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Embedding Transformational Leadership In Practice
Osama Fouad
Managerial Researcher
Purpose
Talk about Transformational Leadership (TF) What it is, what it really means Why it’s so important Practical things we’ve done to embed it and 360 degree appraisal in
various organisations Some of the lessons learned along the way Also here to learn from your experience
Style
Need to briefly recap the theory, but we’ll do that quickly
Debunk some of the myths
Challenge what you believe to be true
Build in some activities around factors to consider when embedding TF/using 360
Handouts and questionnaires to take away
Why Do We Need Leadership?
Quick Recap……….
Importance of Leadership
Vision, direction and focus –real skill is aligning people to it
Clear goals, don’t know where you are going you are unlikely to get there
Team spirit…………….
Manager’s managing is important
Transformational Leadership has the biggest impact on morale, motivation, stress, job satisfaction, productivity and performance
Importance of Leadership
Poor leadership costs ££££££££££ in terms of stress related absence, and has enormous cost in terms of individual health and psychological well being
Increased focus on leadership development and assessment in our Corporate Performance Assessment
“Leadership is the single biggest factor that drives change and organisational improvement “ LG White Paper”
Direct Relationship Between Leadership,
Motivation, Stress and Performance
3 Variables That Affect Performance
Performance =
A + Ability and competence
M + Motivation
R + Resources
TIME
PERF
motivation
competence
Motivation Over Time
40-50% effective
Leadership is about saying… “How can I interact with people to improve their performance, give them just enough
stretch to keep them motivated and help them realise their potential?”
What’s The Biggest Cause Of Stress In The
Workplace?
Climate Studies 50’s to 90’s
60-75% of people said that in any organisation, the most stressful
aspect of their work was their immediate boss!
“Managers with controlling styles who fail to clarify roles and responsibilities, who
exert undue pressure have working groups with higher levels of stress and
tension”
Controlling Styles
Climate Studies- Main Causes Of Stress
Unclear roles and responsibilities
Lack of autonomy
Lack of social support
Levels Of Arousal
Perf.
Acceptable level of stress
Unacceptable level
Stress is Infectious!
Average correlation within the same working groups
= .92
We leak!!!!
Leadership Development
is both a financial and moral imperative….
Stress is increasing in
organisations at a phenomenal
rate
Cost of stress is also increasing
(in terms of absence as well as performance)
Beverly Alimo-Metcalfe
The Search for the Holy Grail
What makes a good leader?
Leadership Research: The Old Paradigm
1930s-50s Great Man Approach
Traits Approach
1960s The Behavioural Approach
1970s Situational/Contingency Approach
Autocratic Participative Consultative
Levels of Autonomy Democratic
Tannenbaum Schmidt
Levels of Freedom
Levels of Control
1960’s Behaviour/Style Approaches
“one best style”
Blanchard-Situational Leadership
PARTICIPATE SELL
DELEGATE TELL
FOLLOWER MATURITYHIGH LOW
The New Paradigms of Leadership
Changing Paradigms of Leadership
Seismic shift in thinking in the 70’s
Old models only suitable for stable environments
Research conducted with first line supervisors
Need to engage with CExs with experience of managing strategic and complex change
Existing research not particularly valid- all self rating
The Myths of Leadership
It’s rare
It’s found mainly at the top
It’s about being super-human
You can only do it if you are male!
(We’ll save that one for another time)
Beverly Alimo-Metcalfe
Research on Charisma
Early research- charismatic leaders were the star performers
Utter rubbish -completely discredited
You were perceived to be charismatic if you were evangelistic, expressive, waived your arms about, had blue eyes, were extrovert rather than introvert
Leadership is about being quietly effective
Knight in shining armour required to charge in on their white horse and save the organisation from ruin-
Mere mortals need not apply!
Unrealistic Job Ads
What’s the Difference Between Leadership and
Management?
Another paradigm shift- leadership no longer viewed as a subset of management………….
Kotter’s Comparison of Management & Leadership
Transactional Leadership
(Management)
Creating Planning Budgeting:
Agendas
Developing HR
Organising & Staffing
Execution Controlling & Problem- solving:
Outcomes Produces a degree of predictability & order
Transformational Leadership
(Leadership)
Establishing Direction:
Aligning People:
Motivating & Inspiring:
Produces change - often to a dramatic degree
Leadership Versus Management
Management is about coping with complexity, provides stability, order and consistency
- Is transactional- Promotes the status quo
Leadership Versus Management
Leadership is having vision, a clear sense of direction and aligning people to it, helping people cope with change
-Promotes transformation and drives change
Leadership Versus Management
Management is about doing things right
Leadership is about doing the right thing
We need to develop both
But where did the terms transactional
and transformational come from?…..
Transactional versus Transformational
Transactional - negotiation exchange or bargaining
Transformational - a vision that things would be different or better
George McGregor Burns
1980’s Bass’s Model of Transformational Leadership
Idealised Influence (Vision)
Inspirational Motivation (Charisma)
Intellectual Stimulation
Individualised Consideration
Bass, B.M. (1985) Leadership & Performance Beyond Expectations. London: Free Press
Vision
“Vision is the dream that invents the future”
Developing a shared vision
Direction, aligning people
Painting pictures
Make people believe it’s achievable
Be a Good Conductor
“The task is to get the orchestra working to deliver the music in your head. It’s a three stage operation- hear the music, get it over to the
orchestra get them to give it to the audience”
Leonard Bernstein
Redefining Charisma
Quietly effective
Positive role models others look up to and want to follow
Encourage people to give more of themselves, go the extra mile
Can be positive or negative
Beware the pseudo-charismatics
Pseudo- Charismatics
Often do well at interview
All gloss and no substance
Highly visible
Good at self promotion/taking credit for the work of others
Don’t deliver results
Can generate compliance cultures
Zero correlation between charisma and performance, strong correlation
between charisma and pay!
Potentially Worrying !!
Intellectual Stimulation
Encourage people to question the way things are done and are not defensive
Take a collaborative approach to problem solving
Intelligent and use a range of behaviours-adjust pitch and style according to whom they are dealing with, gain credibility quickly
Individualised Consideration
Genuine concern for others and their welfare
Communicate positive expectations of people
Treat them with dignity and respect
Not interested in status and hierarchy- treat everyone as equals
Value diversity and difference
Are you ok?
Does The Soft and Fluffy Stuff Really Work?Research has shown that:
Transformational Leadership has a significantly greater impact than Transactional Leadership on a variety of subjective and objective outcome measures, including:
job satisfaction, motivation, and performance of followers lower levels of stress & burnout amongst staff more collaborative, innovative, harmonious teams financial performance of organisations performance in public sector organisations
Source: Bass, B.M. & Avolio, B.J., (1996) Postscripts: Recent Developments for Improving Organisational Effectiveness, Sage
The Importance Of Balance
“It’s about being transactional in a transformational way”
Managers Managing Is Also Important
Clarifying roles and expectations
Competency Framework
ConstitutionDelegations
Training on key skillsDecision making
Structures
Training on personnel policies and procedures
Appraisal
Managing poor performance
Reward/sanction
Why Conduct Further Research?
Most leadership research was from the US
Based on commercial & military organisations
Focus was typically on male white top managers who were self rating
Gender & race bias
How Was The Research Conducted?
Think about leaders you have known
2 outstanding, 2 average, 2 poor
Write their initials on a card
Shuffle cards and pick out 2
To what extent are they similar but different from the rest?
Elicit and group constructs
Interviews with 150 male and female managers, LG and NHS
using Rep Grid
New Model of Transformational Leadership (1)
(1) Leading others
Genuine concern for others
Enabling
Being accessible, available,
Encourages change
Beverly Alimo-Metcalfe & John Alban-Metcalfe
New Model of Transformational Leadership (2)
(2) Personal Qualities
Honest and consistent
Acting With Integrity
Being Decisive
Inspiring Others
Resolving Complex problems
New Model of Transformational Leadership (3)
(3) Organisational Skills
Political sensitivity and skills
Networker, promoter, communicator
Manages change sensitively and skilfully
Beverly Alimo-Metcalfe & John Alban-Metcalfe
3 Types of Handout In your Pack
How TF am I/Are We?
Transformational Leaders
Are outward looking Drive change in organisations and make things
happen Clear sense of direction and focus Develop a shared vision and bring people along with
them Communicate positive expectations Accessible, approachable, are honest consistent
and act with integrity Motivate and empower employees, help them cope
with change
The Relationship Between Leadership and Self Awareness
“Leadership and self awareness are inextricably linked- to be a leader you first need to know
yourself”Robert Greenleaf
“ Leadership is connecting what I do to who I am to those I
serve”
You are not a leader if no-one is following you!!!
Problems with Traditional Appraisal
BOSS
TEAM
LEADER
LINE
MANAGER
360 Is a Great Tool for Developing SAw
Multiple perspectives on your leadership style Encourages a culture of openness and feedback Studies have shown it improves all aspects of TF ( if development needs are
addressed) Performance improvement is sustained for at least two years
Particularly As…..
Direct reports are the best predictors of performance
Over and above assessment centres for the first seven years
We all have blind-spots
Everybody sees me differently but me!
Activity
How transformational is your organisation? How do you know? Are you doing enough to develop TF, if not what
practical things do you need to do?
(Think specifically about the implications for recruitment, A and D, competency frameworks, development/ succession planning etc)?
What practical things would you need to consider prior to implementing 360?
Lessons Learned
Embedding Transformational Leadership
“Leadership & culture are 2 sides of same coin-you can’t change one without the other”
Schein
Embedding Leadership Cultures in Organisations
The Culture Behaviour Cycle
Culture
Behaviour
Influences Reinforces
Focus At An Organisational and An Individual Level………..
Embedding TF-Research
Clear statement about which leadership and management skills the organisation values
Core competency framework which assesses management (the what) and TF leadership (the how)
Don’t run out-dated re-cycled management development programmes
Assess the right behaviours when you recruit or promote (handout refers)
Send a clear message-you only get on here if you do x!!!
Challenge The Unwritten Rules
Explore the contradictions
Some Examples
We want a high performance culture but reward loyalty/length of service
We want to reward TF but Job Evaluation rewards the task/ we don’t look for TF in recruitment
We are committed to equalities but few women make it to the top
We want to focus less on hierarchy and more on empowerment- but only senior managers can present to members
Hull research-no contradictions in excellent organisations
Other Lessons Learned
Never under-estimate the effort it takes to embed this down to grass roots-change agents can help
Have a clear communications strategy that tackles the “soggy sponge”
Then do some mystery shopping to find out whether employees at different levels know what TF is, what they can expect in terms of their managers and leaders?
Training is just the beginning-the days of just running a conference and expecting it to happen are over!!!
Focus on tangible results….
Other Lessons Learned………….. Managers at all levels need to work with their teams and identify
practical things they will do to to engender TF in their team/service and enhance their own style
Publicise quick wins (articles, certificates, recognition etc)
Its not just about training………
Recruitment and succession planning are key (recruitment fact-sheet refers)
Other Lessons Learned
Don’t forget to bring your policies into line- reward, recognition, bullying and harassment, managing poor performance
This is also about how we do business- the how we go about projects is as important as delivering to time
Don’t Forget The Importance Of Balance
“It’s about being transactional in a transformational way”
Individual as well as organisational behaviour contribute to culture….
Embedding a Culture of Transformational Leadership
Commitment from CEx and senior managers is vital
Studies show there are three major blocks to TF in organisations:
Senior managers
Senior managers and
Senior managers!!!
and they are crucial in terms of role modelling
the right behaviours
Bass, B.M. & Avolio, B. J. (1993) ‘Transformational leadership & organizational culture’. Public Administration Quarterly, 17, 112-121.
Essentially, Culture Management is Message Management
“Culture is created and sustained through the messages people receive about how
to behave.”
Carolyn Taylor, Walk the Talk
Managers Are Carriers Of Culture
Send important messages about what s acceptable and what isn’t through the way they lead,manage and interact with others
Whether they are open to feedback and suggestions
By what they choose to reward, how fair they are in this process
Whether they deal with inappropriate behaviour, and how well they tackle it
We must invest in their development
Quick Levers to Pull In Terms of Culture ChangeBehaviour Training and role modelling
Myths and Stories Mavericks, heroes and villainsPositive reinforcement-integration
Signs and Symbols Eg: Creating a high performance culture, performance dashboards, displaying evaluation dataPace and choice-see reward
Systems Reward-measure recognise and reward the right things-Succession Communications, meetings
Can Leadership Really be Developed?
It depends…..
On the attitude of the individual Preparedness to accept others’ views as valid Whether they are open to feedback Quality of feedback The organisation’s commitment to reinforcing what is important- supporting development-
what’s the sanction if people don’t change?
Lessons Learned
Embedding 360 Degree Appraisal
Critical Success Factors
Be clear about why you are using it
Is the organisation ready?
Ethics/confidentiality agreement- the person owns the data
360 should be used primarily for development purposes rather than performance assessment (360 should not be linked to performance pay)
Critical Success Factors
Supplements rather than replaces A and D
Chose a valid, reliable instrument which reflects your strategic aims
Cost and complexity can be a problem
Pilot-light small fires
Start at the top
Develop feedback skills first
Get People To Admit There Is a Problem!!!
When was the last time you asked for feedback about your personal style?
How frank were the conversations?
Do you know how your team would describe your style, your strengths, what you bring?
Do you know what they want you to stop doing/ do differently?
Is there two way or one way feedback in A and D?
Critical Success Factors
Clear advice on choosing raters Brief raters on TF- they need to understand what
they are assessing More detailed briefings may be required for
instruments which also assess competence Online briefings Credible qualified facilitator Prioritised Personal Development Plans with no
more than three key objectives Get commitment to resourcing development
needs
Embedding Transformational
Leadership In Practice
A Question to close……..
Can an organisation be transformational or is it the people that make it?
