Improving Organizational Effectiveness Through Transformational Leadership

Recipient of the 1994 Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology′s Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award ＂This effort to explore the applications of transformational leadership in diverse organizational processes is commendable. The work will provide several new issues in the study of transformational leadership. Another noteworthy feature of the book is its attempt to integrate theory and practice.... This book will be useful for academic researchers, teachers, trainers and senior level managers. It will also be a useful new addition for every library.＂ --Management and Labour Studies ＂Undoubtedly the editors and authors have conducted some worthwhile research which can encourage the growth of effective organizations.＂ --The Journal of Academic Librarianship ＂If you′re looking for a compact volume by eight of the leading advocates of transformational leadership, Bernard M. Bass and Bruce J. Avolio have just what you want at a reasonable paperback price. . . . Contains ten tightly written chapters. . . . The scope is wide ranging. The practicing manager will find a lot of interesting and useful material in this book. . . . Provides valuable insights for an organization that is thinking of instituting a transformational leadership program.＂ --The Journal of Leadership Studies ＂Tells how transformational leadership goes beyond transactional leadership by providing a role model, meaning, and challenge; generating awareness of vision and mission; developing others to higher levels of ability and potential; and motivating colleagues and followers to look beyond personal to group interests. . . . Contains executive summaries and notes. Stimulating.＂ --Stern′s HR Management Review How can managers bring about optimum performance from the individuals in their organizations? What leadership techniques produce the most effective organizations? Improving Organizational Effectiveness Through Transformational Leadership explains the theory and practice of this dynamic and innovative leadership style that challenges and motivates an entire organization--top to bottom. The transformational leader encourages followers by acting as a role model, motivating through inspiration, stimulating intellectually, and giving individualized consideration for needs and goals. The result is individual, group, and organizational achievement beyond expectations. Each chapter deals with how transformational leadership affects important issues in today′s organizations, such as delegation, teamwork, decision making, total quality management, and corporate reorganization. With a cast of contributors from the forefront of leadership studies, this book is a must for both the scholar and the enlightened manager who strive for improvement for his or her organization.

Bruce J. Avolio

Marion B. Ingersoll Professor, Executive Director, Center for Leadership and Strategic Thinking

Michael G. Foster School of Business, University of Washington

Dr. Avolio has an international reputation as a researcher and practitioner in leadership. He has consulted with public and private organizations in North and South America, Africa, Europe, and Southeast Asia, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and Israel. His research and consulting includes work with the militaries of the United States of America, Singapore, Sweden, Finland, Israel, and South Africa.

Dr. Avolio is a fellow of the Academy of Management, American Psychological Society, American Psychological Association and the Gerontological Society. He is the former President of the Society for Human Resource Management Foundation and the Organizational Behavior Division of the Academy of Management.

Dr. Avolio has published 10 books and over a 125 articles on leadership and related areas. His books include Transformational and Charismatic Leadership: The Road Ahead (Elsevier Science, 2002), Full Leadership Development: Building the Vital Forces in Organizations (Sage Publications, 1999), and Developing Potential Across a Full Range of Leadership: Cases on Transactional and Transformational Leadership (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2000). His newest books are Leadership Development in Balance: Made/Born (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, February 2005), The High Impact Leader: Moments Matter in Authentic Leadership Development (McGraw-Hill 2006) and Psychological capital: Developing the human competitive edge (Oxford Press, 2007) with Fred Luthans and Carolyn Youssef.

Dr. Avolio has worked with government agencies on national leadership development projects, and with governments at the state and local level. His current projects include:

• Working with public healthcare leaders to design a leadership institute for healthcare providers and educators.
• Working on a 4 year project with the U.S. Veteran’s Administration on strategic leadership development and ownership.
• Current projects include a 300k contract with the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to investigate ethical leadership development; a 730k contract to conduct a longitudinal investigation of leadership development with military officers, and a 186k contract with the VA to examine how taking ownership and developing leadership produce better healthcare results.

Dr. Avolio’s latest interest and presentations focus on the following:

• How do we accelerate authentic leadership development for maximum impact on performance?
• How do we use the positive psychological capacities of leaders to accelerate change?
• How do we show decision makers the ’return on development’ investment in leadership?
• How can we develop leaders and leadership to effectively operate in extreme contexts?