This article is prepared by Su-Tuan Lulee for EDDE 804 at Ed. D., Athabasca University, Canada in 2011

1. Running head: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP 1
Transformational Leadership: Leadership for Education
Su Tuan Lulee
Professor: Dr. Martha Cleveland-Innes
Prepared for Assignment 1
EDDE 804: Leadership and Project Management in Distance Education
Ed. D., Athabasca University
February 5, 2011

2. Running head: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP 2
Abstract
Different kinds of leadership theories have been proposed over time such as trait-based
leadership, emergent leadership, contingency leadership, complexity leadership, transactional
leadership, transformational leadership, and distributed leadership. Each theory has its influence and
value in an era in certain contexts. This paper argues that transformational leadership is the most
suitable style for leading formal academic institutions structured with the official internal and external
hierarchies. The argument is supported by (1) the moral foundation of the transformational leadership;
(2) proven validity from previous studies; and (3) evidences from the practices of the educational
leaders.
Key words: transformational leadership theory, educational leadership

3. Running head: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP 3
Transformational Leadership
During the past few decades, great organizational, societal and cultural changes have occurred.
Globalization and technology have caused a reorganization of the supply-chain and worker-chain with an
accompaniment of new forms of learning and knowledge sharing (Latchem & Hanna, 2001a). Free and
wide-spread information on the Internet challenges the traditional authority and the control over
knowledge of educators and leaders in administration as well as the way teachers and students interact
in the institutions. People are encouraged to question authority when necessary. The concept of “going
beyond one’s interests for the good of the organization” is no longer accepted unconditionally (Bass,
1999). The changes and challenges led to various explorations on leadership theory in seeking for
effective leadership models for the new era in which people ask for changes but do not have a clear track
for doing that. Leadership theories such as transformational leadership, distributed leadership, and
complexity leadership have been developed in an attempt to describe the new phenomena, predict what
will happen, and suggest strategies for effective leadership. Transformational leadership theory among
all the existing theories is the one that underscores the importance of changing the mindset of the
subordinators, building trust for the willingness to internalize organizational values, and encourage the
follower to become the leader. In today’s fast-changing environment of education, the problems people
confront often did not exist before. There is a greater need for everyone to respond to one’s unique
problems properly and timely instead of waiting for instructions from the supervisors. Transformational
leadership is needed for facilitating the capability.
Transactional Leadership vs. Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership has been introduced after the research on behavioral leadership
such as great-man leadership and trait-based leadership that assumed that leadership is rooted in the
characteristics that certain individuals possess. James Burns (1978) first introduced two types of

4. Running head: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP 4
leadership styles: transactional and transformational leadership. Most of the traditional leaderships are
transactional leadership in which the leader and the follower work together under informal contracts.
The leader gives instructions to the follower about what they need to do and provides rewards when the
follower completes the instruction. The leader and the follower exchange resources to meet their own
self-interests. Distinct from transactional leadership, transformational leaders aim at inducing positive
change in individuals through articulating vision of the future that can be shared with peers and
subordinators, inspiring subordinators’ motivation, intellectually stimulate subordinates, and pay high
attention to individual differences among people (Bass, 1999; Lowe, Kroeck, & Sivasubramaniam, 1996).
The transformational leadership approach uplifts the morale, motivation, and morals of their followers
with the end goal of developing the follower into a leader (Bass, 1999).
Educators usually have higher academic qualification than the average people in their society.
They are expected to be intelligent while playing roles as moral models. Leading an institution that is
mainly formed by a group of educators to fulfill the missions of education requires a values-driven
approach (Latchem & Hanna, 2001b). Aitkin (1998) and Bass (1999) argued that if the power of the
educational leaders is to be used effectively, the leader (vice-chancellor) must “have a sense of mission,
an agenda, a vision … those attributes need to come from inside, not from the university itself … from
reflection and from one’s personal values.” (Aitkin, 1998, p. 123) Latchem and Hanna (2001c) also
highlighted that educational leaders should see themselves as educators who are capable of enabling
other team members to acquire and exercise the leadership skills. Drawing on these view points,
educational leaders can only achieve real and lasting commitment to change by adopting more of
transformational leadership approach and less transactional leadership approach. As noted by Sir John
Daniel: “I believe that a leader should spend more time crating meaning for people than making
decisions for them.” (Daniel, 2001. p. 143)

5. Running head: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP 5
Other Leadership Theories vs. Transformational Leadership Theory
Theories for emergent leadership and other leaderships based on the contingency theory have
shared a common assumption that there is no single correct leadership for all contexts and the best
leadership is defined by external factors such as the characteristics of the subordinators, the type of
work and the stress level in the organization. This situational perspective for adopting leadership has
influenced almost all modern theories of leadership (Envision Software, Inc., 2011 Jan. 21) including
transformational leadership. However, emergent leadership and other styles of leadership based on
contingency theory focus more on the leader’s ability to diagnose the competence and commitment of
the subordinators and respond accordingly (Latchem & Hanna, 2001b) without stressing the importance
of internal factors such as ideal, vision, mission, value, or motivation and individualized concerns. An
important constituent of educational leadership is missing from the leaderships with situational
perspective.
The same limitation exists in distributed leadership. Distributed leadership approach was
developed around four central ideas – leadership tasks and functions, task-enactment, social distribution
of task-enactment, and situational distribution of task-enactment (Spillane, 2004). The main examination
of distributed leadership is its practice distributed over leaders, followers and their situation and
incorporates the activities of multiple groups of individuals.” (Spillane, 2004) The ideal influence of the
leadership has not been brought to the up front of the theory.
Another theory of leadership that was introduced lately is that of complexity leadership theory.
Complexity leadership theory considers leadership to be a system function that enables adaptive action
in complex adaptive systems. This theory could be powerful in describing the leadership occurs in
informal learning environment such as self-organized learning communities and open learning. It is not
the intension of complexity leadership theory to describe the leadership in formal learning in official

6. Running head: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP 6
academic institutions that has official internal and external hierarchies on which this paper focuses.
The Importance of Moral Function
This paper argues that transformational leadership is more suitable for educational institutions
than the other leadership theories on the basis of three viewpoints: (1) the moral foundation of
transformational leadership; (2) proven validity from previous studies; and (3) evidences from the
practices of the educational leaders. I will elaborate these three viewpoints in the following paragraphs.
The underlying philosophy for participating in education, either as an educator or a student, is
the assumption that the capability of an individual is not solely inherent - individual has the ability to
learn. Through education, the abilities of an individual will grow. The higher the abilities grow, the better
the choices an individual can make. An individual can obtain greater power of control over one’s own
future through education. This is the belief that makes education worthwhile. The approach of
transformational leadership takes the assumption that people can and are willing to learn. Leaders are
therefore should communicate the values and visions with their subordinators and intellectually
stimulate their motivation so that the latter become willing to align self-interests with the organization’s
interests, internalize its values, and commit to the delivery of the missions. In addition, transformational
leadership theory highlights the necessity for the moral character of leaders and their concerns for self
and others, the morality of the processes of social ethical choices and action in which the leaders and
followers engage and collectively pursue (Bass & Steidlmeier, 1999). These are all essential qualities for
leading educational institutions.
Transformational leaders, in contrast to purely charismatic leaders who lead followers by
invoking blind obedience, discourage followers and facilitate the followers to become leaders. When
individuals have increased their intelligence and decision-making ability, they have also increased their
capability for taking actions to advance the quality of the group. Moreover, when the individuals have

7. Running head: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP 7
more power of control, the morality of process would be advanced and further support the distributive
justice that specify what individuals owe each other, what individuals owe to the group and what groups
owe to individuals. It follows that everyone has a kind of moral standing and the interests of at least a
minimum of altruism to help stakeholders to recognize the obvious benefits in fulfilling their goals. For
this, transformational leadership is needed in educational institution on which a moral foundation of
legitimate values must rest.
Validity
Transformational leadership style as a construct has been examined by several scholars (Avolio,
Bass, & Jung, 1999; Bass, 1995, 1999; Bass, Avolio & Goodheim, 1987; Bono & Judge, 2004; Ling, Simsek,
Lubatkin, & Veiga, 2008; Lowe, et al., 1996; Sosik, Avolio, & Kahai, 1997). Several questionnaires have
been used to measure the validity of different leadership styles, including transformational leadership,
such as the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire
(LBDQ), and the Transformational Leadership Questionnaire (TLQ). In the meta-analytic review of the 39
MLQ literatures, Lowe et al. (1996) reported a wide range of observed validity coefficient between the
five scales of the MLQ and various measures of leadership effectiveness. Coefficients for the association
between leadership style and effectiveness were higher for transformational scales than for transactional
scales and a positive effect existed across studies between transformational leadership and effectiveness.
In addition, the study of Lowe et al. reported that transformational leadership behaviors were more
commonly observed in public organizations than in private ones. No difference in the pattern of
relationships between MLQ scales and effectiveness were observed in comparison to studies of high
level and low level leaders. Among all the criteria, charisma, the most commonly associated with a
generalized impression of transformational leadership, showed the strongest association with
effectiveness.

8. Running head: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP 8
Ling et al. (2008) found that transformational CEO plays an important role in promoting
corporate entrepreneurship and shaping the character of top management team in terms of behavioral
integration (quality and completeness of decision making), decentralization of responsibilities, risk-taking
propensity, and long-term compensation.
Implication for Practice
In additional to studies on construct validity, experts and leaders in education have expressed
positive supports for the adoption of transformational leadership. President of UNESO-COL
(Commonwealth of Learning) - Sir John Daniel, former Vice President of Athabasca University (the OU)
and the Vice-Chancellor of the UK Open University, described his leadership approaches as: “acted by
example to create goals implicitly”; “demonstrated the approach and style”; “interpret values”;
“openness and flexibility”; “encouraged those who were most ambitious for the OU”; and “looked for
commitment to the values, energy, enthusiasm, loyalty and credibility across the institution” (Daniel,
2001, in Latchem & Hanna (Eds.), pp. 143-146. Stress added by the author). The verbs he used revealed
his notion for transformational leadership. Hanna (2001), former Chancellor of the University of
Wisconsin-Extension in the US, shared his primary tasks for leading the institution including “provide a
more supportive environment”; “provide opportunities” for faculty and staff (p. 168); “broad-based
training and development opportunities for faculty”; and “develop a climate of communication,
interaction, and cross-programme and division activities” (p. 170). He suggested that leaders should
believe in the goals and purposes that transcend individuals: “Without ideals and purposes, actions are
meaningless.” (p. 172) Sir John Daniel and Hanna’s leadership practices value the transformational
approach.
Conclusions
It is important for educational leaders to lead the organization not based on a give-and-take

9. Running head: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP 9
relationship, but on the leaders’ personality, traits, intelligence, and ability to make a change through
being the moral exemplars of working toward the good of the team or organization as well as constantly
committing to shared visions and goals. The concept of transformational leadership is a compelling
model for education leaders today (Beaudoin, 2007). Although researchers have cautioned that the
transformational leadership approach might not always be the best for every situation (Bass, 1999) and
that educational leaders should avoid committing to any particular leadership style (Beaudoin, 2007),
this paper argues that leaders of formal educational institutions need to be more transformational and
less transactional to be able to remain effective in discharging their leadership responsibilities.

10. Running head: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP 10
References
Aitkin, D. (1998). What Do Vice-Chancellors Do? Journal of Higher Education Policy and
Management, 20(2), 117-128. doi:10.1080/1360080980200201
Avolio, B. J., Bass, B. M., & Jung, D. I. (1999). Re-Examining the Components of Transformational
and Transactional Leadership Using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Journal of
Occupational & Organizational Psychology, 72(4), 441-462.
Bass, B. M. (1995). Theory of Transformational Leadership Redux. The Leadership Quarterly, 6(4),
463-478. doi:10.1016/1048-9843(95)90021-7
Bass, B. M. (1999). Two Decades of Research and Development in Transformational Leadership.
European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 8(1), 9-32.
doi:10.1080/135943299398410
Bass, B. M., Avolio, B. J., & Goodheim, L. (1987). Biography and the Assessment of Transformational
Leadership at the World-Class Level. Journal of Management, 13(1), 7 -19.
doi:10.1177/014920638701300102
Bass, B. M., & Steidlmeier, P. (1999). Ethics, Character, and Authentic Transformational Leadership
Behavior. The Leadership Quarterly, 10(2), 181-217. doi:10.1016/S1048-9843(99)00016-8
Beaudoin, M. F. (2007). Institutional Leadership. In Handbook of Distance Education (pp. 391-402).
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associations.
Bono, J. E., & Judge, T. A. (2004). Personality and Transformational and Transactional Leadership: A
Meta-Analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 901-910. doi:10.1037/0021-
9010.89.5.901
Burns, J.M, (1978), Leadership, New York, N.Y.: Harper and Raw Publishers.
Daniel, J. (2001). The UK Open University: Managing Success and Leading Change in a Mega-
University. In Leadership for 21st Century Learning: Global Perspectives from International
Experts (pp. 139-146). New York, NY: Routledge.
Envision Software, Inc. (2011, Jan. 21). Contingency Leadership. Envision. Retrieved from
http://www.envisionsoftware.com/articles/Contingency_Leadership_Theory.html
Hanna, D. E. (2001). University of Wisconsin-Extension: Exercising Leadership in Complex
Organizations. In Leadership for 21st Century Learning: Global Perspectives from
International Experts (pp. 167-175). New York, NY: Routledge.
Latchem, C., & Hanna, D. E. (2001a). Changes, Challenges and Choices. In Colin Latchem & Donald
E. Hanna (Eds.) Leadership for 21st Century Learning: Global Perspectives from Educational
Innovators, (pp. 15-26). New York, NY: Routledge.

11. Running head: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP 11
Latchem, C., & Hanna, D. E. (2001b). Leadership in Open and Flexible Learning. In Colin Latchem &
Donald E. Hanna (Eds.) Leadership for 21st Century Learning: Global Perspectives from
Educational Innovators, (pp. 53-62). New York, NY: Routledge.
Latchem, C., & Hanna, D. E. (2001c). Lessons for the Future. In Leadership for 21st Century
Learning: Global Perspectives from Educational Innovators, In Colin Latchem & Donald E.
Hanna (Eds.) (pp. 235-240). New York, NY: Routledge.
Ling, Y., Simsek, Z., Lubatkin, M. H., & Veiga, J. F. (2008). Transformational Leadership's Role in
Promoting Corporate Entrepreneurship: Examining the CEO-TMT Interface. Academy of
Management Journal, 51(3), 557–576.
Lowe, K. B., Kroeck, K. G., & Sivasubramaniam, N. (1996). Effectiveness Correlates of
Transformational and Transactional Leadership: A Meta-Analytic Review of the MLQ
Literature. The Leadership Quarterly, 7(3), 385-415. doi:10.1016/S1048-9843(96)90027-2
Sosik, J. J., Avolio, B. J., & Kahai, S. S. (1997). Effects of leadership style and anonymity on group
potency and effectiveness in a group decision support system environment. Journal of
Applied Psychology, 82(1), 89-103. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.82.1.89
Spillane, J. P., Halverson, R., & Diamond, J. B. (2004). Towards a Theory of Leadership Practice: A
Distributed Perspective. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 36(1), 3-34.
doi:10.1080/0022027032000106726