Question

What are the main elements of a transformational leader? Provide at least two examples of transformational leaders who you think personify these elements and explain why.  

Answer 1

Transformational leadership

It is a style of leadership where a leader works with subordinates to identify needed change. They also work to create a vision to guide the change through inspiration, and executing the change in tandem with committed members of a group.

Elements of transformational leader: Industrial psychologist Bernard Bass identified and wrote about four basic elements of transformational leadership. They are as follows:

• Idealized Influence.
• Inspirational Motivation.
• Intellectual Stimulation.
• Individualized Consideration.

Example:

• A tranformational leader accordimg to me who fulfills all the above elements is William Edwards Deming.
• He is known as the father of statistical quality control. After earning a doctorate in mathematics and physics at Yale in 1928, he spent most of his career working or consulting for the U.S. government.
• During World War II, Deming taught statistical process control techniques to military production workers. After the war ended, the U.S.Department of Army sent Deming to Japan to study agricultural production and related problems.
• He convinced Japanese officials of the potential for industrial uses of statistical methods. Deming’s goal was to have Japan become a world industrial power in five years. Japan did it in four. Deming was asked to do the same thing for U.S. manufacturing firms, but his methods did not take root until the 1980s.