The Performance Effects of Transformational Leadership in Public Administration

Abstract

ABSTRACT.My analysis complements the growing literature on the employees' motivation to achieve organizational aims, the impact of transformational leadership in a public sector environment, the determinants of leaders' behavior change, and the norms that support public administrators in their position as participants in democratic governance. The theory that I shall seek to elaborate here puts considerable emphasis on internal psychological processes that are prominent to employee attitudes and behaviors, the effect of task relevance on job performance, the duties and scope of transformational leadership in the public sector, and the normative features of transformational leadership in democratic governance.Keywords: performance effect; transformational leadership; public administration1. IntroductionThis paper aims to analyze and discuss the role of values in the leadership process, performance in public organizations, the effects of transformational leadership behavior, and the provocations posed by the targets of public organizations. The objective of this paper is to emphasize the relevance of employing individual perceptions (Pera, 2013a) when explaining employee behavior, leadership in the context of democratic governance (Nica, 2014a), public administrators as active participants in the governance process, and leadership policies in public sector settings. The results of the current study converge with prior research on public administration as part of the governance process, pivotal constituents of transformational leadership in the public sector, the normative basis of transformational leadership, and the values expressed in the missions of public organizations. These findings highlight the importance of examining the moral component of transformational leadership, the impact of leadership on public service motivation, leadership promotion of public service values, and the link between leadership and team performance.2. The Performance of Public Sector OrganizationsMission valence is an employee's perceptions of the appeal or prominence of an organization's goal or social contribution. Transformational leadership is focused on vision articulation, and does not have a direct connection with mission valence. Public employees find their organization's mission as relevant when their leaders create clear and appealing perspectives of the organization's mission. The inspirational power of public missions should be fostered, successful leaders employ both words and deeds to direct and stimulate their employees, and extrinsic rewards can play an outstanding function in stimulating public employees. Transformational leaders raise the employees' awareness of the relevance of organizational values and outcomes, and stimulate their higher-order necessities. (Wright et al., 2012) Leadership entails both an individual dimension and a networking one. Leaders may have an individual leadership development during their career. Different leaders interact in complementarity at various levels of leadership practice and in an interorganizational mode (complementarity prevails against authority in public management). The levels of leadership development may not correspond to a status: status is an occasion for leaders to substantiate their practice with prevalent topics, and may not guarantee the development of the leader. In the public sector, the practice of leadership is justified by the coexistence of political and administrative logics. Leadership not managed at the adequate level of action can have notable results in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. (Lemay, (2009)Transformational leadership may stimulate intentional action and high public employee performance (Popescu, 2014), may be positively associated with follower performance, and may be a substantial match for a workforce with high levels of public service incentive. Fostering the perception of task importance among employees can augment their incentive and endeavor. …

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