In today's dynamic and rapidly evolving workplaces, leaders play a crucial role in shaping the culture and environment of their teams. One approach that has gained prominence is transformational leadership. Biographer and political scientist James MacGregor Burns first coined this term in the Pulitzer Prize-winning text – Leadership (Haslam et al., 2010). What made leadership truly transformational, according to Burns, was its potential to take leaders on a journey of self-actualisation and how this process would enable them to scale greater psychological and moral heights (Haslam et al., 2010). This leadership style goes beyond traditional methods by inspiring and motivating employees to achieve their full potential by joining their leader on this same journey (Haslam et al., 2010). Interestingly, transformational leadership also catalyses creating psychological safety, a critical ingredient for fostering innovation, collaboration, and overall well-being in the workplace (Xu et al., 2022).
Psychological safety is an environment where individuals feel safe expressing their opinions, taking risks, and contributing without fear of judgment or reprisal (Mat et al., 2019). Transformational leaders foster psychological safety by cultivating an inclusive and supportive atmosphere (Carmelli et al., 2013). They encourage open dialogue, actively listen to their team members, and value diverse perspectives (Yin et al., 2019). These leaders create an environment that fosters collaboration, innovation, and learning by demonstrating trust, empathy, and authenticity (Zhou & Pan, 2015).
When employees feel safe and empowered, they are more likely to experiment, share knowledge, and collaborate across teams (Moin et al., 2021). This, in turn, fosters a culture of continuous learning and growth within the organisation. Ultimately, it creates a virtuous cycle where employees are motivated, committed, and enthusiastic about their work, resulting in increased overall performance and organisational success (Herold et al., 2008).
Transformational leadership and psychological safety can reshape workplaces and unlock the full potential of teams. What are your thoughts on this leadership style? How have you seen it foster psychological safety in your workplace? Let us continue the conversation and explore its impact further.
References
Carmeli, A., Sheaffer, Z., Binyamin, G., Reiter-Palmon, R., & Shimoni, T. (2014). Transformational Leadership and Creative Problem-Solving: The Mediating Role of Psychological Safety and Reflexivity. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 48(2), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.43
Haslam, S. A., Reicher, S. D., & Platow, M. J. (2010). The New Psychology of Leadership: Identity, Influence and Power. In The New Psychology of Leadership (pp. xxvi–xxvi). Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203833896
Herold, D. M., Fedor, D. B., Caldwell, S., & Liu, Y. (2008). The Effects of Transformational and Change Leadership on Employees’ Commitment to a Change: A Multilevel Study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(2), 346–357. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.2.346
Mat, N., Jansriboot, P., & Mat, N. (2019). Big Five Personality, Transformational Leadership, Psychological Safety, and Employee Engagement of Private Sector Employees in Southern Thailand. Jurnal Pengurusan, 56, 15–26. https://doi.org/10.17576/pengurusan-2019-56-02
Moin, M. F., Omar, M. K., Wei, F., Rasheed, M. I., & Hameed, Z. (2021). Green HRM and psychological safety: how transformational leadership drives follower’s job satisfaction. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(16), 2269–2277. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1829569
Xu, G., Zeng, J., Wang, H., Qian, C., & Gu, X. (2022). How Transformational Leadership Motivates Employee Involvement: The Roles of Psychological Safety and Traditionality. SAGE Open, 12(1), 215824402110699–. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211069967
Yin, J., Ma, Z., Yu, H., Jia, M., & Liao, G. (2020). Transformational leadership and employee knowledge sharing: explore the mediating roles of psychological safety and team efficacy. Journal of Knowledge Management, 24(2), 150–171. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-12-2018-0776
Zhou, Q., & Pan, W. (2015). A Cross-Level Examination of the Process Linking Transformational Leadership and Creativity: The Role of Psychological Safety Climate. Human Performance, 28(5), 405–424. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959285.2015.1021050
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