Transformational leadership: What every nursing dean should know

Transformational leadership (TFL) has become a predominant leadership style practiced by leaders across many industries and disciplines, including nursing. As a component of the Full Range Leadership Model proposed by Bass (1985), TFL is characterized by the ability to stimulate, inspire, and motivate followers. Transformational leaders focus on building relationships with people and creating change by emphasizing values. Most TFL literature in nursing focuses on clinical practice with very little representation from academic nursing leadership. This article describes TFL, presents general findings from the literature, discusses this leadership style in the context of academic nursing leadership, makes recommendations for professional development of this leadership approach and offers suggests for future inquiry.