planning for external forces that impact the delivery of quality healthcare. These concerns make the choice of leadership model used in the healthcare setting a highly significant one.
The transformational leadership model describes leaders that inspire their followers in such a way that they rise above their own self-interest and what they perceive to be their limitations to achieve greater effectiveness in attaining common goals (Schaubroeck, Lam, & Cha, 2007, p. 1020). The transformational leader literally effects a transformation among his or her followers that results in improved performance at both the individual and organizational levels (Schaubroeck, Lam, & Cha, 2007, p. 1020).
Within the healthcare environment specifically, transformational leadership is being promoted as a leadership style that facilitates change and increases employees' job satisfaction, commitment to their job, and their wellbeing as team members (Neilsen, Yarker, Randall, & Munir, 2009, p. 1237). Transformational leaders have been shown to provide personal attention to their followers, promoting their development by giving each one individualized attention (Neilsen, Yarker, Randall, & Munir, 2009, p. 1237). In addition, these leaders make it possible for their followers to work in new ways, engage in creative problem solving, and develop certain behaviors as a result of coaching, encouragement, and stimulation of intellectual abilities (Neilsen, Yarker, Randall, & Munir, 2009, p. 1237).
The strengths of the transformational leadership model include the fact that it is widely researched and has intuitive appeal by virtue of its view of leaders as "change agents who provide visions for the future" (Lang, 2010, p. 14). The model also focuses on followers' needs and emphasizes the mutual process between followers and leaders (Lang, 2010, p. 14). Another advantage is that by including attention to followers' growth, the m...