Inspirational Motivation: Transformational Leadership

Inspirational Motivation In inspirational motivation, the leader is expressly and characteristically emphasizing to his followers the need to perform well and helps to accomplish the mission and goals of the organization. Bass and Avolio argue that the leaders who adopt this kind of behaviour have an ability to strengthen their followers’ responses (Bass & Avolio, 1994). Based on Balyer, A. (2012), inspirational motivation is to motivate and inspire those around them by displaying enthusiasm and optimism, involving the followers in envisioning attractive future states, communicating high expectations, and demonstrating commitment to the shared goals. It describes managers who motivate associates to commit to the vision of the organization.

Leaders challenge the process and confront old and outdated assumptions, traditions and processes. Further, they involve others in the discussion and stimulate new ways of thinking. According to Avolio & Bass, (2002), intellectual stimulation in leadership is the ability of a leader to keep his followers thinking about the tasks at hand, asking questions and solving problems. Transformational leadership has the intellectual capability to stimulate followers to be creative in problem solving by introducing ideas and preliminary solution to the problems based on their own understandings, beliefs and

(Avolio and Bass, 2002). However, it highlights rationality and new approaches for followers to follow. It also re-evaluates old beliefs and values and looks at difficulties as problems that need to be solved and seeks logical solutions to these problems. A transformational leader does not criticize followers in public for their mistakes. Rather, it provides them with challenging tasks and encourages them to solve problems the way they like. Nevertheless, the transformational leadership will highlight the rationality of the new approaches, beliefs, and values in problem solving to their followers to choose