The Benefits of Transformational Leadership

Introduction Researchers and business administrators have long tried to develop the most efficient model of leadership. At this point, this question has not been fully addressed, but there are certain approaches that enjoy popularity among scholars and professionals; transformational leadership is one of them. This paper will examine the distinctive features of transformational leadership and its outcomes especially for the followers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Benefits of Transformational Leadership specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This review will identify the benefits of transformational leadership and show how positive outcomes for employees can be achieved. Overall, this model can bring significant improvement as increased job satisfaction, creativity, and better performance, but this approach can be successful only leaders possess a variety of skills. Moreover, transformation leadership can be effe ctive only if the organization values openness and egalitarian relations between managers and employees. The main aspects of transformational leadership Researchers identify several important elements for transformational leadership. First of all one can speak about intellectual stimulation or the ability to challenge the assumptions of employees and encourage their creativity (Avolio, Waldman Yammarino 1991, p. 14). Such a leader is also able to encourage life-long learning of his or her followers. Therefore, it is possible to assume that such a person must open to new ideas and viewpoints; otherwise he or she will not offer any intellectual challenges to the employees. The second aspect of this approach is idealized influence or the ability to act as a role model for other people (Avolio, Waldman Yammarino 1991, p. 15). The followers should see that their leader as example of competence; furthermore, this person must make them proud of their work. Thus, one can argue that this i ndividual must reach the highest ethical and professional standards in order to succeed. Other important components are individual consideration and inspirational motivation. This means that a transformational leader is willing and able to take into account the needs of their followers and their individual concerns (Humphreys Einstein, 2003, p. 86). So, those people, who intend to play the role of leaders should have well-developed communication skills; otherwise they will fail to consider the needs of their followers and their values. They should be very attentive and avoid generalizations when judging employees. More importantly, this person is able to articulate a vision in the way that would be appealing to the followers. These people should share the beliefs and values of their leader. More importantly, they must take pride in their work because in this way they increase their performance. Such authors as John Humphreys and Walter Einstein single out another component of trans formational leadership. They argue that transformational leaders should accept their dependence on followers (Humphreys Einstein, 2003, p. 86). They should be able to share their power with other people.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, these scholars point out that despite the flexibility of transformational leadership, it should always be based on such values as integrity and justice (Humphreys Einstein, 2003, p. 86). They cannot be compromised under any circumstances. Thus, such an individual must be able to find an ethical justification for various actions and decisions. Thus, this review suggests that transformational approach sets very high performance standards for people who are called leaders. These people have to make sure that their followers take pride in them and this goal is very difficult to achieve especially if a person has only begun to work with the followers. Transformational model and other approaches to leadership Overall, transformational approach helps to identify the main objectives that a leader is supposed to achieve. However, it does not provide step-by-step instructions for achieving these goals. To some degree, this approach can be compared to situational leadership that relies on contingency theory. The advocates of this theory argue that there is no optimal style of leadership, because a leader should always adapt to a particular situation (Williams, 2011, p. 407). Transformational approach to leadership does not reject this premise; the thing is that even a transformation leader can change his or her communication style and motivation strategies (Bono Judge, 2004, p. 901). This leader can behave in different ways depending on the type of problem that should be resolved. Furthermore, in both cases, more emphasis is placed on the delegation of authority to employees. These people must have a certain degree of autonomy; otherwise organizations will hardly achieve any of their goals because the leaders will have to monitor every task that employees work on. The main distinction of transformational leadership is that it emphasizes the role of ethical principles like integrity. They should always be followed irrespective of the situation. This is probably the main distinction of this model. Even though it relies on other leadership theories, it has its distinguishing features, especially the emphasis on the professional and ethic standards that a leader is supposed to reach. Transformational leadership and its outcomes for the followers By looking at the elements of transformational leadership one can see that this approach can have profound implications for the followers. First of all, the person, who works under the guidance of such a leader, is more likely to achieve professional growth, because he or she can acquire new knowledge and skills (Edwards, 2008, p. 4).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Benefits of Transformational Leadership specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, such an employee will try to work more creatively and this is also a part of professional growth. The thing is that this worker will want to resemble the leader and one of the ways to do is to raise one’s professional level. It is quite probable that this person will become the advocate of life-long learning. In other words, this individual can accept the limitations of one’s knowledge and try to fill this gap. Yet, such a result is possible only if a leader can act as a role model and show a person should strive for continuous growth. Hence, this person should develop one’s professional skills and evaluate the ethical aspects that he or she takes in order to be a role model. Secondly, employees can assume a different attitude to work. These workers may be motivated not only by financial compensati on or the fear of punishment; more likely this person will try to gain the recognition of the leader since this recognition of their achievement will also be a form of reward. Overall, such researchers as Shung Shin and Jing Zhou believe that transformational leadership increases the intrinsic value of job (2003, p. 704). Certainly, they will need financial compensation for their work, but the opportunity to work with a transformational leader will be a reward, in itself. Thus, they will be less willing to leave a company. In the long term, transformational leadership can reduce turnover in organizations and it is a significant problem that still needs to be addressed by many profit and not-for-profit organizations. Thus, one can say that transformational leadership can make the experiences of employees more fulfilling and help companies that try to hire and retain skillful workforce. This is probably the main benefit this approach can bring private companies, public organizations, and governmental agencies that struggle to recruit and retain the best applicants. Additionally, the followers of transformational leaders will feel comfortable enough to take initiatives and work creatively. For instance, they will not shy away from making recommendations at the time, when the leader will have to take important decisions (Bass Riggio, 2006, p. 29). As it has been said before, transformational approach implies that a good leader must be able share power with the followers. Apart from that, this person should be able to accept critique and acknowledge one’s mistakes. Unfortunately not every one can do it; many people believe that criticism is always aimed at debunking their authority. A transformational leader should reject this belief because it is usually irrational. As a rule, it only makes managers and frontline personnel hostile to one another.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Besides, transformational leadership is possible mostly in those companies that are open to innovations and try to be sensitive to environmental changes. These organizations promote employees’ creativity and their independent decision-making (Daliva, Epstein Shelton, 2007, p. 23). Yet, in many cases, the organizations can become too bureaucratic and risk-averse. As a result, they do not encourage their employees to be take part in decision-making or offer any solutions without the permission of the top management. In such an environment, transformational leadership is hardly possible because it can be criticized by top executives. This is the main barrier that can prevent companies from adopting this approach. Thus, those people, who think that transformational model is the best approach to leadership, should know that their success will strongly depend on the culture of the organization. In some cases, they will have to change it in order to achieve success. Moreover, the r esearches also refer to increased productivity when they speak about the benefits of transformational leadership (Avolio, Waldman Yammarino 1991, p. 11). As it has been said before, such people can share the values and goals of their leaders. Thus, they may put much more effort in order to achieve the objectives that the organization sets. Nevertheless, this outcome is possible only if employees take pride in the work and believe that it has an intrinsic value. These examples should that transformational leadership can produce the following results: 1) increased satisfaction with the job; 2) willingness to achieve professional growth; 3) increased performance; 4) creativity and independent decision-making. Thus, the effects of transformational leadership on employees are beneficial but they are possible only in certain circumstances. Conclusion This discussion shows that transformational leadership can produce good results and help employees fulfill their talents. However, there ar e specific issues that one should take into account. First of all this strategy requires considerable amount of effort from leaders who have to depart from traditional routine and find ways of challenging and motivating employees. Secondly, the outcome will greatly depend on the culture of the organization. These are the issues that business administrators should take into account. Reference List Avolio, B., Waldman, D. Yammarino, F. (1991). Leading in the 1990s: The Four I’s of Transformational Leadership. Journal of European Industrial Training, 15 (4), 9-16. Bass, B. Riggio R. (2006). Transformational Leadership. London: Routledge. Bono, J. Judge, T. (2004). Personality and Transformational and Transactional Leadership: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89 (5), 901-910. Daliva, T., Epstein, M. Shelton, R. (2007). The Creative Enterprise: Culture. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group. Edwards, J. (2008). Development of the Survey of Transformational Leade rship for  Application to the Substance Abuse Treatment Field. New York: ProQuest. Humphreys, J. Einstein, W. (2003). Nothing new under the sun: Transformational leadership from a historical perspective. Journal of Management History, 41 (1), 85-95. Shin, S. Zhou J. (2003). Transformational leadership, conservation, and creativity: evidence from Korea: Academy of Management Journal, 46(6), 703-714. Williams, C. (2011). Effective Management: A Multimedia Approach. New York: Cengage Learning. This essay on The Benefits of Transformational Leadership was written and submitted by user Jesse Delaney to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Documenting History

Documentation of any event (no matter how significant) is a very difficult task. It is human nature to have some bias and objectivity when looking at any situation. In order to accurately document an event we must be able to control these feelings. This, in my opinion, is an impossible task. No matter how hard we try, I do believe some objectivity will sneak through into our documentations. In the case of slavery in the United States in the time period before the Civil War I believe this problem was magnified by the very nature of the event being documented. This paper will focus on why I believe the documentation of slavery in the U.S. is very skewed. Slavery has existed since the beginning of time. It is common practice to use all means possible to keep slaves from joining together and revolting. One method used is denial of education. In the case of the African slaves brought to America these people were very uneducated. The majority could not read nor write. American slave masters used this to their advantage. Even after many generations of slaves had passed slave masters still were able to keep the vast majority of them illiterate by denying them any education at all. What this created was a very one-sided account of the happenings of that period of time. When we read history, especially the early history of slavery in the United States, what we are mainly getting are accounts based on slave owners’ and educated white men’s’ documentation of the events. There is very little input by the slaves themselves. This inherently causes these pieces of history to be skewed towards the white man’s view. As we go along the timeline there eventually are more and more educated slaves and white men; who tell the stories of the slaves as had been told to them by the slave. However, we still cannot get rid of the fact that the majority of the information had to come from the white men of the time. Besides this example, there are ... Free Essays on Documenting History Free Essays on Documenting History Documentation of any event (no matter how significant) is a very difficult task. It is human nature to have some bias and objectivity when looking at any situation. In order to accurately document an event we must be able to control these feelings. This, in my opinion, is an impossible task. No matter how hard we try, I do believe some objectivity will sneak through into our documentations. In the case of slavery in the United States in the time period before the Civil War I believe this problem was magnified by the very nature of the event being documented. This paper will focus on why I believe the documentation of slavery in the U.S. is very skewed. Slavery has existed since the beginning of time. It is common practice to use all means possible to keep slaves from joining together and revolting. One method used is denial of education. In the case of the African slaves brought to America these people were very uneducated. The majority could not read nor write. American slave masters used this to their advantage. Even after many generations of slaves had passed slave masters still were able to keep the vast majority of them illiterate by denying them any education at all. What this created was a very one-sided account of the happenings of that period of time. When we read history, especially the early history of slavery in the United States, what we are mainly getting are accounts based on slave owners’ and educated white men’s’ documentation of the events. There is very little input by the slaves themselves. This inherently causes these pieces of history to be skewed towards the white man’s view. As we go along the timeline there eventually are more and more educated slaves and white men; who tell the stories of the slaves as had been told to them by the slave. However, we still cannot get rid of the fact that the majority of the information had to come from the white men of the time. Besides this example, there are ...

Country study (China) Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Country study (China) - Term Paper Example The rate of the population is faster in undeveloped countryside areas, where it is very hard to find work (Zeng, 2008). However, there is a decline in the population growth, which is realized with a reduced birth rate. This growth is considered to be below replacement level; hence, the current population growth is expected to increase life; expectance. Chinese person now lives an average of 74 years. Life expectance has reduced drastically with measures that are being taken by the federal government. There are several population control programs which have resulted in reduced families. These programs advocate for one-child households, and many Chinese citizens are adapting to this norm. Creation of an enormous hole in the social safety system of China is expected as a result of fewer male children being born. On the other hand, the Chinese population is slowly embracing the one-child policy to try and reduce the population growth. This policy is expected to save the government millio ns of dollars and thus improve the economy of the country. Measures to restrict couples from having many children are increasingly developing; for instance, education is increasingly becoming expensive. According to Zeng (2008), there are also increasingly expensive healthcare and poorly placed social security systems. It is of note for any organization to research the culture, value, religion, manner, and language used by the members of the community where they wish to start a new branch of business. However, it is essential to note that the findings are not meant to stereotype all the Chinese, but instead they are meant to help the company gain an impression of whom they are trading with. The population of Chinese is estimated to be over 1.2 billion people. These people belong to a family of mutually intelligible and close-related languages. Sino-Tibetan family of languages includes all the varieties of Chinese. However, these languages have their own dialect or sub-dialects. In a ddition, the languages are more or less mutually intelligible (Mente, 2008). For Victoria State Bank to function smoothly in China, they will have to understand the language used and make sure that their employees are fluent in these languages so as to serve the Chinese community well. In addition, if there is any written material, it should be ready for use in both English as well as Chinese, and the interpretation must be correct to avoid any misinterpretation. Before venturing into the banking industry in China, Victoria State Bank management should note that the Chinese have a culture through which they do not start business with organizations that they do not know. What the bank needs to do is look for an organization or an individual in China who will act as an intermediary. This will make the Chinese people gain your trust as this individual or organization will make sure that the Chinese community understands the reliability of the bank. After the Chinese have clearly known the intentions of the bank and its history, they will now be willing to work with the bank. According to Hofstede’s dimension, all individuals in the society are not equal. The idea of power distance is something that has been practiced in China for decades, and everyone has come to embrace that culture (Hofstede, 2012). The Chinese believe that inequality among the people is justifiable. Therefore, when conducting

John Stuart Mill's view of the Iraqi War Term Paper

John Stuart Mill's view of the Iraqi War - Term Paper Example This essay discusses that thus, in case America intended to depose tyrannical regime of Hussein, the opponents can decrease their moral estimation of the American government. Moreover, in case of intervention had no underlying principles of humanitarian intervention, then there is a need to criticize coalition and make them pay for their errors and it is no way to discard a humanitarian basis of war.The intent of war was to liberate people from the suppressing of the tyranny. Finally, America copes with that goal and tyrant was removed. Iraqi people had a chance to see perspectives of freedom, an open way to liberty. This intent was underlined by the members of Coalition and Hussein had to pay for his erroneous and inhumane behavior and committing crimes against humanity. To set freedom and liberty principles is the most important task of the government. In case a nation is suppressed and is willing to freedom, there is a need to fight against suppression for independent thinking, fr eedom of choice and liberty. As far as we can see, Mill’s doctrine is profound and it is taken by proponents of American intervention to Iraq as the one supporting their humanitarian intervention and at the same time, opponents refer to Mill’s doctrine, as to the one, which criticizes American intervention to Iraq. Actually, different things in the world can be interpreted in different manners. It is an important philosophical skill to interpret different phenomena from negative and positive prospects.... Nevertheless, Mill’s consideration is relevant to the modern context and there is no need for a severe criticism, but rather for the appraisal and analysis of current political situations, military conflicts or wars in the world. Contemporaries would definitely concentrate their attention on Mill’s restriction between the liberties of individuals and social groups. The philosophical questions about the relevance and domination of different social values fit to the discussion about American politics during the war in Iraq (Schauer, 2005). Mill made an emphasis on moral abstraction from societal norms and doctrines and he enabled his readers to think. Modern generation can definitely borrow many Mill’s ideas and apply them not only for the discussions about wars, but also use them in their daily lives, because global thinking leads to better daily actions. In his work On Liberty  Mill wanted to defend a freedom of an individual. The mechanisms of behavioral templ ates creation and transformation of norms of morality are described by Mill. The set moral values are not bad, because they are bad, but because they are established and usually imposed on citizens. In other words, the main argument of Mill considered neglect of the â€Å"despotism of custom† (Mill, Chapter 3). Utilitarian ideas of Mill were reflected in his philosophy. He gives a broad consideration to the individual’s benefits for the society. He is much focused on liberties of an individual, but he claims that an individual should be useful for the society. Every individual should work hard in order to reach happiness in the society, because happiness in the society leads to a moral end.

Early Childhood Education Past and Present Essay Example for Free

Early Childhood Education Past and Present Essay In order to decide how past philosophies, theories and educational models have influenced present ideas and practices related to early childhood education, we must first decide where we would like to begin. I will start with the ideas of Aristotle, because I believe his ideas on â€Å"mimesis† or imitations are evident in the evolution of early education, and will always be an integral part of effective learning. Once we understand that children learn and practice what they see in others, we begin to realize the need for dedication and devotion from parents and teachers. Aristotle was a student of Plato who argued for the early removal of children from their parents so that they could be cared for in a school like setting. (Schwartz 1997) As we look back at history itself, we can see that the role of childhood education has been dependent upon the immediate needs and beliefs of a particular society. There have also been many individuals in the past 200 years who are responsible for creating theories and philosophies based on their observations of children and what is vital to them as they develop into adults. However, it is important that we recognize how new ideas are not formed independently, but built upon old ones. As educators, we must utilize what we notice to be effective, as well as the things that impacted us most as children in an educational setting. The strategies and philosophies that I’ve implemented in particular are borrowed from several individuals including Erikson, Vygotsky and Gardiner. Erikson’s psychosocial theory covers eight stages, each one built upon, and reliant on its predecessor. The first four are of greatest relevance, but the remaining four are worthy of a close look because it is important to know where you’re going when deciding upon the best way to get there. These stages also remind me of the importance of satisfying basic need, and of considering children as little people who need to believe in success before they can achieve it. It’s one of the reasons why I would occasionally go to recess with my students. I was able to observe how they treated and responded to others in a seemingly more relaxed, social setting. For some children, recess is by far the most stressful twenty minutes of the day. The incredibly minimal amount of time given to my students was another reason I felt it was necessary to attend. I could get a kick ball game set up so they could make the best of what little time they had. However, I must be honest, I still love to play, and demonstrating good sportsmanship and a competitive spirit to my kids was as important as the preparation for any test we had to look forward to. Lastly, I had a sixth grade teacher who used to do the same thing and I remember it vividly and extremely fondly. I find Gardiners’ theory of multiple intelligence extremely helpful while building confidence in kids whose gifts were not overly apparent on the field at recess. I have and will always encourage students to recognize and display these gifts while still maintaining a certain degree of humility. (Hyson 2004) I’ve always kept examples of completed activities inside and outside my classroom and anywhere else I could find space in order to, among other things, initiate discussions about pride as well as humility. Our classroom clearly demonstrated the fact that comfort and familiarity were held in high regard. An equal emphasis was placed on respect, and this is the word that was constantly spelled out on the board. As my class or one of my students showed an obvious lack of respect, one of the letters would be erased. They would be put back as we were respectful of one another, and if the word was entirely spelled out on Friday afternoon, we would have a â€Å"social gathering† for the last half hour of the day. If we were to walk into most, if not all early childhood educational settings, we would find many things that were initiated or influenced by past theorists or philosophers. We would notice blocks or other creative building materials. There would be areas to encourage cooperative learning, and most would reflect what is thought to be developmentally appropriate for the range of members in the class. When determining what types of play are developmentally appropriate, we need to consider all individuals, and the fact that differences will exist. Members of a class who are either gifted or struggling should not have to suffer because of what is thought to be developmentally appropriate. These differences should be expected, utilized and appreciated. Computers, for example, will run programs with varying degrees of difficulty depending upon what is developmentally appropriate for an individual. As concerns continue to grow over bridging the gap between early education students, government intervention has and will continue to grow. An increase in assessments is inevitable, and even smaller amounts of time will be devoted to active learning, exploration and play. The changes that in fact need to be made are those that reflect the ideas of the great minds of theorists who dedicated their lives in order to determine the most effective methods of early childhood education.

Outsourcing Software Jobs :: Globalization

Outsourcing Software Jobs Introduction Henry is an experienced programmer for a large software company in Silicon Valley. Despite dedicating 10 years working for the company, he recently received notice that he will soon be laid-off. Before leaving, however, the company instructs him to train his replacement -- a programmer overseas. The software company realized that Henry's job duties can be achieved by overseas workers earning significantly lower wages for the same (or better) quality of work. Unfortunately, Henry is faced with the difficult decision of training his own replacement. Based on Henry's values, must he dutifully perform his instructions and train the overseas programmer? Why did the company choose to outsource the job if Henry is capable of the job's requirements and neglect his loyalty and contributions to the company? This particular example introduces the ethical issues involved with outsourcing software jobs. For the past two decades, U.S. companies have been experiencing an era of tremendous economical growth, largely due to the rapid developments in technology. Consequently, to ensure survival in a capitalistic market, U.S. companies have tried to keep pace with technological changes and competitive pressures by various means, including outsourcing software jobs. With increasing competition both domestically and internationally, U.S. companies have sent many software jobs outside the United States. This paper focuses on the outsourcing of software jobs and analyzes the "Global Workforce" -- a growing trend among U.S. companies to not only do business globally, but also employ people globally. Trends in Outsourcing Software Jobs The Internet glory years as we closed the decade (infamously known as the "Internet Bubble") could not get enough of software engineers. New graduates from American colleges and universities found themselves having multiple job offers even before graduation. Today, that phenomena is long gone. The degradation of the U.S. economy, the "lack" of supply of new American engineering graduates, and the positive impacts of outsourcing have forced U.S. companies to look overseas to enhance company talent and maximize cost efficiency. Many studies have shown that U.S. companies, especially the high-tech industry, have been outsourcing software jobs overseas to countries such as India and China. For instance, IBM, the largest computer company in the world, recently announced that they would move up to 4,730 programmers from U.S. to India [3]. According to a November 2003 report [8] by the American Electronics Association, the United States lost 540,000 jobs in the high-tech industry in 2002.

Contrast between Psychodynamic and the behaviorist theory of personality Essay

Psychodynamic is a method used to help people find relief from emotional pain which could be as a result of unresolved conflicts of the past. It is usually done verbally. It’s based on the idea that a human being’s behavior is shaped by known and unknown influences. It aims at solving this past experiences that could have left lasting traces that could affect your self-esteem leading to maladaptive patterns of behaviors. It involves patient talking and the therapist interpreting the patient’s words and behaviors (Miller, Luborsky, Jacques and John, pp 23). Psychodynamic is basically concerned about psychological processes, past experiences, existence of unknown motivation, ego, superego and defense mechanisms (Jackson and Beverly, pp 45). Behaviorist‘s theory also attempts to explain human behavior but its in conflict with psychodynamic theory in ways which human behavior is developed. The behaviorist believes that culture and subculture have a role to play in molding someone’s behavior and as a result has an effect on the personality. Therapy in a behaviorist is based on the principles of learning using all the processes and methods such as training, reinforcing, desensitization, aversion therapy, modeling and replication (Chamorro-Premuzic, and Adrian, pp67). According to Miller, Nancy, Lester, Jacques and John (pp 89), this theory has little concern about any outside energy or force in determining behavior. To it, normal behavior comes as a result of acceptable conditioning, reinforcing and modeling while abnormal behavior comes as a result of defective conditioning, reinforcing and modeling. It is not interested in the effect of developmental processes on the behavior. In treating the patient, the therapist has little regard to the patient’s feelings, thoughts, emotional experiences or imagination. It is believed that if one understands the environment and how to interact with it, he can basically understand himself and his behavior. The behaviorist believes that behavior is cultured and it can also be uncultured. Works Cited Jackson, Leslie C. , and Beverly Greene, eds. Psychotherapy with African American Women: Innovations in Psychodynamic Perspectives and Practice. New York: Guilford Press, 2000. Lazarus, Richard S. Fifty Years of the Research and Theory of R. S. Lazarus: An Analysis Of Historical and Perennial Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1998. Miller, Nancy E. , Lester Luborsky, Jacques P. Barber, and John P. Docherty, eds. Psychodynamic Treatment Research: A Handbook for Clinical Practice. New York: Basic Books, 1993. Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas, and Adrian Furnham. Personality and Intellectual Competence. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2005. .