Leadership Dynamics in Change: Does Transformational Leadership Matter?

Change is a constant in the world around us. That’s true within the dynamic realm of all types of organizations, and it’s certainly true for higher education administration. Given the pace of change, leadership in such organizations needs to adapt quickly and be properly prepared to adapt to their new realities. This post looks at the research findings from a study into the dynamics of transformational and transactional leadership focused on the PULSE Fellows group (a National Science Foundation, NSF, funded group).

• Leadership Styles in the Spotlight: PULSE Fellows have moved toward a transformational leadership style, according to the results of this survey.

• Practical Implications: When teams were intentionally selected for their preference of a transformational leadership style, success rates were higher when faced with change initiatives. These teams outperformed those that were selected specifically for their subject matter expertise.

• Behavioral Nuances: Our study also showed a surprising link between a leader's level of transformational leadership and increased engagement in change outcomes. While not expected, this result does emphasize the importance of focusing on the behavioral aspects of leadership education.

• Transactional Leadership Challenges: There was also a negative relationship observed between transactional leadership and engagement. This shows the potential hurdles that can be encountered in an organization when this type of leadership style is used.

Leadership dynamics are complex, but hopefully we can use some insights from this study to help guide and inform future leadership development efforts. Focusing not only on technical expertise, but also leadership preference may help to support future efforts. Please be sure to share your insights in the comments below. I've also included the full article if you would like to read more.

Lamm, A. J., Lamm, K. W., Rodriguez, M. T. & Owens, C. T. (2016). Examining leadership style influence on engagement in a national change process: implications for higher education. Journal of Leadership Education, 15(4), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.12806/v15/i4/r1

LeadershipStyleHigherEducation.pdf

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