Transformational leadership Part 1: The four factors

Transformational leaders succeed in making their employees exceed expectations by transcending their self -interest, by operating from higher order needs like self-actualization, and by experiencing a sense of meaning in their work (Bass, 1985, 1990; Bass & Avolio, 1994). So how does transformational leadership work? The four factors of transformational leadership which forms part of the full range of leadership model (Bass & Avolio, 1994), is a widely used framework to discuss how transformational leadership works.


Factor 1: Idealized influence or charisma . This factor is considered to be the most effective form of transformational leadership. Here the leader is considered a role model, whom employees want to emulate. Transformational leaders are deeply respected and trusted by their followers because of their high moral standards and their unshakeable conviction in their vision for their organization. The influence of the leader here is primarily emotional. Nelson Mandela is one leader who comes to mind while discussing this factor.

Factor 2: Inspirational motivation. Communication is key here. Leaders inspire their followers to be a part of the shared vision for the organization, through emotional appeals to their higher natures. Leaders remind the followers of the significance of their work, and set high expectations of them, all the while encouraging them to achieve the organization's common goals.   

Factor 3: Intellectual stimulation. Problem solving is key in this factor. The leader encourages employees to develop creative and innovative ways to deal with organizational issues or to improve performance.

Factor 4: Individualized consideration. Here the focus is on personal attention to the needs of the followers. Transformational leaders act as coaches and mentors, and provide a supportive environment for employees to achieve their goals.


Transformational leaders use these four factors to achieve performance beyond expectations (Bass & Avolio, 1990).  These four factors can also be used to develop transformational leaders through training (Bass, 1990). Leaders can compare their self-rating on these four factors with those of their employees to identify discrepancies and develop improvement strategies. Alternatively, they could observe leaders they consider high scorers in these four factors, and emulate and adapt their own behaviors accordingly.

The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), developed by Bass (1985) is the most extensively used instrument to measure transformational leadership (Northouse, 2013). The questionnaire is designed to measure how followers perceive their leader's behavior in each factor.
.

References

Bass, B.M., & Avolio, B.J. (1994). Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Bass, B.M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York: Free Press.

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

Northouse, P.G. 2013. Leadership. Sixth edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Picture credit