Transformational Leadership Theory and Self Determination Concepts in Leadership

Transformational Leadership Theory and Self Determination concepts in Leadership:

A Review of the Literature

According to Picollo and Colquitt, 2006, Transformational leadership is a key factor in understanding effective workplace management and is characterized by four dimensions: The ability of a leader to provide meaning and context information, compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others, individualized consideration and the ability of a leader to keep those following him or her. In this type of leadership theory, Self-determination theory is key in understanding how the motivational mechanisms that drive individuals to perceive themselves as displaying transformational leadership behavior are better understood. It takes individuals in leadership to have certain innate characteristics that are dependent on elements such as people or relational skills, charismatic or inspirational drives and sufficient amounts of intellectual prowess to carefully navigate between motivating and stimulating individuals or groups of individuals without over-taxing or over-burdening, and thus coming across as 'corny' and/or untrustworthy. No one in modern industry wants to be considered a 'company man or woman', and so pitching a transformational approach to leadership utilizing self-determination as the driving fuel can be tricky at best. This is best seen in an industry like the one that I work in, whereby the work attracts people who tend to have an innate drive to do good by fellow mankind, or for some personal reason generally, wants to serve people because of their own personal experiences in life.

Over the years, transformational leadership has received much attention because it has been linked to important outcomes such as employee job satisfaction and organizational performance (Judge & Piccolo, 2004). As delineated above, a useful theoretical framework for understanding the concepts that underlie the transformation leadership theory is the Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Central to SDT are the concepts of autonomous motivation and perceived competence (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Williams, McGregor, Zeldman, Freedman, & Deci, 2004). Autonomous motivation refers to the sense of volition and self-endorsement of one's own behavior. In my place of employment, this is often very evident by the way certain employees, and often some leaders, measure their self-worth by executing their actions to benefit the clients and/or the organization, elevating themselves as advocates with good intentions. In that, they often feel like to be seen, or at least their actions to be perceived as positive, altruistic behavior that should be self-explanatory to everyone involved as beneficial to the wellbeing of the organization. They often behave this way even if it violates the company policies due to their autonomous motivation. This can also be very positive because some these individuals are self-driven to do well and tend to be task-masters. At times they can also be over-bearing to others by being 'masters of tasks', or 'micro-manager', especially if they are charged with leadership responsibilities. Autonomous motivation involves engaging freely in an action for its inherent satisfaction (intrinsic motivation) or because one identifies with its value or meaning (identified regulation). Perceived competence refers to the perception of being efficient in one's social interactions and being able to control important outcomes, which is more specific in nature because it constitutes a socially acquired expectancy to successfully perform a given action. This is true to the core of elevated self-worth, which is often perceived negatively, not necessarily so in the big scheme. This may the drive that the individual transformational leader may need to be able to perform at a very high level, because of fear of being perceived as anything less that what they believe themselves to be.

According to SDT, individuals are more likely to experience a wide range of positive psychological outcomes when they are autonomously motivated and feel competent. In the workplace, autonomous motivation has been linked to employee performance (Kuvaas, 2009) and commitment (Gagne', Chemolli, Forest, & Koestner, 2008), while self-efficacy has been associated with organizational commitment (Neves, 2009), job satisfaction, and performance (Judge & Bono, 2001). Furthermore, SDT posits that interpersonal relationships are essential to the development of optimal functioning. Relationships characterized by meaningful interactions are the bases for well-being and adaptive functioning and as such, are central to the concept of leadership. Based on trust, respect, and mutual support, high-quality relationships are the necessary foundation, on which efficient leadership develops. In order for managers to instill pride and respect in his followers as well as communicate a captivating vision of the future of the organization, he or she must feel trusted and supported. Managers appear more likely to believe that they will succeed in promoting positive changes and attaining organizational objectives because they feel that their subordinates will trust them and adhere to their vision. As complex as these theories may appear, the key to their success is dependent also on an environment of 'enabling', which must occur at the highest levels in order to instill and foster trust in leaders to execute their responsibilities with high levels of trust and authority. In my work place, the concept of being 'enabled' by the higher echelons is often lacking because of the layers of bureaucracy and red tape. There are many individuals who are committed to the success of the organization and for personal reason because of the nature of the work. They really aspire to go above and beyond the call of duty, yet the bureaucratic machinery and governmental red tape often hinder even the best of their intentions. It is difficult to apply the concepts of Transformational Leader theory, which is often underscored in the leadership format at my work place, but as one can see, this is closely dependent on the Self Determination Theory and its core Autonomous motivation and Perceived competence. This approach to leadership takes the ideas rooted in protocols and prescribed programs out of the way and replaces them with 'big ideas' concepts that work, and less rigidity to an amendment or rethinking, or retooling of those 'big ideas'. Drawing on SDT, it is reasonable to propose that manager perceptions of the quality of interpersonal relationships with superiors and subordinates predict their perceptions of transformational behavior through autonomous motivation and self-efficacy.

Recent research suggest that

...