case study about transformational leadership

30+ Transformational Leadership Examples And Case Studies

Products ranging from Apple iPhone and Microsoft Office to Entertainment streaming Giant like Netlfix transformed the world we know today. 

It has become an integral part of society and changed it for good. 

These products are powerful enough to change the way we used to do things or become part of our lifestyle.

Also, something else common between these products is that they are formed and led by transformational leaders. 

Such leadership styles disrupt the market bringing transformative changes in their company, industry, and society as well. 

Table of Contents

Noteworthy transformational leadership examples to look at. 

Bill gates – microsoft.

Bill Gates is a revolutionary in the technology space; his Windows operating system changed the world. 

The amalgamation of software with hardware allowing people an easy-to-learn user interface with tons loads of software, like MS Office suite, is extraordinary. 

Bill Gates has to fight a long battle at the initial stage with the US Government on the anti-trust concerns.  

And now when it has become the very structure and foundation of every technology business management and record-keeping. 

It won’t be an overstatement to say that Microsft transformed the world today in more than one way and continues to do so, all coming from the leadership of Bill Gates. 

Jeff Bezos –  Amazon 

The founder of the largest e-commerce company in the world, Amazon, Jeff Bezos revealed in a 1999 interview something very obvious. 

It was indeed the secret of his grand success. He always focused on the customer in the business. 

Even with pushback from the reporter in that particular video clip, Bezos stood tall in his point of view. 

His vision definitely came out to be true, becoming the largest online retailer in the world. 

Amazon is certainly not just perfect but also a highly ambitious and successful model of transformational leadership . 

It shows a series of combinations of short-term and long-term goals or visions. 

This is evident as Amazon started selling only books growing towards having the vision to become an e-commerce giant. 

Billy Beane – Major League Baseball 

Transformational leadership is about holding on to the foreseen future of the company regarding the structures and procedures.  

It is about having a predictable vision for adapting strategies, structures, and steps to take. 

Something that Billy Beane, the Executive Vice President of the Oakland Athletics Baseball franchise, definitely excels at.   

Beane, along with his fellow coaches, was able to identify the potential signs that their competitors could overlook or ignore. 

And it was possible due to the application of advanced analytics techniques to the recruitment strategy of Athletes, later becoming a popular method called ‘Moneyball’.  

He is known to earn the credentials for the changing attitudes in the professional sports industry.  

Beane also further revolutionized the application of data analytics, where his exclusive techniques became highly effective in the business sector. 

Hubert Joly – Best Buy 

Hubert Joly is the CEO of the company Best Buy. He took on the electronic store in 2012 when there were rumors of the arrival of the doom of electronic stores. 

The leaders in the industry were pretty much convinced that Amazon would bury Best Buy in the earlier months only. 

But Joly’s vision sees things otherwise where he took the store that earlier only used to sell CDs and turned it into a store aimed to sell more than that. 

It aimed to not just remain any store but a technology store with products to make people’s lives more equipped and better at affordable deals. 

He transformed the whole company into his vision, something bigger, including the product lines, and introduced new prices, delivery times, and everything. 

The company became an e-commerce giant over time, creating Hubert Joly, one of the best transformational leaders ever. 

Henry Ford – Ford Motors

Henry Ford started Ford Motors with the business philosophy of “  to do more for the world than the world does for you” and continued with it. 

His reputation gets cemented more and more over time, stating him as one of the all-time transformational leaders. 

He invented the machine of the standards, sophistication, utility, and comfort that became the flagship of automobile luxury and excellence. 

Ford was in fact, one of the transformation products of the century, leading still today with the same vision. 

John D Rockfeller – Standard Oil 

He is one of the most influential and successful industrialists of the century. He is certainly one of the best examples of a transformational leadership style. 

He invested in the Kerosene earlier at that time, which ended the country’s reliance on whaling. 

On the other hand, he further transformed the fledgling oil and gas industry of the United States. 

John D Rockefeller was also a successful employer as well and a great example of involvement in philanthropic programs on the corporate scene. 

He was one of those who initiated a sense of social responsibility in action among entrepreneurs. 

Ross Perot – Electric Data Systems  

Ross Perot got himself noticed with his success both in the private and public sectors in 1962 when he established EDS ( Electric Data Systems). 

It was a repair company dedicated to computer systems back in the day. 

He is surely one of the examples of the transformational leaders that the world has ever seen. 

Ross has gained tremendous knowledge and skill as an IBM salesman, and he utilized all those hardware insights and information to his leverage. 

The knowledge helped him place people’s trust in him in the market. He also placed immense trust and relied on his employees to further extend his vision. 

He gave his employees sufficient autonomy so they could make more independent and smarter decisions. 

It also gave Perot time to focus on more beneficial tasks and delegate better efficiency and speed to his progression. 

He has proven that the top-down approach toward business leadership and management might be insufficient.

And that’s where with a revolutionary approach, he garnered huge success by utilizing the transformational leadership style. 

Steve  Jobs – Apple 

Bill Gates’ old-time contemporary, one-time friend, and later turned rival, Steve Jobs , the founder of the company Apple, also embraced transformational leadership. 

Steve Jobs was always behind his companies’ major transformation, not just APPLE but also NEXT and PIXAR. 

His trademark products always break the rule and transform the industry and competition for all-time sake. 

You can take the example of the earlier version, MAC computers, which changed and personalized the experience of computers. 

Then, the iPhone and many more products always seem to transform the market in one way or another. 

And you can give the credential to the whole vision of Apple that comes from Steve Jobs.

Reed Hastings –  Netflix 

Netflix wasn’t always the streaming giant it is today; it started as a mail-order DVD  service, struggling to find its place in the market. 

It was a rival to the all-time glorious Blockbuster, which used to be the market leader at that time. 

As you know it today, Netflix is a multi-billion dollar subscription-based streaming and media entertainment service. 

Not to mention how Netflix invests in unique business opportunities , spreading its tentacles over the entertainment industry. 

Apart from that, Netflix now also creates its own original content with its own production house. 

Reed Hastings gave that, adding his experience as a software engineer. 

His vision truly transformed today the consumption of the media today and impacts all around the world. 

One of his unique traits has to be his management style applied to the Netflix workspaces. 

Example  

The employees of Netflix are given unlimited vacations because they have to deliver results. 

The leadership and management here allow employees to enjoy their unprecedented independence and total autonomy in work rather than micromanaging. 

Such flexibility is the reason behind the transformative expansion of the streaming giant. 

Jeff Boyd and Glenn Fogel – Priceline

You might be or are not familiar with the names Jeff Boyd and Glenn Fogel, but these two men have greatly impacted the world. 

They are one of the most responsible factors for the doom of the travel agent, if not solely enough. 

Both together founded this company called Priceline. It was to help make traveling easier, more comfortable, and more affordable. 

They all make this happen with very low commission fees on their reservations. 

The company played smart and focussed much more on the specified markets such as bread and breakfast, apartments, resorts, etc. 

It started getting bigger by involving more and more options for travelers, breaking the traditional system on how things used to work. 

It single-handedly transformed the travel industry and pioneered this newly created tech-travel arena. 

Satya Nadella – Microsoft 

Satya Nadella took over Microsoft as the new CEO in 2014. 

It is an understatement even to say that it was the biggest transformational change that the company has ever seen.

One of the best examples was the gigantic shift seen in the company’s cloud networking services. 

And that’s actually proven to be their most profitable product line and became highly successful in the market. 

Oprah Winfrey –  Media Mogul 

The woman crowned as “ Queen Of All Media” hosted her talk show, Oprah Winfrey Show, from 1986 to 2011. 

The show became the highest-rated talk show in the history of the media. She also became the richest African-American of the 20th century. 

It won’t be wrong to say that she was one of the decade’s transformational media and entertainment industry leaders. 

She came across as a strong personality with excellent communication skills and charismatic leadership . 

Oprah was one of the most inspiring faces at times that came from humble beginnings. 

She invested herself in shaping society through her Oprah Winfrey Foundation and tons of other philanthropic and societal driven-programs. 

Condoleeza Rice – Secretary of State 

She was the former 20th U.S. National Security Advisor and also the 66th U.S. Secretary of State. 

Her background was paved with struggles and racial discrimination, but she grew up with her parents telling him to be twice as good. 

With so much hardship but with humble teachings, she grew to be a strong woman with natural confidence in her capabilities. 

That’s what made her the very first woman to achieve the post of National Security Advisor for President George Bush in 2001. 

She has played a transformative role in the political strategy of the United States. 

She also played a primary role in stopping nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea as Secretary of State. 

Condoleeza Rice was named one of the world’s most influential people in 2004, again in 2005, in 2006, and in 2007 as well. 

Key Takeaways

• Transformational leadership is a leadership style that inspires and motivates individuals to achieve a common goal.
• Transformational leaders are characterized by their ability to create a vision, inspire their followers, and encourage them to work towards achieving the vision.
• Transformational leadership can have a significant impact on organizational culture, employee motivation, and overall business performance.
• Examples of transformational leaders include Steve Jobs, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela .
• Case studies of transformational leadership include the turnaround of Ford Motor Company under Alan Mulally’s leadership and the transformation of Starbucks under Howard Schultz ‘s leadership.
• Transformational leadership is not limited to top-level executives and can be practiced by leaders at all levels of an organization.
• The key principles of transformational leadership include creating a shared vision, empowering employees, and leading by example.
• The benefits of transformational leadership include increased employee engagement, improved productivity, and better decision-making.
• To be an effective transformational leader, one needs to possess a strong sense of purpose, excellent communication skills, and the ability to inspire and motivate others.
• While transformational leadership can be highly effective, it may not be suitable for all situations or organizations, and leaders should consider their organization’s specific needs before adopting this leadership style.

How is Transformational Leadership different from other leadership styles?

Transformational Leadership is different from other leadership styles, such as autocratic or transactional leadership , as it focuses on empowering and developing the followers rather than simply delegating tasks or providing rewards for performance.

What are the key characteristics of a Transformational Leader?

The key characteristics of a Transformational Leader include having a clear vision, inspiring and motivating followers, promoting innovation and creativity, providing support and recognition, and promoting personal growth and development.

How can someone become a Transformational Leader?

To become a Transformational Leader, one must first develop self-awareness and emotional intelligence, understand the needs and motivations of their followers, and be willing to empower and develop their followers to achieve common goals.

What are the benefits of Transformational Leadership?

Transformational leadership’s benefits include increased employee engagement and motivation, higher levels of job satisfaction, improved performance and productivity, and more positive work culture.

More To Explore:

• What Is Transformational Leadership: Unleashing The Power Of Influence
• Steve Jobs Leadership Style, Personality Traits & Qualities
• The Role of Transformational Leadership in Nursing
• Charismatic Vs Transformational Leadership: Battle for Excellence
• Difference Between Transactional And Transformational Leadership

“Vision, strategy, and inspiration – these three words describe me the best. I am the founder of “TheLeaderboy” dedicated to leadership and personal development. As a self-taught practitioner, I have been studying the principles of effective leadership for the past decade and my passion lies in sharing my insights with others. My mission is to empower individuals to become better leader

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What the Best Transformational Leaders Do

• Scott D. Anthony
• Evan I. Schwartz

Learn from Jeff Bezos and Reed Hastings.

Companies that claim to be transforming seem to be everywhere. But stories of successful change efforts are exceptionally rare. A study of S&P 500 and Global 500 firms reveals that those leading the most successful transformations – creating new offerings and business models to push into new-growth markets – share five common characteristics and strategies: Transformational CEOs tend to be “insider outsiders;” they use culture change to drive engagement; they strategically pursue two separate journeys; they communicate powerful narratives about the future; and they develop a roadmap before disruption takes hold.

Companies that claim to be “transforming” seem to be everywhere. But when you look more deeply into whether those organizations are truly redefining what they are and what they do, stories of successful change efforts are exceptionally rare. In a study of S&P 500 and Global 500 firms, our team found that those leading the most successful transformations, creating new offerings and business models to push into new growth markets, share common characteristics and strategies. Before describing those, let’s look at how we identified the exceptional firms that rose to the top of our ranking, a group we call the Transformation 10.

• Scott D. Anthony is a clinical professor at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business, a senior partner at Innosight , and the lead author of Eat, Sleep, Innovate (2020) and Dual Transformation (2017). ScottDAnthony
• Evan I. Schwartz , a writer focused on innovation and leadership, is Innosight’ s former Director of Storytelling.

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Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, transformational leadership – an academic case study.

Industrial and Commercial Training

ISSN : 0019-7858

Article publication date: 1 April 2014

The purpose is to present a case study on transformational leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

It adopts the 4 I's of Bernard M. Bass, the leadership researcher – individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation and idealized influence.

It emphasizes that leaders have to act according to the situation, with more emphasis on transformational leadership, for motivating their people and institutions to achieve their goals and objectives.

Practical implications

It stresses the importance of accepting feedback and making bold decisions, to ensure the longevity of an academic institution and achieve academic excellence.

Social implications

It provides an example of a passionate academic leader who leads from the front through his visionary leadership.

Originality/value

It describes how to turn around an educational institution through academic leadership.

• Leadership development
• Academic leadership
• Conflict management
• Transformational leadership

Rao, M.S. (2014), "Transformational leadership – an academic case study", Industrial and Commercial Training , Vol. 46 No. 3, pp. 150-154. https://doi.org/10.1108/ICT-07-2013-0043

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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Beyond the Boardroom: 8 Transformational Leaders Who Redefined Success

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You’ve heard the stories, watched the movies, and perhaps even read the books about figures that shook the world. These people, despite all odds, rallied the troops, shifted the paradigm, and brought about change in ways few could’ve imagined. One of these juggernauts was none other than Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple.

After being ousted from Apple in the mid-80s, Jobs returned in the late 90s to a company on the brink of bankruptcy. Not one to back down from a challenge, Jobs got to work. He dreamed big, inspired his team, and led the tech giant on a path that changed not just Apple, but the entire technology industry. Apple became synonymous with innovation, with Jobs at the helm, inspiring his team to create products that became a part of our everyday lives – the iPhone, the iPod, the MacBook, and so on.

So what’s the common thread that weaves through this story and countless others like it? It’s called transformational leadership. It’s a style of leadership where a leader works with teams to identify needed change, creates a vision to guide the change through inspiration, and executes the change in tandem with committed members of the group. It’s about inspiring and motivating your team to exceed their own self-interests for the good of the organization. It’s about being the catalyst for a transformation that sets new heights for what’s possible.

And that’s what we’re delving into today. We’re taking you on a journey through the annals of business history, showcasing 8 unforgettable transformational leadership examples that have not just inspired change, but made a lasting impact. Strap in. You’re in for a ride.

Recognizing a Transformational Leader: Traits to Look Out For

Transformational leaders aren’t like your regular leaders. They don’t just bark orders from the corner office. Instead, they’re out there in the trenches with their teams, shaking things up and leading by example.

You’re probably wondering, “How do I spot one of these transformational leaders in the wild?” Well, here are some telltale signs.

Visionaries

First off, they are visionaries . Much like Steve Jobs, they can see things that others can’t. They dream up bold, audacious ideas and have a knack for making you believe in them, too.

Inspiring Communicators

They’re inspiring communicators. They know the power of words and wield them like a skilled swordsman. Their speeches and conversations can light a fire in your belly and propel you to put your best foot forward.

Unshakeable Optimism

They carry an unshakeable sense of optimism. Even when the chips are down, they believe in the potential for positive change and inspire others to do the same.

Emotionally Intelligent

They’re emotionally intelligent . They’re aware of their team’s feelings, needs, and concerns, and they know just how to respond to ensure everyone feels valued and heard.

Agents of Change

Finally, they’re agents of change. They’re not afraid to challenge the status quo and bring about the changes needed for growth and progress.

Now, to illustrate these traits, let’s circle back to Steve Jobs. Remember the time when Apple was on the brink of bankruptcy, and Jobs stepped back into the leadership role? Most people would have thrown in the towel, but not Jobs.

With his visionary mindset, he saw potential where others saw failure. He communicated his ideas in a way that inspired his team to follow him, despite the challenging circumstances. He brought about radical changes, introduced revolutionary products, and, ultimately, transformed Apple into one of the world’s most successful companies.

So, if you spot someone carrying these traits and sparking change around them, chances are, you’ve just spotted a transformational leader. Give them a nod of recognition, or better yet, see what you can learn from them.

Transformational Leadership in Action: 8 Solid Case Studies

Now that you’re familiar with the traits of transformational leaders, let’s dive into some real-world examples. Because who doesn’t love a good case study, right?

1. Shaping the Future: Elon Musk at SpaceX

Take a moment to think about Elon Musk, the guy who believes humanity should become a multi-planetary species. Sounds a bit far-fetched, doesn’t it? But that’s the vision Musk has been steadily working towards with SpaceX.

He has rallied his employees to push the boundaries of space exploration. His belief? Every problem has a solution—you just need to think creatively. This mindset has driven SpaceX to accomplish feats many deemed impossible, like reusing rockets to cut space travel costs.

Musk’s leadership style isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s certainly transformational. His audacious vision and relentless drive inspire his team to venture into the unknown and make history. And they’re not done yet, not by a long shot.

2. Beating the Odds: Howard Schultz and Starbucks

Next on our list is Howard Schultz, the man behind Starbucks. But the Starbucks you know today wasn’t always a global phenomenon. In fact, it started as a single, small coffee shop in Seattle.

When Schultz first joined the company, he saw potential. He envisioned Starbucks as a “third place” between work and home. Schultz didn’t just sell coffee—he sold an experience. Despite resistance, Schultz stuck to his guns and expanded the coffee shop into a global brand, with over 30,000 stores worldwide today.

Schultz’s journey is a testament to the power of transformational leadership. He saw potential where others didn’t, motivated his team to share his vision, and transformed a humble coffee shop into a household name.

3. Power of Resilience: Angela Merkel’s Leadership in Germany

Leadership isn’t all about business—transformational leaders exist in the political realm too. Take Angela Merkel, for instance. As Germany’s Chancellor for over a decade, Merkel navigated the country through multiple crises, from the Eurozone crisis to the refugee crisis.

Merkel is known for her pragmatic leadership style. She doesn’t make rash decisions but takes her time to consider the facts and weigh the options. Her resilience and steady hand have earned her the nickname “Mutti” (mother) amongst Germans.

But don’t let the motherly nickname fool you. Merkel’s leadership style has helped steer Germany through turbulent waters to become one of the most stable economies in Europe. Her transformational approach shows us that leadership comes in many forms—sometimes, it’s about being a steady hand in the midst of a storm.

4. Turning Failure into Success: Steve Jobs Returns to Apple

Talk about a comeback story. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, the company was on the brink of bankruptcy. Most people would have packed their bags and headed for the hills, but Jobs was not most people.

Instead of bowing down to failure, Jobs used it as a springboard for success. He trimmed Apple’s product line, focusing on a few key areas where they could truly excel. He introduced revolutionary products like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, turning Apple into a leader in consumer technology.

Jobs was a master of inspiring his team, instilling in them his passion for innovation and perfection. His vision and drive turned Apple from a failing company into one of the most valuable corporations in the world. Now, that’s transformational leadership.

5. Reimagining Entertainment: Bob Iger and Disney

Bob Iger, the former CEO of Disney, knew a thing or two about transformational leadership. Under his leadership, Disney underwent a period of unprecedented growth and expansion. Iger led the acquisition of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox, significantly broadening Disney’s reach.

But Iger didn’t stop at acquisitions. He also pushed Disney into the digital age with the launch of Disney+. His visionary leadership has made Disney a powerhouse in the entertainment industry, capable of delivering stories that capture the hearts of audiences worldwide.

6. Making History: Mary Barra at General Motors

Last but certainly not least, we have Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors (GM). Barra is making history as the first woman to lead a major automaker. But she’s not just making headlines—she’s making real change.

Under Barra’s leadership, GM has taken bold steps towards innovation and diversity. She has committed the company to an all-electric future, a move that is shaping the entire automotive industry.

Additionally, Barra has prioritized diversity and inclusion at GM, creating a culture where everyone’s ideas are valued and heard. Her leadership style embodies the essence of transformational leadership—driving change, fostering innovation, and inspiring her team to aim for the stars. Now, that’s a leader worth following.

7. Vision for Sustainability: Yvon Chouinard at Patagonia

If ever there was a transformational leader who lived and breathed their mission, it’s Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia. But he isn’t just selling outdoor gear, he’s selling a way of life, one that respects the planet and fights for its protection.

Chouinard built Patagonia around an ethos of environmental responsibility. He created initiatives like “1% for the Planet,” pledging a portion of sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment.

Under Chouinard’s leadership, Patagonia has become more than a brand—it’s a call to action for sustainable living. His commitment to the environment is a key part of Patagonia’s transformation, making it a leader not just in outdoor gear, but in environmental activism too.

8. Embracing the Digital Revolution: Satya Nadella at Microsoft

Remember when Microsoft was just about Windows and Office? Well, those days are long gone. When Satya Nadella took the helm as CEO, he saw the future—and it was in the cloud.

Nadella refocused Microsoft around cloud computing and AI, driving initiatives like Azure and AI development. He encouraged a culture of learning and growth, pushing Microsoft to adapt and innovate.

His leadership style is a perfect example of transformational leadership—creating a vision, inspiring employees to embrace it, and driving significant change. Under Nadella’s watch, Microsoft has not just survived the digital revolution—it’s thriving in it.

And that, my friend, is the power of transformational leadership. It’s not just about the here and now, it’s about seeing the future and making it happen.

Emulating Transformational Leaders: Key Takeaways

So, you’ve made it this far. You’ve seen the giants, the leaders who aren’t just making changes but shaping the future. You’ve heard about their success stories, their struggles, and their triumphant comebacks. And you might be wondering, “What can I take away from all this?”

Here’s the thing. You don’t have to be an Elon Musk or a Mary Barra to be a transformational leader. It’s not about the title you hold or the size of the company you run. It’s about your mindset, your actions, and your commitment to change.

• Vision. Every transformational leader we discussed had a clear vision. Whether it was taking humanity to Mars or making the workplace more diverse, these leaders knew where they wanted to go and communicated that vision effectively.
• Resilience. Transformational leaders face their fair share of setbacks. But they don’t just weather the storm—they use it to their advantage. They take failures, learn from them, and turn them into opportunities.
• Courage. It takes guts to challenge the status quo, to do things differently. But that’s exactly what transformational leaders do. They’re not afraid to take risks if it means achieving their vision.
• Inspiration. Above all, transformational leaders inspire. They motivate their team to strive for more, to work towards a common goal.
• And finally, they lead with integrity . They understand that their actions set the tone for the entire organization, so they strive to act ethically and responsibly.

By embodying these traits, you too can begin to drive transformation, whether it’s in your team, your organization, or even in your own life.

Transformational leadership isn’t about dictating change from the top down—it’s about fostering a culture that embraces change, that seeks to improve, that strives for more. So, ask yourself: What change do you want to see? What’s your vision? And most importantly—how will you inspire others to follow you on your journey?

In a world that’s changing faster than ever, the need for transformational leaders is greater than ever. So why not step up? Why not be the leader that inspires change? As these leaders have shown, the impact of transformational leadership extends far beyond the walls of any organization—it’s about leaving a lasting impact on the world. And who knows, maybe your story will inspire the next generation of transformational leaders.

Final Thoughts

As the sun sets on our exploration of transformational leadership, one thing is crystal clear: it’s more than just a buzzword. It’s a style, an approach, a mindset that holds the potential to radically reshape not just businesses, but entire industries.

And here’s the exciting part. You, yes you, have the capacity to harness this powerful leadership style. Maybe it’s time to reflect on your own leadership journey. How can you grow? What elements of transformational leadership resonate with you?

Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So take that step. Embrace the opportunity to lead with vision, resilience, courage, inspiration, and integrity. Unleash your potential as a transformational leader.

The world, your team, your business—everyone is waiting for your unique brand of leadership. And who knows? You might just end up inspiring a revolution. After all, transformation is the name of the game.

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Transformational change: Theory and practice

A look at how transformational change themes apply in practice, with case studies providing practical examples

Explores how the themes on transformational change apply in practice

Our report,  Landing transformational change: Closing the gap between theory and practice  explores how the themes identified in earlier research apply in practice. Case studies from four organisations provide practical examples of how organisations have approached transformational change.

The report also includes recommendations that HR, OD and L&D professionals should consider for their organisations and their own skill set, if they are to be successful expert initiators and facilitators of transformational change.

Whilst these findings and case studies are UK-based, the broader trends and implications should be of interest wherever you are based.

Download the report and individual case studies below

Landing transformational change

This earlier report covers some of the thinking and innovative ideas in the field of change management that can help to land transformational change. Drawing on a comprehensive literature review on change management the report develops ten themes on transformational change practice to provide a platform of knowledge on designing, managing and embedding change essential for OD, L&D and HR professionals.

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Transformational Leadership at a Fortune 500 Company

Introduction.

A financial services company managing over $500 million in assets sought transformation in its sales leadership approach.

Sales leaders needed to overcome short-term thinking, reliance on past expertise, compliance focus, and execution-centric priorities. The organization envisioned leaders who could inspire change, formulate strategy, and foster transformational leadership within their teams.

The Challenge

Bâton Global (B|G) partnered with the organization to address these challenges, creating a tailored transformational leadership curriculum. The goal was to shift leaders from conventional approaches to a more strategic and transformative mindset.

Leaders actively engaged in the program, identifying personal leadership brands and honing skills in critical thinking and coaching. The impact was tangible as leaders applied newfound abilities, showcasing improvements in critical thinking, collaboration, strategic planning, and team empowerment. The success prompted the extension of the curriculum delivery to individual teams, illustrating the transformative influence on leadership in the dynamic financial landscape.

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How transformational leadership saved this company: ceridian's story.

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David Ossip, CEO of Ceridian

When sales and profits start to fall, a CEO’s knee-jerk reaction may be to push their people harder to achieve results. While this tactic may work in the short term, it is detrimental to the long-term success of an organization. It breeds low engagement, high turnover and a lack of trust in the future sustainability of a company. Instead, skilled CEOs diagnose the foundational problems in their business and treat the cause instead of the symptom.

One CEO whose change leadership has transformed his company’s employee metrics and future trajectory is David Ossip, who was recently listed on Glassdoor’s Highest Rated CEOs list. When he took over as CEO of the global human capital management technology company Ceridian a little over three years ago, he inherited a highly disengaged workforce, a Glassdoor rating below 2 and declining business results.

“My take home after a hard look at Ceridian was that the organization had to reinvent its culture in order to drive proper employee engagement, in turn improving our customer engagement scores and market share,” Ossip recalls.

Ossip had a monumental task ahead of him. Unhappy employees cost organizations and the U.S. economy over $550 billion per year. The problem impacts top and bottom line results and every other business metric that matters. Skilled and purposeful leadership with a deep understanding of what engages people is required to turn around this problem.

Ossip considers himself an entrepreneur at heart, not a corporate executive. He has a successful track record of building startups in the Human Resources space. He met the Ceridian organization shortly after he started his last company, Dayforce, in 2009. Dayforce owned strong workforce management technology for scheduling, planning and tracking employees. Ceridian’s large market presence and great reputation in services placed it at the top of its industry, but it lacked strong innovation and technology. With no new products in its pipeline, it lost market share. The combination hurt both employee engagement and customer satisfaction scores—two key metrics that can make or break the success of an organization.

“When I saw Ceridian, I saw a good opportunity to create something special by taking world-class software and pairing it together with an established organization that had no new product pipeline,” Ossip recalled. A partnership was formed in 2011 with a re-launch of Dayforce under Ceridian’s brand. “We had forecasted 100 customer purchases and ended up selling 483,” Ossip proudly recalls.

The following year, a market survey determined the industry pain points. The survey highlighted that HR professionals were frustrated by the lack of integration and communication between HR computer applications. None of the systems spoke to each other and it made the HR practitioners’ day-to-day difficult by slowing down and limiting business outcomes. The solution: extend the Dayforce technology into the payroll, benefits and other talent management modules so the entire employee experience could be captured and tracked through one application. The market expressed strong interest in the solution, but the move only made sense if Ceridian acquired Dayforce. Ossip accepted the role of CEO of Ceridian once this occurred.

Ossip’s first executive meeting yielded one key consensus: Without high employee engagement, Ceridian could not drive the other changes it wanted and required. Employee engagement had to become the organization’s core focus. Ossip, his team and Ceridian embarked on a disciplined approach to turn the company around. Ceridian, founded in 1932, had a strong history of execution, but forgot why it existed in the first place—its purpose—and the values that drove the business. Plus, not much of the original culture at Ceridian had evolved beyond 1960.

A Need For Change

Ceridian originated as part of IBM. Due to anti-trust laws, the unit was spun out and acquired by Control Data Corporation. In 1993, the company was transformed into Ceridian by the then-CEO. “I think at the time he wanted to create a legacy,” Ossip says. The company was highly diversified and profitable, but lacked focus. It resembled an old bank—barriers halted communication and promoted a more rigid method of planning and decision-making, all without employee feedback. The structures of the company prevented change instead of driving it.

“If you have an organization that can’t change, you will become extinct,” Ossip insists.

Improved Communication

“The existing methods of communication were a constraint rather than an enabler. People had great ideas, but no way to communicate to the leaders of the organization and the leaders did not really seem interested in listening anyway. Ceridian was stuck in the 1960’s when it came to their internal processes,” Ossip shares.

The barriers to communication were not only cultural, but physical, too.

“In fact, the first time I went into the main office in Minneapolis,” Ossip says, “I wasn’t even sure I’d be let into the office based on what I was wearing. I showed up to find large flat screens in a beautiful lobby boldly warning those entering of the dress code.” His attire: jeans and a casual shirt.

Ossip recalls uncomfortably entering the “executive floor” where traditional physical structures had leaders sequestered in their offices and administration staff positioned between them and all other employees. Regardless of intent, these structures promoted an “us-and-them” mindset.

“I sort of scratched my head and said, ‘No, this cannot work in today’s environment,’” Ossip explains. He started to think of the processes and programs that promote more open and regular communications.

Among other things, Ceridian instituted a program called “Top Talent” to improve employee/leadership interaction. Under this initiative, employees proposed improvement ideas. The ideas were judged by a team of Ceridian senior leaders. The top five selections were funded, implemented and celebrated.

Another change involved coaching existing leaders on effective communication. New leaders were interviewed on their ability to effectively communicate and manage change, which communicated the organization’s commitment to evolution. Also, the “executive floor” no longer exists.

Defined Purpose

Ceridian had established a trusted brand around delivering results, but realized this definition was vague and lacked focus on why the organization was started in the first place. Ossip and his team came to the conclusion that their core purpose centered around improving work and life for people—employees and customers alike.

“Our worldwide focus became something more than just paying people correctly,” Ossip explains. “Anyone who was a customer, whether you were an employee, a manager, a CEO or a COO, work and life would be improved by our software and our services.”

In addition, Ceridian sold off businesses unrelated to their established core purpose. It focused its assets in human capital management.

Aligned Values

An employee survey revealed people knew what company values were, but did not identify with them. Nor did they believe the organization was living these values. With a clear purpose defined, values could be adopted which would now support and drive the business.

“The first value we chose was around customer focus, which for us was the concept of listening carefully to our customers and acting with empathy towards them.

Second, we spoke about transparency—open communication, maintaining a high degree of integrity and making sure we were accountable for our behaviors.

Third, diligence and optimism. The belief was that you had to be optimistic in order to succeed. That optimism is a planned behavior, meaning it starts with proper preparation and diligence. That preparation leads to knowledge and that knowledge leads to confidence. In turn, confidence drives success. The entire concept was that if you do the proper prep and diligence you will be successful and you should be optimistic.

The last thing we spoke about was agility. By acting as agile individuals we would be prepared and enthused to see new challenges. We knew with proper preparation and diligence that we would achieve success.”

Ossip and his team then ensured an effective program was in place to communicate the new values and ensure that people were living and demonstrating them. They created and distributed a book called Our Way —a series of internal and external case studies showing how their purpose and values drove success and how living those values transformed work and life for the better.

18” letters declaring their new values were plastered on the walls throughout the building. Their purpose was not to impress, but to remind people of these expectations. Company values are reinforced at the start of every meeting and discussed on an on-going basis. Ceridian’s values are now part of the cultural DNA which drives the organization’s purpose.

A Mission Understood

Ossip and his team further defined Ceridian’s mission to ensure everyone knew what they needed to do to remain in line with their stated purpose and values. They are now “creating products and services that will help people enjoy work and life more.”

Clear Vision

“For me, the ultimate goal of Ceridian is to become the preferred HR solution chosen by the employee. In other words, if someone is interviewing at a particular company, they ask if Dayforce is used at the organization because they know it will make their work and life better.” Ossip rallied the organization behind this vision, painting a picture for his employees of what the company’s future would look like if they got it right. The message transformed the organization’s energy for the monumental task at hand.

Right People, Right Roles

Ossip recalls recruiting for a previous startup of his. “We grew from 0 to $100 million in three years. We kept hiring until we hit 100 people. We then looked around and thought, ‘Who have we hired?’ How do we use their talents to accomplish our goals? Do we have the right people to achieve success? We had no process in place to answer these questions.” Ossip learned the hard way that recruiting is more than just filling seats in an organization. It requires ensuring the right people fill the right roles and can drive your mission and purpose forward.

“We then had to make a lot of tough decisions to move people to new roles, and even remove people that weren’t aligned with what we needed to do. We basically had to restructure and rebuild the organization,” Ossip says.

Ossip retained this knowledge from past experiences and utilized it to improve Ceridian.

“We typically have candidates meet with about five different people in the company—some who they will be working with and others outside of their department.” Ceridian looks for a purpose and culture “FIT”, first and foremost. These are people who believe in what Ceridian is attempting to do, who like to have F un, are I ntelligent and will work well with others in T eams.

If you flew from Yorkshire, England to California, USA with a co-worker, would you sit in the seat next to them or would you escape to the back of the plane and avoid them? “We want people that want to sit with each other,” Ossip explains. “When it comes to intelligence, we test not if the person knows everything at the time of the hire, but whether or not the person has the ability and aptitude to learn. We also want people that are more interested in a team than a specific title or role.”

Under Ossip’s direction, Ceridian’s interview process now includes examining backgrounds and resumes, and testing for FIT, core communication and convictions. They examine relatability of the potential employee to his/her hiring manager, team and peers.

“If employee engagement and productivity improves, and attrition drops, we know we are getting it right,” Ossip added.

Ceridian implements an anonymous employee engagement survey twice a year with results broken down to the department and team level. They also use a daily employee engagement tool built into their Dayforce product. “We get the results and we communicate them back to the employees and the managers completely openly. We let both the good and the bad out,” Ossip relates.

Ceridian’s key measurement is how employee engagement tracks to customer service experience scores. “We identify the top five areas of organizational improvement and we put in programs to treat those five items. We report back to the employees as to our progress against those initiatives and then we survey again,” Ossip explains.

Ceridian not only looks for triggers of engagement, but triggers of disengagement, too. Triggers of disengagement can be small things. They might be a time-consuming expense process, a poor travel or time off policy, a mandatory dress code, outdated tools or systems or how attendance is monitored. Often, these triggers are the small things you don’t hear about that upset people.

Disengagement triggers cause employees to disconnect from the workplace. When this happens they shift to a 9-to-5 mentality, performance drops, customer satisfaction declines and the company starts missing targets. Organizations with many of these disengagement triggers often struggle to get the type of employee commitment they need to drive engagement and results.

Ossip hosts regular town halls and walk arounds to meet with people in an open forum and listen to their concerns. This is the best way to learn what is going on before it becomes a problem.

“Whether it be revenue, ACV (Annual Contract Value in terms of sales), client retention, or employee attrition, when employee engagement goes down they all go bad, when engagement goes up they all improve,” Ossip reports.

Taking Action

Ceridian regularly surveys their people not only about their engagement, but also concerning their understanding and connection to company values. This includes how well employees and leaders are living the organization’s values. People, managers and teams then identify the areas of improvement required and take action to make enhancements. They also celebrate outcomes. Taking action was the most critical part of Ossip’s successful change management.

One example cited is Ceridian’s Dayforce app launch in 2012. They sold more than 2,800 systems in three years. The biggest constraint with that volume involved implementation. The organization ramped up their implementation team from 100 team members to 1000 people in a three-year period.

In order to allow implementation to keep pace with sales, Ceridian increased the project load for many of their consultants. The decision yielded a revenue increase, but also a decline in employee engagement and employee retention. Indicators warned that revenue would slow if Ceridian didn’t make additional changes to remedy the added strain on employees. Based on employee feedback, they adjusted resources within the workload. In a very short time, employee engagement rose again.

Ceridian’s effective actions resulted in a record-breaking 200 new accounts in one month.

The lesson here is if you continually listen to your employees, seek their feedback and act on valid concerns, you can avoid bad business outcomes. If you let employee engagement issues continue unchecked, the negativity will quickly spread throughout your organization and damage your business.

Ceridian’s Annual Planning process starts in early Q3 for each upcoming year. Planning covers not only financials, but also the underpinnings of what allows the organization to hit its numbers—employee and customer engagement.

“A good portion of our planning and budgeting process involves conversations around people metrics, things like our employee engagement year-over-year, our Net Promoter scores concerning our customer engagement and conversations about important topics like attrition,” Ossip says.

On a monthly basis, Ceridian reports out to top managers in the company about their progress, and they in turn share the information with employees. On a quarterly basis, Ossip shares company results openly to all employees. “We have a company all-hands call where I present for 25% of the time and take questions for the remainder of the meeting,” Ossip explains. All questions are responded to, regardless of how challenging they may be.

On the employee engagement survey side, Ceridian reports out to the managers and employees all the way down to department or team level. Everything is open and shared. When low engagement is discovered, the organization looks at the whole business area with an extra focus on the person managing the team. Based on employee feedback, Ceridian makes changes not only about how the company is run, but also who runs it.

“You know when you’ve got an engaged workforce when you walk through the halls and there’s a buzz—a sense of positive energy inside the office. I contrast this to the first time I walked into the office in Minneapolis. It was like walking into a dark museum,” Ossip recalls. When he held his first town hall meetings, no questions were asked. Nowadays, the meetings run over due to energized employee interaction and feedback. Employees report that there is an open, honest and trusted environment at Ceridian. This has bred more than just engaged employees. It has also impressively accelerated business outcomes.

Over the following 18 months of Ossip’s change management initiative, employee engagement scores rose significantly, and Ceridian’s Glassdoor rating went from under 2 to over 4 on a scale of 1-5. Furthermore, customer satisfaction as measured by their industry’s Net Promoter scores increased a record 25 points year-over-year. On the revenue side, their Dayforce flagship product saw a 70% growth rate year-over-year and the organization became one of the fastest growing cloud companies in the marketplace.

“In addition, employee attrition went down, customer retention went up and our business began to thrive. The inflection point was changing the model of how we engage employees. Employee experience is our number one goal. The second is customer experience, and third is product excellence,” Ossip concludes. Ceridian was one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2016.

Ossip’s vision and direction clearly brought needed change and outcomes to Ceridian. The company’s success lies in a balance of understanding the organization’s purpose and executing on needed business deliverables to fulfill that purpose.

Ossip’s transformational leadership proved, as noted businessman Nido Qubein has asserted: “Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.” Ensure your organization understands its purpose— why it was started in the first place—and has a clear business strategy to execute on what it needs to accomplish to fulfill it.

For more information, visit  PurposeMeetsExecution.com and check out my book How to Find a Job, Career and Life You Love .

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Transformational leadership – an academic case study

Purpose – The purpose is to present a case study on transformational leadership. Design/methodology/approach – It adopts the 4 I's of Bernard M. Bass, the leadership researcher – individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation and idealized influence. Findings – It emphasizes that leaders have to act according to the situation, with more emphasis on transformational leadership, for motivating their people and institutions to achieve their goals and objectives. Practical implications – It stresses the importance of accepting feedback and making bold decisions, to ensure the longevity of an academic institution and achieve academic excellence. Social implications – It provides an example of a passionate academic leader who leads from the front through his visionary leadership. Originality/value – It describes how to turn around an educational institution through academic leadership.

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Kepemimpinan Transformasional Kepala Madrasah dalam Meningkatkan Mutu Madrasah (Studi Kasus di MA Matholi’ul Huda Bugel Jepara)

This study describes the principal's transformational leadership in improving the quality of madrasas conducted at MA Matholi’ul Huda Bugel Jepara. This research is a qualitative research. Collecting data through observation, interviews, and document review. Data analysis in this study uses interactive models such as those developed by Miles and Huberman. The results of the study indicate that; first, the value of transformational leadership which includes four aspects, namely: Idealized Influence or Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual stimulation or intellectual stimulation, Individualized consideration or individual consideration; secondly, the leadership of the head of the madrasa Aliyah Matholi'ul Huda Bugel Jepara has built trust with teachers and employees, through a reliable example of the madrasa principals, the compatibility between what is said and done, the opportunity for teachers and employees to express opinions, give opportunity to take part in duties and responsibilities, also take part in various trainings; third, the quality of the MA Matholi'ul Huda Bugel Kedung Jepara with the title of "very good" with evidence of the superiority of the results of the national and madrasah examinations in the last 3 years always get 100% graduation with an average score of 8.50, many students have achieved achievements Provincial and national level competitions

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Reversing the lens

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Transformational leaders motivate followers to achieve performance beyond expectations by transforming their attitudes, beliefs, and values as opposed to simply gaining compliance. Transformational leadership was conceptualized as being composed by four independent dimensions, known as the four “I”s : inspirational motivation (the sense of drive that the leader inspires in followers and that produces additional, goal-oriented energy for the group or organization), intellectual stimulation (the boost in creativity in followers that the leader stimulates by encouraging an independent and innovative way of thinking), idealized influence (exemplary behaviour of the leader that generates respect and trust and makes followers proud of their group and organization), and individualized consideration (perception that the leader genuinely cares for followers and their well-being). This paper examines the nexus between transformational leadership and team effectiveness.

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Effect of Transformational Leadership on the Creativity of Employees: An Empirical Investigation

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Transformational leadership and employee knowledge sharing: explore the mediating roles of psychological safety and team efficacy

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This paper aims to analyze transformational leadership characteristics in traditional and modern Islamic educational institutions by referring to four transformational features: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. The method used is a qualitative method with a library research approach. Inductive data analysis describes data from facts and the field associated with the theory. Sources of data used are the results of literature from books and journals. The results of the study show that the characteristics of transformational leadership in the Salaf and modern Islamic boarding schools, among others; 1) Build creative ideas through vision and mission to achieve goals, become role models, and influence subordinates through their behavior and charisma; 2) Provide inspiration and motivation through a clear vision; 3) encourage subordinates to find practical ideas in solving problems; 4) understand and appreciate subordinates based on needs and pay attention to the desire to achieve and develop.

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• DOI: 10.1108/ICT-07-2013-0043
• Corpus ID: 145730213

Transformational leadership – an academic case study

• Published 31 July 2014
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The impact of transformational school leadership on school staff and school culture in primary schools—a systematic review of international literature.

Graphical Abstract

1. Introduction

1.1. transformational leadership conceptualization, 1.2. transformational school leadership, 1.3. school culture, 2. materials and methods, 2.1. purpose and structure of review, 2.2. search strategies, inclusion, and exclusion selection criteria, 2.3. screening, grading of papers, and resulting documents for synthesis, 2.4. records for specific focus and appraisal, 2.5. analysis of selected studies, 2.6. characteristics of selected studies, 3.1. literature synthesis.

• Idealised influence, providing an appropriate model, and modelling the way.
• Inspirational motivation, setting direction, inspiring, identifying and articulating a shared vision, and fostering acceptance of group goals.
• Individualised consideration, developing people, enabling others to act, and providing individualised support to school staff and culture.
• Intellectual stimulation, holding high-performance expectations, challenging the process, and encouraging the heart in school staff and school culture.
• Redesigning the organisation of school staff and culture.
• Improving the instructional programme of school staff and culture.

3.2. Results Presented in Two Separate Persepctives: Impacts on School Staff and School Culture

3.2.1. impacts of the first element of the framework, ‘idealized influence, providing an appropriate model, and modelling the way’, on school staff and school culture, 3.2.2. impact of the second element of the framework, ‘inspirational motivation, setting direction, inspiring, identifying and articulating a shared vision, and fostering acceptance of group goals’, on school staff and school culture, 3.2.3. impact of the third element of the framework, ‘individualized consideration, developing people, enabling others to act, and providing individualized support’, on school staff and school culture, 3.2.4. impact of the fourth element of the framework, ‘intellectual stimulation, holding high-performance expectations, challenging the process, and encouraging the heart’, on school staff and school culture, 3.2.5. impact of the fifth element of the framework, ‘redesigning the organization’, on school staff and school culture, 3.2.6. impact of the sixth element of the framework, ‘improving the instructional programme’, on school staff and school culture, 4. discussion, 5. conclusions, author contributions, data availability statement, conflicts of interest.

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Wilson Heenan, I.; De Paor, D.; Lafferty, N.; Mannix McNamara, P. The Impact of Transformational School Leadership on School Staff and School Culture in Primary Schools—A Systematic Review of International Literature. Societies 2023 , 13 , 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13060133

Wilson Heenan I, De Paor D, Lafferty N, Mannix McNamara P. The Impact of Transformational School Leadership on School Staff and School Culture in Primary Schools—A Systematic Review of International Literature. Societies . 2023; 13(6):133. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13060133

Wilson Heenan, Inez, Derbhile De Paor, Niamh Lafferty, and Patricia Mannix McNamara. 2023. "The Impact of Transformational School Leadership on School Staff and School Culture in Primary Schools—A Systematic Review of International Literature" Societies 13, no. 6: 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13060133

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