The Dark Side of Transformational Leadership: A Critical Perspective

The Dark Side of Transformational Leadership: A Critical Perspective

Article Type: Suggested reading From: Development and Learning in Organizations, Volume 28, Issue 1

Dennis Tourish,
Routledge, Hove, 2013, ISBN: 978-0-415-56428-1, 252 pp.

"Leadership" remains somewhat of a contested concept about which there remains no universal definition or consensus about what "it" actually is. For some it has become a somewhat exotic, mysterious and intriguing facet of organisational life surplanting "management" in terms of its lure and status. So much so that leadership per se could be said to have achieved an almost "bling-like" resonance within the business world. Indeed leaders tend to be presented – falsely – as the heroes and saviours (or indeed demons when things become "pear-shaped") who, almost magically, can transform organisations into world beaters seemingly single-handedly. A delusion which, in my view, just happens to have been fuelled by "transformational leadership" – which is the focus of this interesting and insightful book.

The book hits directly at the heart of much of what is going awry in the corporate world which, to my mind, is the dysfunctional application of personal and institutional power. Indeed the author considers that leadership, as traditionally envisaged, has been a key factor in many of the high-profile corporate failings of recent years and especially so for those who have adopted a transformational leadership orientation. "Transformational leadership" as an approach legitimises too much of a concentration of power into the hands of the few who then probably see their mission as being that of transforming "the others". Transformation is after all quite an appealing and seductive notion if one is "doing" the transformation but perhaps less so if one is on the receiving end, no matter how appealing the proposed changes may be presented as being. One is reminded of the old quip about a Scout feeling impelled to help someone across the road, even if that person had no desire to do so!

This book cuts to the chase with its focus on power dynamics at work and as such it should be of considerable value to academics, thinking and thoughtful senior executives, HRM and organisation behaviour specialists and particularly to those at Board level charged with the responsible custodianship of their organisations. It should not be a surprise therefore that considerable attention is devoted to exploring the psychology of power, executive derailment and the processes through which hitherto able, responsible, and ethically-informed leaders can become toxic, dysfunctional and behaviourally counter-productive. As the author observes "It has long been clear that models of leadership which assume that powerful leaders can be relied upon to behave wisely, ethically and for the public good are mistaken. Power adversely affects our ethics, perceptions of others, levels of testosterone and our inclination to engage in risky behaviours (:8)". The seduction of charisma, narcissistic excess, hubris and the onset of corporate arrogance – both from an institutional as well as from an individual perspective – are explored as important dimensions of the transformational approach to leadership. Tourish considers that a fundamental reformulation of the notion of "leadership" is now needed, in order to address the deeply imbedded, and significant, power imbalances which the concept currently embraces.

As a Professor of Leadership and Organization Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London, Dennis Tourish has been researching in this field – with a specialist interest in cults – for many years and is an accomplished writer. He is thus well positioned to undertake this dissection of transformational leadership – highlighting the dangers of adopting too leader-centric an approach to leadership – which in recent years seems have become "the" way forward in spite of the excesses evidenced by high profile examples of executive hubris, narcissism, dysfunctional charisma, ego-centric behaviour and organisational tyranny.

The book is organised into three Parts: Part I offers an introduction to the concepts underpinning leadership in general and transformational leadership in particular, Part II explores four case studies and the concluding Part III "reimagining leadership and followership" looks to the future.

The case material in Part II considers: Enron; the Militant Tendency in the UK of the 1980s and early 1990s; group suicide and mass murder (i.e. Jim Jones and the 1978 mass suicide and the "Heaven’s Gate" cult); and the culture of dysfunctional behaviour within Banking, which has become all too apparent within the last decade. These cases illustrate the ethical limits/excesses which too strong an adherence to transformational models of leadership can sadly bring.

In conclusion, Professor Tourish goes beyond a descriptive assessment of transformational leadership and its ills and limitations and suggests practical ways through which the potential for leadership excess might be ameliorated. He suggests that there is a "[…] need to move on from models that put ‘the leader’ at the centre […]" (:200) and to examine ways of lessening both the fawned dependence on those in positions of leadership and the significant power differential between leaders and others around them.

Well worth the read.

Reviewed by Dr Michael Walton

This review was originally published in Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 45 No. 6, 2013, pp. 369-370, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited