Transformational leadership: Vision vs. rhetoric

Transformational leaders motivate their followers to transcend their self interests for a larger cause (Shamir et. al, 1993). Making a difference in society (social impact) is therefore the cornerstone of the vision espoused by transformational leaders (Grant, 2007; 2012). The greater sense of meaningfulness experienced by the followers positively affects their motivation and performance. However, some studies have shown that the results are not straightforward, and in some cases transformational leadership did not have a positive effect on motivation and performance.

One possible explanation for this inconsistency is that transformational leaders are sometimes unable to translate their grandiose visions into concrete terms. When their followers do not see any evidence of their prosocial impact; the transformational leader's vision appears to be more rhetorical than real (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1996). Grant (2012) suggests that enabling employees contact with the beneficiary of their work, leads to a higher perceived sense of social impact.

Contact with the beneficiaries provides employees with a vivid imagery of the meaningfulness of their work, and their leader's vision. The transformational leader's credibility increases when employees see the relationship between their leader's rhetoric and reality. When the ambiguity about the prosocial impact of their work is reduced, employees are motivated to work harder which results in improved performance.

A results of a quasi-experiment study of call center employees and a survey of government employees (Grant, 2012) supported these hypotheses. The study also indicates that improving the social characteristics of the job can enhance the effectiveness of transformational leaders. Grant (2012) cites the example of Medtronic, the successful defibrillator manufacturing company, which provides its employees with a deep sense of meaning about their jobs, by allowing them to observe heart surgeries where their products are used.

Transformational leaders with strong prosocial visions can therefore increase both their employees' commitment to their vision, and performance by allowing them to observe the impact of their work on others.


References

Grant, A.M. (2012). Leading with meaning: Beneficiary contact, prosocial impact, and the performance effects of transformational leadership. Academy of Management Journal, 55(2): 458-476.

Grant, A.M. (2007). Relational job design and the motivation to make a prosocial difference. Academy of Management Review, 32: 393-417.

Kirkpatrick, S. A., & Locke, E. A. 1996. Direct and indirect  effects of the there core charismatic leadership components on performance and attitudes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81: 36-51. 

                              

Shamir, B., House, R. J., & Arthur, M. B. 1993. The motivational effects of charismatic leadership: A self concept based theory. Organization Science, 4:577-594.