective leadership engagement and education, emerging nursing leaders can be supported while the nursing team can be empowered to make the necessary changes to reach levels of excellence within their units. It is important to comprehend that leaders are not just in executive and senior positions but include any part of the healthcare team that is influential to patient care. Effective TFL engagement has the potential to enhance patient safety, where it is conveyed that all healthcare workers, from executive to bedside nurses, participate in a positive safety culture.

PRISMA 2020 Checklist.

From: Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, Boutron I, Hoffmann TC, Mulrow CD, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ 2021;372:n71. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n71. For more information, visit: http://www.prisma-statement.org/ , access on 26 March 2023.

Funding Statement

This research received no external funding.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, search, coding, and drafting, L.M.K.Y. and M.N.; search and quality assurance, coding, and feedback, S.G., E.L., G.P. and C.S.C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Data availability statement, public involvement statement.

No public involvement in any aspect of this research.

Guidelines and Standards Statement

This manuscript was drafted against the PRISMA 2020 Statement. A complete checklist is found in Appendix A of the manuscript.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Transformational Leadership Theory: Pros and Cons Essay

Transformational leadership is a type of management and control that seeks to bring change to individuals, organizations, or societies. According to Rodríguez Aboytes and Barth (2020), at its best, transformational leadership not only leads to a positive change for the organization but also seeks to leaders growing other individuals who will replace them. This form of leadership seeks to bring change to an organization by having to leader act as a role model who motivates and inspires the rest of the workforce. For the leader to achieve his mandate, they must eliminate challenges that make the organization stagnant and resistant to change. The three main principles that guide transformational leadership are Motivation, individual consideration, and intellectual incentives.

Transformational leadership is one of the core theories of psychological leadership, and being over three decades old has been widely studied, and various strengths and weaknesses about it established. Studies have established that one of the major strengths of transformative leadership is that it creates an enthusiastic culture in an organization (Carleton et al., 2018). This brings positive energy to a company key to achieving its strategic objectives. Transformational leaders are also known to be filled with innovation and creativity and seek to transfer this trait to junior managers. These traits have resulted in transformational leadership being ranked as the best leadership strategy, followed by trait and servant leadership theories.

Transformational leadership has a range of limitations, including the leaders holding a tough stand and often disagreeing with other leaders. The leadership has also been accused of bringing a lot of pressure on its followers (Carleton et al., 2018). Transformative leadership is different from servant leadership because while the former focuses on the top influence of a leader to drive change, servant leadership focuses on ethics, empathy, and collaboration between the leader and others.

Carleton, E. L., Barling, J., & Trivisonno, M. (2018). Leaders’ trait mindfulness and transformational leadership: The mediating roles of leaders’ positive affect and leadership self-efficacy . Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science / Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement , 50 (3), 185–194. Web.

Rodríguez Aboytes, J. G., & Barth, M. (2020). Transformative learning in the field of sustainability: a systematic literature review (1999-2019) . International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education , 21 (5), 993–1013. Web.

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IvyPanda . 2023. "Transformational Leadership Theory: Pros and Cons." December 20, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/transformational-leadership-theory-pros-and-cons/.

1. IvyPanda . "Transformational Leadership Theory: Pros and Cons." December 20, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/transformational-leadership-theory-pros-and-cons/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Transformational Leadership Theory: Pros and Cons." December 20, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/transformational-leadership-theory-pros-and-cons/.

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Transformational Leadership and Related Theories, Essay Example

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Introduction

Transformational leadership and related theories are in the focus of the current review. Developed by theorists in the 1980-s, the main assumption of transformational leadership is that leaders’ behavior have an impact on the organization’s performance. The author of the current essay would like to review how the theory developed, and how it can be used to improve the performance of health care organizations.

Theoretical Review

Before analyzing the theory of transformational leadership, it is important to clarify the definition of leadership itself. Chemers (1997) defines leadership as “a process of social influence by which an individual enlists the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a task or mission”.

The distinction between transactional and transformational leadership was developed by Bass (1991). According to the author, the main difference is that transactional leaders follow existing rules and norms to respond to emerging problems, while transformational leaders change the organization’s culture and refocus the vision, mission, while creating shared norms that increase follower engagement. Therefore, transformational leadership is an approach that initiates and facilitates change within the organization. Leaders who engage in transformational leadership are the facilitators of change.

The theory developed even further in 2008, when the elements of transformational leadership were defined (Bass & Bass, 2008). The four elements of this leadership approach are individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, and idealized influence (4I-s). Based on the list, the main focus of transformational leadership has shifted towards the interaction between the leader and the rest of the organization. All the above elements are able to facilitate change in various ways. Individual consideration, for example, is based on the leader considering followers’ needs and aligning the organization’s mission and vision with them. Intellectual stimulation is a way of challenging assumptions, and accommodating followers’ ideas. This approach respects diversity, while involving all members of the organization in developing strategies, missions, and visions. Inspirational motivation is based on clearly articulating the vision and creating a connection between organizational goals and desired outcomes. By giving tasks a meaning and purpose, the leader can increase follower commitment. Likewise, idealized influence is based on communicating high ethical behavior patterns, such as trust and respect. By showing an example of expected behavior, the leader can positively influence the organization’s culture.

Yukl (1999) focused on the individual behavior patterns of transformational leadership, and created a research to identify the most prevalent factor loadings. Based on the research, transformational leaders treat all members of the organization as an individual, emphasize mutual trust, has a high level of commitment to ethical principles, engages in guidance and coaching of members, encourages collaboration to gain insight to problems from various perspectives, and questions the traditional assumptions.

Application

Hall et al. (2012) states that the four I-s of transformational leadership result in performance beyond expectations. Therefore, improving an organization’s transformational leadership factors would result in organizational culture change that would have  a positive impact on the entire firm. The process of transformation is something that is currently researched by authors in order to determine a framework to apply transformational leaderships to initiate change. According to Hall et al. (2012, p. 2), for leaders, making the most out of the four Is will “help “transform” their associates into better, more productive and successful individuals. The main ideas represented by transformational leadership are based on changing the organization to gain more commitment to achieve goals, improve the organization’s culture, and align it with individual values and principles.

Bass (1991, p. 21) highlights one important benefit of transformational leadership over transactional leadership: “managers who behave like transformational leaders are more likely to be seen by their colleagues and employees as satisfying and effective leaders than are those who behave like transactional leaders”. Transformational leaders have a charisma, which provides a vision for the organization and followers, so they can relate to it. Therefore, as Bass (1991) puts it, transformational leaders can create success by motivating and engaging followers. At the same time there are different aspects of transformational leadership that positively impact the organization, discussed by Bass (1991). Corporate image improves, due to the entire organization being committed to a higher level mission and working towards it together. There are also positive implications of transformational leadership to recruiting, selection, and promotion. Organizational learning and knowledge development through effective training is another important benefit of applying transformational leadership.

Health Care and Transformational Leadership

Govier (2009) states that change is one of the constants of health care management. Indeed, there is a need for dealing with organizational, regulatory, demographic, and practice changes every day. As Govier (2009, p. 20) states: “When we follow our internal compass as nurses, clinical leadership will be authentic and transformational”. Therefore, transformational leadership is not only beneficial in health care organizations to deal with performance issues and making the entire unit more effective, but can also help health care managers deal with change, and moving towards new goals and priorities. It can help improve the health care performance indicators: patient satisfaction, absenteeism rates, number of complaints, drug errors, and staff turnover. Through influencing and inspiring other people, nursing and health care managers can increase commitment, reduce turnover, and improve the overall performance of the organization, by applying transformational approaches to leadership. As the author (Govier, 2009, p. 22) confirms, the ability of transformational leaders has a positive impact on staffing, as well: “people who embrace the principles of such leadership have staff with higher levels of satisfaction, motivation and performance, as well as lower levels of stress and burnout”. Further, transformational leadership can help organizations respond  and adapt to changes within and outside of the unit, and adjust policies in a way that it is relevant to followers’  needs (individual consideration).

The above review of transformational leadership and related theories has provided an insight into improving organizational effectiveness, increasing employee commitment, and responding to change. As transformational leadership is not based on one’s personality traits, it can be learned. The four I-s of transformational leadership can help nursing leaders engage better with all stakeholders, develop missions and visions that followers can relate to, adjust processes to improve organizational performance, and effectively deal with challenges originating from change within the operating environment, society, or regulatory bodies. By being able to proactively deal with organizational challenges, leaders can become more effective, and create a higher level of collaboration with followers. Therefore, transformational leadership is highly relevant to health care management. Applying the principles of this leadership approach to training, collaboration, coaching, performance review, employee empowerment, and vision development would certainly benefit not only the health care unit, but the entire organization, as well.

Bass, B. M. (1991). From transactional to transformational leadership: Learning to share the vision. Organizational dynamics ,  18 (3), 19-31.

Bass, B. M., & Bass, R. (2008).  The Bass handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications . Simon and Schuster.

Chemers, M. M. (1997) An integrative theory of leadership . Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. London

Govier, I., Nash, S. (2009) Examining transformational approaches to effective leadership in healthcare settings. Nursing Times ; 105: 18

Hall, J., Johnson, S., Wysocki, A., & Kepner, K. (2008). Transformational leadership: The transformation of managers and associates.

Yukl, G. (1999). An evaluative essay on current conceptions of effective leadership.  European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology ,  8 (1), 33-48.

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