The concept of transformational leadership and management was introduced to prioritize the creation of community bonds. It sought to enable educators and learners to attain higher levels of achievement in their roles and commitments. The transformational leadership model put educators, specifically teachers, principals, professors, and deans as the primary leaders and mentors to their students. The mentorship created the way for the nurturing of government, industry, and other leadership in all societal aspects. Empirical studies and literature have studied and reviewed the role and influence of the implementation of transformational leadership by teachers on the progress of students in academic and industrial ventures. The following sections.
The idea of transformational leadership was put forth by Burns in 1978 and Bass in 1985 who saw it as a valuable framework for empowering and encouraging learners to attain higher academic performance (Allan, 2020). Learners were meant to embrace the traits, conduct, and commitment of their teachers in order to attain better grades, acquire competent skills, and become better problem solvers. The model was conceptualized at a time when the Internet was being popularized and adopted in research institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, and UCLA. The technology sector was undergoing immense innovation and transformation, with students and companies developing new tools, methods, and solutions to conventional problems facing the military, education, health, and life in general (Barbuto, 1997).
Although the primary role of the model was to enable students to achieve higher academic grades, most of them ended up in the research sector (Bycio et al., 1995). As a result, it was also deemed that students ought to fit in the dynamically advancing industry to effectively solve imminent problems and callings facing the world.
The development of transformational leadership occurs through many strategies, which result in transformational leadership practices. The strategies may not necessarily be independent, but rely on each other to achieve the target goal (Siangchokyoo et al., 2020). Since the concept of authentic and transformative leadership does not change, the model is applicable in dynamically changing environments. The adoption of the model is ideal in every industry and aspect of life but is best applied in the education sector, which is also its primary target field. The model was primarily developed to help academic and educational leaders to exhibit genuine, strapping superintendence with the suggestion that the leaders (or employees in the industrial sector) will be stimulated to emulate them.
Transformational leadership is dimensionalized into four aspects: Inspirational Motivation, individual consideration, Idealized Influence, and intellectual stimulation (Koh et al., 1995). Barling et al., (2000) noted that inspirational motivation requires leaders (educators) to encourage students to make them committed and attached to their benefits of academic performance and excellence. Generally, leaders should present themselves committedly, attracting their followers to fit into their steps. Leaders should avoid the use of fear and intimation to get students or employees to align themselves with organizational or institutional goals and missions. Barling et al. (2000) argued that the individual consideration facet of transformational leadership requires each individual to be viewed in terms of their strengths and weaknesses, instead of generalizing the entire team. The approach has helped develop top-notch talents in academic and extracurricular activities in learning institutions.
Idealized influence is the backbone of the transformational leadership model. The educators or leaders are the points of reference for the learners or employees. A leader’s followers emulate traits such as authenticity, integrity, and other virtues exhibited by their leaders. Cassidy and Koroll (1994) argued that influence was not necessarily about coercing others to work harder, but by being an example and leading them into smart in their endeavors. Intellectual stimulation seeks to challenge the status quo by embracing creativity, innovation, problem-solving and critical thinking. Ashkanasy and Tse (2000) noted that leaders should take the challenge of making employees and students comfortable with traversing untenured opportunities and ideas that impact society while solving imminent problems and challenges.
The technology sector has seen a dramatic change and shift in world order with the proliferation of dotcom companies, search engines, and the social media era. The involvement of university professors in the development of the internet prompted students such as Mark Zuckerberg to conceptualize and actualize Facebook (Le and Lei, 2019). Other examples include Larry Page and Sergey Brin who employed class-taught concepts to develop the largest and most powerful search engine, Google (le and Lei, 2019). Such daring innovations and ventures are outcomes of idealized influence by scholarly leaders.
Theoretical Underpinning
Social learning and transformational leadership theories examine how a leader’s actions affect a learner’s affective learning, cognitive learning image of the leader’s credibility, and communication success. According to Bandura’s social learning theory from 1977, people can learn by seeing the behavior of others because most human behavior is discovered through observation and demonstration (Geys et al., 2020).
The social learning theory connects to transformational management behavior as an example, an inspiration, and a means of perception. The social learning theory was developed by Albert Bandura, a psychologist who was inspired by the works of a fellow scholar and psychologist, Skinner. While Skinner emphasized observation, Bandura paid attention to the power of observation in learning. According to Geys et al. (2020), the social learning theory is founded on four key pillars: attention, retention, motivation, and reproduction. The four facets of the theory are further discussed below.
Social Learning Theory
Attention is the degree to which learners observe the behavior of their instructors. The teaching in this context is not necessarily tied to a class or school-bound session, but every aspect of life including jobs, culture, and life in general. Studies have linked the number of behavior learned and imitated to one’s level of attention (O’Brien and Battista, 2020). Yılmaz et al. (2019) argued that behavior could not be copied unless it allured the attention of the learner. The higher the number of behaviors observed and imitated, the higher the level of attention. On the contrary, if the number of behavior ignored is high, then the level of attention can be concluded as low.
Individuals must remember a behavior in order to imitate it. The concept is known as retention, which is the definitive social factor for the application of any knowledge gained or behavior adopted. O’Brien and Battista (2020) argued that behavior could only be performed unless a memory was formed. Social learning took time to mature, and hence, it was essential to retain the behaviors learned and modeled in one’s learning process. The overall learning process was dependent on a learner’s ability to retain the behaviors observed by their teacher or instructor.
Motivation is one’s willingness to match the behaviors learned in others. Yılmaz et al. (2019) noted that motivation was based on vicarious reinforcement. It focused on learning the outcomes of other people’s actions. Instead of embracing a direct experience approach, the teachers urged the learners to try new methods, approaches, opportunities, and challenges. The instructors ended up investigating the outcomes of such ventures through the outcomes, consequences, and results of their students or employees.
Lastly, the social learning theory encompasses reproduction, which is the actual trial and implementation of the behaviors learned from the instructors. O’Brien and Battista, 2020 (2020) observed that the facet is concerned with the extent to which learners attempt to perform the traits learned. The success of behavioral reproduction is not based on one’s willingness to emulate or imitate the instructor’s characteristics and steps, but on the overall abilities. Yılmaz et al (2019) observed that physical abilities limited most individuals who are determined to actualize the behaviors learned and retained from the instructors. As a result, the overall learning process is complicated, and the actualization of behaviors maybe not be possible for all learners.
Transformation Leadership Theory
The transformational leadership theory tasks the leader with the creation of inspirational visions, identification of needed changes, and the implementation of the identified changes with their learners of followed. The theory was developed as a new leadership paradigm with an emphasis on captivating and result-oriented stewardship. The massive adoption of the leadership theory and model over time is attributed to its weightage on constitutional motivation and follower blossoming which concurs with the needs and requirements of conventional workgroups (Andersen, 2018). Turnnidge and Côté (2018) noted that many groups fail due to a lack of empowerment, motivation, and inspiration, especially at challenging times. The transformational leadership theory was primarily developed to fill the motivational and empowerment gap in modern leadership and workforce development.
It is thought that transformational leaders may more easily help the team achieve its objectives by tapping into the capabilities and motivations of their adherents. The approach demonstrates how authority and governance are distinct from authority as it is indivisible from subordinates’ aspirations (Kouni et al., 2018). It indicates that the authority afforded to the leader by their position of leadership prevents them from acting. Leaders act in the disciples’ best interests, attempting to collaborate with them to realize the predetermined objective. The following transformational leaders may invest time in an attempt to comprehend and embrace their vision.
Transformational leadership shares power among all players, in contrast to earlier leadership philosophies when it appeared that the leader held within a unit. A transformational leader establishes an understanding with their adherents to collaborate with them to achieve a specific objective. The discovery of a shared vision between the learners and the instructor serves as the basis for the unanimous agreement.
In order to gain their cooperation in carrying out a specific strategy, the head must persuade the members of a notion (Andersen, 2018). If the suggestion appears to offer some benefit and does not conflict with the desires of the devotees, they might accept it. As a result, the leader’s behavior excels over others when the group’s general direction is set by the management. Transformational leadership is not an entirely new model, but an improvement on previous styles that focused on the needs of the leader at the expense of their subjects.
Transformational leadership was primarily built on idealized influence and inspirational motivation as adopted by Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Atlantic Group. Andersen (2018) acknowledged that the leadership model had received much attention, research, and imperial studies, making it widely understood and appreciated. Khan et al. (2019) observed that several researchers had come to a consensus about the leadership approach and its definitive elements. The imperial studies concluded that the transformational leadership approach incorporated the needs of both leaders and their subjects, making it ideal for real-world workgroups tasked with continuously challenging tasks
Teacher Transformational Leadership and Learners’ Outcomes
Transformational leaders who exhibit inspiration, encouragement, appeal, directing, and cognitive incitement correlate with understudy judgments of leader authenticity in learning, data management, and insight. Andersen (2018) observed that if the educator is successful in meeting the predetermined goals, the activities of instruction and learning are proven adequate. Turnnidge and Côté (2018) further noted that every instructor needs to take into account the efficacy of his or her instruction.
Successful academics were recognized for their knowledge and experiences both within and outside of the curriculum. In other words, engaging kids in educational processes that are beneficial goes beyond simply giving them resources and homework. Instructional supervision depends on trained teachers who can control and handle the process of curriculum activities. Khan et al. (2019) suggested that for learning to be conducted efficiently, an instructor needs to have strong classroom managerial skills.
Classroom management excellence and the creation of a positive education system should be the goals of every instructor. Kouni et al. (2018), however, noted that attaining successful teaching is not without its challenges. Examples include bad class curricula, inefficient teaching methods, and teachers’ incapacity to foster a welcoming and secure learning environment. If these issues continue, the constructivist approach will not be accomplished. The ability to bring out the best in pupils, cognitive consistency, psychological and social continuity, a sense of concern for learners, and a good attitude toward their job are all indicators of instructional practices, according to Khan et al. (2019). Lecturers’ skills can be used to assess how efficient a lesson is (Kouni et al., 2018). A professor who has appropriate instructional skills will demonstrate positive pedagogical traits.
Teaching activities with a variety of features that are designed to improve students’ conduct and in accordance with a pre-established lesson plan to raise student accomplishment can also be characterized as effective education. The effectiveness of educators is seen in both their classroom management and pupils’ academic progress. The success of education can typically be assessed from a variety of angles, including competence, teacher characteristics, and personality and social attributes (Top et al., 2020). A conclusion that can be derived from the above viewpoints is that instructional leadership is an assessment of how well teachers’ training matches with educational activities and produces the best results for the learners under their watch.
Transformational leadership characteristics, such as erudite stimulation and personalized thought, are linked to a leader’s capacity to assess leadership viability, put forth an additional effort, and generally feel satisfied with the learner. Kouni et al. (2018) noted that the student’s degree of happiness and satisfaction is directly influenced by their instructor’s competence, professionals, and conversance with their field of specialization. Lai et al. (2020) noted that science students, for instance, embark on result-orientated academic ventures and require competent and problem-solving-oriented instructors.
Science classes usually embrace many practical exhibitions, which must be guided by instructors who are conversant with the tools, apparatus, and equipment used. Lai et al. (2020) argued that the instructors must be keen on guiding the students to handle any tools, chemicals, or apparatus used in such practical sessions. Turnnidge and Côté (2018) established that other courses may not embrace practicals or exhibitions, but entail serious problem-solving ventures that are essential for the development of the learners. The instructions should employ different traits such as leading by example and motivation to enlighten their adherents.
Individualized concern, ascribed charisma, idealized influence, and learner outcomes are examples of transformational leadership traits empirically tested in educational contexts and linked to successful outcomes. Top et al. (2020) concluded that the performance of students was dependent on the effort put into individual students. The study emphasized the varying performance levels of students and how they influenced their academic grades. The study also explored the impact of individualized emphasis on extracurricular activities such as sports, music, and arts. It was concluded that the input needed by learners depended on their physical capabilities, cognitive levels, and attitude toward respective subjects. Universities, schools, and colleges are on the cutting edge of bringing the next generation up to speed with modern civilization, according to (Yin et al., 2019).
These groups could provide humanity with a psychosocial good that is fit for the existing crisis and satisfies both present and future requirements. Additionally, Yin et al. (2019) highlighted that the organizations were best situated to increase the worth of the country’s knowledge assets, emerging as the most powerful force for social reform and promoting socioeconomic success. These establishments need a structure that is as malleable and fluid though, as this will improve their capacity to forge such a link across centuries.
The measures put in place to facilitate the flow of knowledge from instructors to students have been modified to match the transformational leadership model. Ma and Jiang (2018) noted that institutions that embraced intellectual stimulation produced major technological founders like Bill gates and Mark Zuckerberg. The success and influence of such individuals were associated with the nature of courses offered and the mode of teaching adopted in the institutions. Top et al. (2020) observed that American Universities and Colleges embraced transformational leadership, enabling them to attract a large number of international students, and also rank highest on the global index. The graduates from these instructions are considered highly skilled and considered in government appointments across the world
The creative environment of an organization is inextricably linked to the transformational initiative, which encourages learners to go above and beyond for tremendous effort and significant profit. The concept is purely based on inspirational motivation where leaders face challenges and try their solutions. While the instructors may not necessarily have any solutions with themselves, the learners are, on most occasions, able to produce brainstorming solutions. Ma and Jiang (2018) noticed that inspirational motivation was rampant in Chinese institutions, mainly due to the challenges facing the country’s large population.
The research also pointed to global politics to the appreciation of motivation in the education sector. As a result, China, for instance, has witnessed the most advanced technological and infrastructural transformation in the history of civilization. Top et al. (2020) attributed the advancements to the education system which challenges students to go beyond their abilities or provisions. The fruits of transformational leadership are evident beyond the education sector but touch on every aspect of their daily life.
References
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