Positive Transformational Leadership: Building Positive Organizations
D.D. Warrick
Creating a culture of excellence is no small challenge. It takes an understanding of the importance of culture, setting an example, and selfless actions to do everything you can to bring out the best in others.1
Introduction
The key to building a positive organization is to have a leader at the top committed to the process, to define what a positive organization is, and to have leaders throughout the organization with the knowledge, commitment, and skills needed to transform an organization into a positive organization. Research on positive organizations suggests that they are likely to perform better than the norm, have positive work cultures that bring out the best in people, and attract and retain top-level talent.2,3,4 However, positive organizations do not happen by chance. They require skilled leaders with an understanding of what a positive organization is and is not, and a plan and the zeal to build something special.
There are many different perspectives on what a positive organization should look like and the perils of having a misguided perspective.5 Therefore, it is critical to make sure that what you are trying to build makes sense to those who will be functioning in the newly defined organization. It is particularly important to have leaders that are a good fit with a positive organization. While leaders could be trained on many leadership theories in preparation for being a successful leader in a positive organization, the theories that best fit positive organizations are the positive leadership and transformational leadership theories. Put these two theories together, using the best concepts from each, and you have a powerful combination for developing skilled positive transformational leaders capable of building a positive organization.
The Importance of Commitment From Top-Level Leaders
Intent reveals desire; action reveals commitment.6
Building a positive organization can have significant benefits to the organization, employees, customers, and all who are engaged with an organization. However, like anything of great worth, building a positive organization that achieves excellent results and is a quality place to work does not come easy. It requires a strong commitment from the CEO and top-level leaders to accomplish such a challenging and rewarding task and to make needed changes to some of the present ways of doing things.
Leaders need to recognize that building a positive organization requires far more than lots of talk about being positive and building a positive culture. It involves a willingness to make improvements throughout the organization. For an organization to be a positive place to work and do business with, it needs to be a well-run organization with skilled leaders, good management practices, and the ability to perform at a high level. It also needs to have good working conditions and a positive, people-oriented culture where people are treated with value and respect and a constructive and positive approach is the norm for dealing with people and issues. Having a positive culture in a poorly run, unhealthy organization would be seen as contradictory and hypocritical unless the goal is to use a new and more positive culture to improve, change, and transform the organization. Figure 7.1 shows possible roles of the CEO and other leaders in building a positive organization.
Figure 7.1 CEO and top-level leader roles in building a positive organization
Clarifying What a Positive Organization Looks Like
Beholden to accepted assumptions about people and organizations, too many enterprises waste human potential.7
To build a positive organization in a purposeful and meaningful way, you need to have a clear picture of what a positive organization would look like. The word positive typically means looking toward the good side of things and approaching things in a constructive way. Certainly, almost all people would prefer to have positive leaders with positive attitudes, to work in a positive work environment, and to deal with issues in a positive rather than negative way. However, one of the concerns that some researchers have about what it means to build a positive organization is that the terms used can create an unnatural and artificial expectation about how people are to act.8,9 The word positive can have the connotation that people are expected to always be upbeat and cheerful and never have a bad day and that leaders need to put a spin on difficult issues rather than address them directly. Also, some of the terms used by positive leadership and organization scholars can be confusing to those who may embrace the overall concept but not some of the philosophies or terms used, such as building “positively deviant organizations” (organizations that perform dramatically above the norm), building a “virtuous organization,” or creating a “culture of abundance.”
Appointing a High-Impact Team to Define What a Positive Organization is
Whether the term positive organization or some other term is used, it is important to make the definition of what is being created clear, compelling, and sensible to people throughout the organization and not just another passing fad. The document created could be in the form of defining the vision, mission, and core values of the organization in ways that would create a positive organization or in a clear and instructive definition of what is meant by a positive organization. In preparing whatever form of document that is to be used in building a positive organization, it is important to appoint a high-impact team to (1) study available information on best run organizations, positive leadership, and positive organizations and (2) develop a document that can be used in creating a positive organization. The team would also be likely to be used to (3) prepare a sound change process for transforming the organization into a positive organization and (4) guide the implementation of the change and transformation process. The term high-impact team is intended to emphasize the importance of the team and that it would ideally include the CEO and/or at least one member of the executive team as well as other key players in the organization that represent different parts and levels of the organization. It could also include one or more internal and/or external persons with professional expertise in building positive organizations and managing the change process.
There are many resources available for learning about best run organizations that, incidentally, are typically characterized by positive work environments. In identifying and learning from best run organizations that are successful and a great place to work and do business with, Fortune Magazine has an annual list of the 100 best organizations to work for and what they do that sets them apart.10 There are numerous books on best run organizations such as Built to Last,11 Good to Great,12 and What Really Works.13 Many journals such as the Harvard Business Review14 and Organizational Dynamics15 have articles about how the most effective leaders and organizations operate. The Internet is also a good source for quickly accessing appropriate information. This book contains chapters and suggested resources on positive organizations, positive leadership, and what it takes to build a positive organization.
Understanding Positive Leadership
The key is not to avoid or eliminate the negative but to transform it into an opportunity for flourishing.16
The major conceptualized version of positive leadership was introduced in 2008 by Kim Cameron in his book titled Positive Leadership.17 In 2013, in a follow-up book titled Practicing Positive Leadership, Cameron added to his thinking about positive leadership and included numerous examples of organizations practicing positive leadership.18
In his first book, Cameron described positive leaders by saying: “Positive leadership emphasizes what elevates individuals and organizations (in addition to what challenges them), what goes right in organizations (in addition to what goes wrong), what is life-giving (in addition to what is problematic or life-depleting), what is experienced as good (in addition to what is objectionable), what is extraordinary (in addition to what is merely effective), and what is inspiring (in addition to what is difficult or arduous).”
Cameron says that positive leadership focuses on facilitating positively deviant performance (outcomes that dramatically exceed common or expected performance), an affirmative bias (building on strengths and human potential), and facilitating the best of the human condition (bringing out the best in people). He cites extensive research to support his claims that to go from successful to exceptional, leaders must create a profoundly positive work environment.
Cameron described four skills characteristic of positive leaders:
1. Cultivating a Positive Climate. Positive leaders build work climates (work cultures) that are uplifting and supportive to work in rather than being characterized by high levels of stress, anxiety, and distrust.
2. Developing Positive Relationships. Positive relationships are relationships that have a beneficial effect on people and that are a source of enrichment, vitality, and learning. Positive leaders try to bring out the best in people and build on their strengths rather than dwelling on weaknesses.
3. Using Positive Communication. Positive communication means using affirmative and supportive language rather than negative and critical language. It doesn’t mean that you cannot address negative issues. It means doing so in helpful rather than harmful ways and focusing on solutions rather than placing blame.
4. Developing Positive Meaning to Work. Positive leaders seek to find ways to make work meaningful and important rather than merely focusing on economic outcomes and pushing people to work harder and longer. When people feel like they are pursuing an important purpose or engaging in important work, performance, morale, dedication, focus, satisfaction, and loyalty are likely to increase and a preoccupation with negatives and organization weaknesses decreases.
In formulating your own view of what a positive leader is like, you may or may not agree with the specific definitions and philosophies proposed by authors supporting positive leadership. It does make sense, however, that leaders are likely to be much more effective when they have positive attitudes, build more positive cultures, develop positive relationships with people, use positive communication, and make work more meaningful.
Understanding Transformational Leadership
However, authentic transformational leadership has an impact in all cultures and organizations because transformational leaders have goals that transcend their own self-interests and work toward the common good of the followers.19
Building a positive organization will require transformational leaders, especially at the top, who have the courage and skills to change and transform the organization. Transformational leadership is a term that has been around for over four decades and that has been heavily researched but that is not generally well known by leaders even though it is likely the most fitting and needed theory for today’s times of dynamic change and fierce competition.
The term transform means to take something from one state to another. The concept of transformational leadership was first introduced by J.V. Downton20 and was made popular by James MacGregor Burns21 in his book titled Leadership published in 1978. Burns made a distinction between transactional and transformational leadership. Transactional leadership focuses on transactions, or exchanges, between leaders and followers in getting things done and achieving goals. Leaders make clear what needs to be done and provide something of value to followers such as pay, recognition, and promotions in exchange for their efforts. Transactional leadership is based on appealing to the self-interest of followers to motivate performance. Transformational leadership takes leadership to a higher and more positive level. It involves engaging, involving, inspiring, and motivating followers to seek challenging goals beyond just their own personal self-interest and to perform at their best. It appeals to higher-level needs by using vision, inspiration, and important goals or causes to bring about significant positive changes in individuals, groups, and organizations.
Bernard Bass was a pioneer in developing and researching transformational leadership. He identified specific behaviors that characterized transformational leaders such as: Being a model of integrity and fairness, setting clear and compelling goals, having high expectations, providing support, recognition, and encouragement, stirring the emotions and passions of people, and getting people to pursue higher goals than just their own self-interest.22
Bass and his colleague Bruce Avolio identified four dimensions of transformational leadership.23,24
1. Idealized Influence. Leaders gain the respect and trust to lead others by leading with high moral and ethical standards, setting a worthy example, putting the interests of others above their own, providing a clear vision and mission, emphasizing the values of the organization, and instilling pride in the organization and what needs to be done. Bass originally called this charisma but later recognized that not all leaders need to be charismatic. Research by others has concluded that you do not have to be a charismatic leader to be effective.
2. Inspirational Motivation. Leaders inspire and motivate people by building shared visions, demonstrating their commitment to the vision, communicating high expectations, adding meaning to what needs to be done, using symbols to focus efforts, expressing important ideas in simple ways so that they can be understood, and keeping people focused.
3. Intellectual Stimulation. Leaders encourage innovative and creative thinking by making it safe to offer ideas and question assumptions. They encourage followers to seek new and better ways of doing things and provide an environment that frees people to think, create, and utilize their abilities.
4. Individual Consideration. Leaders take a personal interest in followers and their development and needs and provide coaching and mentoring to help followers realize their potential.
Some of the characteristics of transformational leaders that have been identified by researchers are that they are visionary leaders committed to creating something special, skilled at creating a compelling vision and inspiring goals that unite and keep people focused, uplifting and inspiring to be around, and skilled at motivating people to perform at a high level and achieve challenging goals. They are also known for their strong character, integrity, and high standards. They deeply care about people and their development and place emphasize the importance of teamwork. They also create a climate of openness, encourage innovative thinking, and empower people and teams to perform at a high level.25,26,27
Researchers have also identified many payoffs of transformational leadership such as increased productivity, performance, motivation, and innovation, improved morale and employee attitudes, decreased employee stress and burnout, and the ability to build more positive and motivating cultures and loyalty to the organization. Like the research on positive leadership, some researchers question the research methodology and claims of the payoffs of transformational leadership. However, the abundance of positive results reported from researchers confirms that transformation leadership is a valuable and needed leadership theory for today’s times.28,29,30,31
Combining Positive Leadership and Transformational Leadership
About 80% of what it takes to lead transformationally is relational.32
There is considerable overlap between positive leadership and transformational leadership. Both theories have many strengths and well-researched benefits. Combining the two theories creates a strong framework for leaders in building a positive organization as doing so is best accomplished through positive, transformational leaders. Figure 7.2 provides a description of skills that would ideally characterize a positive transformational leader. By training leaders in these skills and skills tailored to the philosophies, needs, and resources of a particular organization, the process of building a positive organization could be accelerated as the skills would be closely aligned with what it will take to build and sustain a positive organization.
The Need for a Greater Emphasis on Managing Change and Transforming Organizations
If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.
Note that the last skill included in the list of positive transformational leader skills shown in Figure 7.2 is skilled at managing change and transforming organizations. It is understandable that visionary, positive, transformational, selfless, honorable leaders who are committed to achieving exceptional results can energize and motivate people to perform at a high level. The impact that they can have on people, teams, and organizations is admirable. However, while positive leaders and transformational leaders may be skilled at inspiring change and transformation, they may not be aware of what it takes to successfully manage change and transform organizations. This is particularly interesting regarding transformational leadership literature given that the key term in the theory is “transformational.” This lack of emphasis on managing change and transforming organizations can create situations where positive leaders and transformational leaders fail to achieve the desired results because of a lack of understanding of what is involved in managing change and transformation.
Figure 7.2 Skills of a positive transformational leader
The need for skills in managing change and transforming organizations is primarily addressed in the field of organization development. The field is also called organization development and change by some theorist to emphasize the critical role of change that has always been a central focus of the field. While there is much that can be learned about managing change and transforming organizations in organization development and change textbooks, practitioner books, and articles as well in chapters that are often featured in organization behavior textbooks, positive transformational leaders need to be aware of at least the fundamentals of managing change and transforming organizations.
Managing Change
Research on managing change has consistently pointed out that on the average about 70 percent or more of important changes fail!33,34 This is a shocking failure rate that has far reaching implications and that would not be acceptable in any other aspect of running successful organizations. Imagine the impact that a high failure rate at managing change has on the morale and motivation of those expected to embrace and implement change and the lack of confidence it fosters in the leaders of an organization. It is not surprising that resistance to change can be high in organizations that frequently mismanage change. Many, if not most times, when leaders announce the latest change, employees expect little more than more work with no benefit to them and little benefit to the actual needs of the organization. This would likely be true of leaders announcing a positive organization program unless the changes required are effectively managed.
In managing change, positive transformational leaders can significantly increase the probability of successful change by developing and following sound change principles. Examples of change principles developed primarily from the organization development literature are shown in Figure 7.3.
As much as possible, it is also important for leaders to take a positive approach to change. Changes initiated by leaders who try to motivate change by dwelling on problems, criticizing mistakes, demanding changes their way on their terms, or making treats are not likely to be successful. What is helpful is to motivate change by presenting changes in straightforward, honest, and compelling ways and to make the incentive for change greater than the incentive to stay the same. People need to know the purpose of a change, why it is being made, and the potential benefits of making changes and the costs of not changing. It is also important to recognize that buy-in goes up and resistance goes down when leaders involve the appropriate people in identifying, designing, and implementing changes.
Figure 7.3 Principles for managing change
Leaders also need to recognize the need to position changes for success by having a capable change champion responsible for leading a change. The change champion could be a leader, an internal person with the knowledge and skills to lead the change process, or an external professional when special expertise is needed. Change champions also often have a change team to work with them in designing and managing the change process.
One of the best ways to guide those responsible for changes in understanding the change process and in designing and managing changes is to use a sound change model. The classic model for managing change was developed by Kurt Lewin.35 Lewin said that changes needed to go through three stages. The three stages including Lewin’s thinking and current thinking on each stage are: (1) unfreezing (letting go of old ways of thinking and doing things and creating the motivation to change); (2) changing (taking specific actions to make needed changes); and (3) refreezing (following through on changes, reinforcing and aligning everything needed to support the desired change, sustaining the changes, and evaluating and learning from the change process). The model is sometimes criticized for being a phased rather than a dynamic model and for being too simplistic for a world of complex change. However, recognizing that changes need to go through three stages to last in no way negates the dynamic nature of change and the need at times to move back and forth between stages. There are many other models available to consider.36,37
The model specifically designed for positive change is the appreciative inquiry model that was originally developed by David Cooperrider and Suresh Srivastva.38,39 Appreciative inquiry (AI) focuses on what an organization is doing right, on creating images of what is possible, and on finding innovative ways to create the desired future. The assumption is that inquiring into the true, the good, the better, and the possible will energize change faster and better than discovering and fixing what is not working. AI has been used successfully at American Express, British Broadcasting Corporation, and other organizations. It does, however, have its critics as some experts believe that only focusing on what is good and overlooking issues that should be addressed doesn’t give a complete look at the need for change. Others take issue with the portrayal by some AI experts of past change methods as being “deficit” approaches that focused on fixing what is wrong rather than building on strengths. Most well-designed change efforts take a balanced approach of addressing strengths, weaknesses, and new and better ways of doing things.
One of the most valuable contributions of the change literature is the focus on involving and engaging the appropriate people at the appropriate time in the change process. Changes made without involving key people in assessing the need for change and designing and implementing changes, run the risk of addressing symptoms rather than the real issues, of lacking ownership for change, an of failing to gain commitment. People are likely to be committed to what they help create and resist what is imposed. The key is to strategically involve the right people at the right time recognizing that while involvement may be needed, people are busy and have limited time to invest in changes.
Another key to successful change is to monitor changes, keep people informed about what is going on, and to make needed adjustments. However, this is rarely done. Leaders are often out of touch with what is happening in the changes they initiate. It is not uncommon for changes that are initiated by a leader to make little sense to those responsible for making the changes and for the leader to be the last to know the changes are not working. These misfires can sometimes continue for years without the knowledge of the initiator, especially if the initiator is intimidating and does not welcome feedback. This situation can result in wasted time, resources, and credibility. Monitoring the change process, communicating progress and listening to feedback, and demonstrating a willingness to make needed adjustments, makes it possible to quickly identify and resolve important issues in the change process.
When positive change is valued, recognized, and rewarded, people are encouraged to make needed changes and participate in the change process. When little value is given to engaging in change and there are consequences for unsuccessful changes or changes that didn’t achieve the desired results, people will be reluctant to engage in change.
A critical part of the change process is to assure that the organization mission, structure, culture, reward systems, and processes are aligned to support the desired change. When this is the case, change can be accelerated and the probability of success increased. However, misalignments undermine change. For example, trying to become a more positive, collaborative, and innovative organization while primarily valuing people who get results at any cost, rewarding only individual effort, and having time wasting bureaucracy and requirements that discourage innovation will eventually defeat efforts to change.
Finally, in managing the change process in developing a positive organization, it is important for leaders to design change to last by following through on what they started, planning ways to sustain the desired changes, and taking time to learn from the process in making future changes. Leaders often wrongly assume that changes will be self-sustaining. However, it is important to plan ways to sustain changes and to learn as much as possible from the change process so those involved in future changes will learn from the successes and avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Transforming Organizations
Few leaders have been exposed to the concept of transforming organizations and fewer still have been trained how to effectively achieve transformational change. The transformational leadership literature does include many concepts important to transformational change such as having a clear vision, communicating goals and values that elevate performance, inspiring excellence, encouraging innovative thinking, involving and engaging people at all levels, and building strong cultures. However, the literature doesn’t address how to put these processes and others together to purposely achieve transformational change.
The most popular of the transformational change models is the Kotter model presented in his books Leading Change40 and The Heart of Change.41 An adapted version of the eight-step model includes the following:
1. Increase Urgency. Raising a sense of urgency for change and reducing the complacency, fear, and resistance to change that keep change from taking place.
2. Build the Guiding Team. Putting together the right group with enough power and influence to lead change.
3. Get the Vision Right. Creating a vision to help direct the change effort and develop strategies for achieving the vision.
4. Communicate for Buy-in. Using multiple vehicles to frequently communicate the new vision and strategies and having the guiding coalition role model the behavior expected of employees.
5. Empower Broad-Based Action. Getting rid of obstacles, making needed changes in systems and structures, and encouraging risk taking and innovative ideas, activities, and actions.
6. Plan Short-Term Wins. Planning and creating visible improvements in performance or wins and visibly recognizing and rewarding those who make wins possible.
7. Consolidate Gains and Produce More Change. Helping to continue and sustain the changes, realign systems, structures, and policies to fit the desired changes, and eliminate needless work and practices.
8. Anchor New Changes in the Culture. Creating and reinforcing new cultural ideals regarding leadership, behaviors, performance, customer service, and recruiting and promoting the right people.
The Kotter approach to transformational change is particularly insightful in pointing out the need to engage hearts (emotions) and not just minds in motivating change. Numbers and data can be important in motivating change, but finding creative ways to capture hearts as well, makes change much more appealing.
Other things that could be considered in designing transformational change are: (1) doing an assessment upfront to discover present realities and future possibilities; (2) preparing leaders to drive the change by providing training in positive transformational leaders; (3) building into the change process ways to monitor progress and make needed adjustments; (4) a greater focus on building the desired culture (called a culture of abundance in positive leadership literature); and (5) evaluating and learning from the process.
This book presents valuable information that can significantly improve the leadership, performance, culture, and health of an organization and the service to customers. While many alternatives have been presented, implementing the ideas and realizing the potential benefits of the alternatives is ultimately a function of the commitment and skills of the leaders of the organization in leading the change process. Positive, transformational leaders who are skilled at leading, managing change, and transforming organizations are needed to effectively build and continue to develop a positive organization.
In applying the information provided in this chapter, there are five recommendations:
1. Appoint an Exploratory Team. Appoint a representative team of key people including one or more top-level leaders and respected performers at different levels of the organization to evaluate available information on building positive organizations and on what best run and most successful organizations are like. Have the team also consider present practices in the organization and what would be possible based on what the team learned in their exploratory study.
2. Develop a Strategy. Have the exploratory team work with the executive team to evaluate the information gathered by the team and begin to develop a strategy for making desired changes. Depending on the present level of development of the organization, the readiness for change, and the skills and resources available in the organization or that can be retained by the organization, decide on the level of changes that will be pursued and the strategy that will be used that is grounded in sound change principles. Changes could range from fine tuning the culture and making it more positive, to trying a pilot program in one of the departments or divisions, to transformational changes.
3. Clearly Demonstrate Top-Level Support. The success or failure of significant changes is often dependent on the leadership, support, and involvement of the top-level leader and other key leaders. Without this support, it is difficult if not impossible to build a positive organization.
4. Position the Change Process for Success. It is critical to involve the right people in leading the change process. This will typically include a change champion who was part of the exploratory team who will lead the change process, an internal or external change professional if needed, and a change team to guide the change process. The change team would most likely be made up of the members of the exploratory team although some members could drop off while others could be added. Plans should also be made to involve and engage the appropriate people and groups throughout the change process.
5. Develop Positive Transformational Leaders. One of the most effective ways to introduce the program and prepare leaders to lead the change process is to create a leadership development program to prepare positive transformational leaders throughout the organization.
6. Monitor Progress. In building a positive organization, it is important to monitor progress, so that there is an awareness of what is working and not working and needed adjustments can be made. This can be accomplished in many ways but primarily through creating opportunities for those involved and affected by the changes to share ideas and concerns and by using questionnaires to collect feedback on progress.
Building a positive organization begins with a clear understanding of what a particular organization defines as a positive organization. The term can have many different meanings, so the definition that is developed needs to be compelling and make sense to the leaders responsible for helping build what is desired so that the change process can be purposeful and focused. Positive organizations with their many benefits to all of the stakeholders of an organization do not happen by chance.
For Further Reading
Dutton, J.E., and G. Spreitzer. 2014. How to Be a Positive Leader: Small Actions, Big impact. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
In this book, some leading scholars including Adam Grant, author of the bestselling Give and Take; positive organizational scholarship movement cofounders Kim Cameron and Robert Quinn; and thirteen more—describe how positive leadership is transforming companies such as Wells Fargo, Ford, Kelly Services, Burt’s Bees, and many others.
Greenber, M.H., and S. Maymin. 2013. Profit from the Positive. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Publishing.
This book provides a practical, groundbreaking guide for business leaders, managers, executive coaches, and human resource professionals. The book shows you how to increase productivity, collaboration, and profitability using the powerful tools from the new field of Positive Psychology.
Quinn, Robert E. 2015. The Positive Organization: Breaking Free from Conventional Cultures, Constraints, and Beliefs.
This book provides guidance on how to build a positive organization where people feel fully engaged and rewarded and where individually and collectively people flourish and exceed expectations. A highlight of this book is what Dr. Quinn calls The Positive Organization Generator where he collects ideas on positive practices from companies.
Endnotes
1. Warrick, D.D., and J. Mueller (eds). 2015. Lessons in Changing Culture. Oxford, UK: RossiSmith Academic Publishing.
2. Cameron, K. 2013. Practicing Positive Leadership. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
3. Dutton, J.E., and B.R. Ragins. 2007. Exploring Positive Relationships at Work: Building a Theoretical and Research Foundation. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
4. Cameron, K.S., C. Mora, T. Leutscher, and M. Calarco. 2011. “Effects of Positive Practices on Organizational Effectiveness.” Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 47, pp. 266–308.
5. Hackman, R.J. 2009. “The Perils of Positivity.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 30, pp. 309–319.
6. Mariboli, S. 2013. Unapologetically You: Reflections of Life and the Human Experience. Logan, UT: A Better Today.
7. Quinn, R.E. 2015. The Positive Organization. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
8. Fineman, S. 2006. “On Being Positive: Concerns and Counterpoints.” Academy of Management Review 31, no. 2, pp. 270–291.
9. Tennen, H., and G. Affleck. 2003. “While Accentuating the Positive, Don’t Eliminate the Negative or Mr. In-Between.” Psychological Inquiry 14, pp. 163–169.
10. Fortune Magazine. 2015. 100 Best Companies to Work for. March 15, pp. 105–122.
11. Collins, J.C., and J.I. Porras. 1994. Built to Last. New York, NY: Harper Business.
12. Collins, J.C. 2011. Good to Great. New York, NY: Harper Business.
13. Joyce, W., N. Nohria, and B. Roberson. 2004. What Really Works. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.
14. Beard, A., and R. Hornik. 2011. “It Is Hard to Be Good.” Harvard Business Review, November, pp. 88–94.
15. Yheynoski, K. and R.E. Quinn. 2014. Organizational Dynamics 41, pp. 118–125.
16. Cameron, K. 2008. Positive Leadership. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
17. Ibid.
18. Cameron, K. 2013. Practicing Positive Leadership. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
19. Bass, B., and R. Riggio. 2006. Transformational Leadership. New York, NY: Psychology Press.
20. Dowton, J.V. 1973. Rebel Leadership: Commitment and Charisma in a Revolutionary Process. New York, NY: Free Press.
21. Burns, J.M. 1978. Leadership. New York, NY: Harper & Row.
22. Ibid.
23. Bass, B.M., and B.J. Avolio. 2001. Developing Transformational Leadership: 1992 and Beyond. Journal of European Industrial Training 14, pp. 21–27.
24. Bass, B.M., and B. Avolio. 1994. Improving Organizational Effectiveness through Transformational Leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
25. Tichy, N.M., and M.A. Deanna. 1986. The Transformational Leader. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
26. Bass, B.M., B.B. Avolio, and L. Goodheim. 1987. “Biography and the Assessment of Transformational Leadership at World Class Level.” Journal of Management 13, pp. 7–9.
27. Warrick, D.D. 2011. “The Urgent Need for Skilled Transformational Leaders: Integrating Transformational Leadership and Organization Development.” Journal of Leadership, Accountability, and Ethics 8, no. 5, p. 13.
28. Bass, B.M. 1999. “Two Decades of Research and Development in Transformational Leadership.” European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology 8, no. 1, pp. 9–32.
29. Nurdan, O. 2003. “Effectives of Transformational Leadership on Empowerment and Team Effectiveness.” Leadership and Organization Development Journal 24, no. 6, 335–344.
30. Simosi, M., and A. Zenikou. 2006. “Organizational Culture and Transformational Leadership as Predictors of Business Unit Performance.” Journal of Managerial Psychology 21, no. 6, pp. 566–579.
31. Avery, J.B, L.W. Hughes, K.W. Luthans, and S.M. Norman. 2008. “Using Positivity, Transformational Leadership and Empowerment to Combat Employee Negativity.” Leadership and Organization Development Journal 29, no. 2, pp. 110–126.
32. McCloskey, M., and J. Louwsma. 2014. The Art of Virtue-Based Transformational Leadership. Pune, India: The Wordsmith Publisher.
33. Kotter, J. 2007. “Why Transformation Change Efforts Fail.” Harvard Business Review, January 96, p. 103.
34. Burke, W.W. 2011. Organizational Change: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
35. Lewin, K. 1951. Field Theory in Social Science. New York, NY: Harper and Row.
36. Warrick, D.D. 1995. “Best Practices Occur When Leaders Lead, Champion Change, and Adopt a Sound Change Process.” Organization Development Journal 13, no. 4, Winter.
37. Cummings, T.G., and C.G. Worley. 2015. Organization Development & Change. Samford, CT: Cengage Learning.
38. Srivastva, S., Cooperrider, D.L., and Associates (eds). 1990. Appreciative Management and Leadership: The Power of Positive Thought and Action in Organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc.
39. Ibid.
40. Kotter, J. 1996. Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
41. Kotter, J., and D.S. Cohen. 2002. The Heart of Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.