Leadership
For every theory there is a counter argument. What are the criticisms and arguments against Transformational Leadership? Identify the sources and clearly articulate the reasoning behind the criticisms. Adopt a position for or against Transformational Leadership and defend your position with argument
Introduction
This essay is based on the Transformational leadership theory and will be referred to as TL throughout this essay. This essay will look into criticisms and arguments against the theory and analyse the reasoning of these criticisms and arguments. Effective leaders are well aware that in best practice it is never viable to implement one style of leadership and flexibility is vital for a smooth operation. This essay will therefore stand for Transformational Leadership where it is applicable and against it where it is not. It will then articulate on the reasons behind this thinking.
Main Body
The original theory of TL was developed by James Burns in 1978 but it can be said that Bernard Bass is the main theorist behind the continuous development of TL. From 1985 onwards Bernard Bass was accredited with more of a structured and better development on the theory of TL. Transformational leadership is very much dependant on human nature and how best to harness this to gain better performance. This naturally meant that just as with human nature there were many complex flaws with TL and the academics and critics were ever ready to emphasise this. TL was also criticised for not being able to standalone as a single theory as the understanding of other theories was essential in order for its concepts to be grasped by the potential leader. Babou (2008) “Understanding the difference between transactional and transformational leadership is vital in getting the whole concept of transformational leadership theory” (pg1). Due to different viewpoints and counter arguments against TL, Bass and Avolio developed The Full Range Leadership Model (FRL), which integrated 9
Introduction
This essay is based on the Transformational leadership theory and will be referred to as TL throughout this essay. This essay will look into criticisms and arguments against the theory and analyse the reasoning of these criticisms and arguments. Effective leaders are well aware that in best practice it is never viable to implement one style of leadership and flexibility is vital for a smooth operation. This essay will therefore stand for Transformational Leadership where it is applicable and against it where it is not. It will then articulate on the reasons behind this thinking.
Main Body
The original theory of TL was developed by James Burns in 1978 but it can be said that Bernard Bass is the main theorist behind the continuous development of TL. From 1985 onwards Bernard Bass was accredited with more of a structured and better development on the theory of TL. Transformational leadership is very much dependant on human nature and how best to harness this to gain better performance. This naturally meant that just as with human nature there were many complex flaws with TL and the academics and critics were ever ready to emphasise this. TL was also criticised for not being able to standalone as a single theory as the understanding of other theories was essential in order for its concepts to be grasped by the potential leader. Babou (2008) “Understanding the difference between transactional and transformational leadership is vital in getting the whole concept of transformational leadership theory” (pg1). Due to different viewpoints and counter arguments against TL, Bass and Avolio developed The Full Range Leadership Model (FRL), which integrated 9