Transformational Leadership by Ronald E. Riggio & Bernard M. Bass

Author:Ronald E. Riggio & Bernard M. Bass
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2006-08-14T14:00:00+00:00

The biodata results lend support to the psychoanalytic view that many celebrated leaders such as Pierre Cardin and Henry Ford were prisoners of their past. Pierre Cardin had a strong need to get even for the wrongs done to him as an Italian youngster growing up in France; there were upheavals in the family, but he had continued strong support from his mother. In response, he democratized fashion, creating a billion dollar haute couture for the common man. Henry Ford had a difficult relationship with his father, and he had a close, loving mother who died when he was 13 years old. As an adult, Ford had few real friends and was unable to accept ideas easily from others around him (Kets de Vries, 1994). In the same way the differences in the leadership styles between two such transformational military leaders as Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur can be understood to some extent by Eisenhower’s more humble beginnings and Douglas MacArthur’s, as son of a famous Civil War general. MacArthur was the consummate charismatic; Eisenhower was a great coalition builder.

Transformational leaders in adult life do not just emerge accidentally. As already noted, they are shaped to some degree by the high moral standards set by their parents and parental interest shown in their early performance, particularly in school. Avolio and Gibbons (1988) reported that neither a severely disadvantaged nor highly privileged childhood was conducive to becoming a transformational leader. Most conducive was a childhood with some, but not too much, challenge. Consistent with this, Avolio (1994) found that feeling satisfied with home and school were important in retrospect. Engaging in athletics during adolescence forecasted subsequent transformational leadership among military cadets, yet it was not so for civilian community leaders because of the greater importance of physical competence to military performance and because none of the military cadets and 52% of the community sample was female. Of course, this difference may disappear with the increasing participation of girls in school athletic activities. Sports provide both sexes with experience in trying to overcome challenges, exerting extra effort, meeting high standards, and considering other team members—all behaviors involved in transformational leadership.

Educating and Training Transformational Leaders

Transformational leadership can be taught and learned. We have already seen how good parenting and early experiences can help develop leaders. In the previous chapter, we mentioned the rise of leadership education programs at the undergraduate and graduate (e.g., business school) level. However, Bennis and Nanus (1985) noted that traditional MBA programs were failing in this endeavor because they most often focused on learning to manage simple, stable situations. Porter and McKibbin (1988), in an influential review of business school curricula, found that little attention was paid to developing students’ administrative and leadership skills. As a result of these and other criticisms, business schools have been paying greater attention to the development of leadership skills. More often, business schools and other educational programs concerned with the quality of leadership in their discipline (e.g., public and health care administration, educational

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