Transformational and Distributed Leadership Paradigms.
According to (Avery 2004) leadership has no agreed definition and various impacts are prevalent. Leadership according to Cote (2017) is predicated upon a leadership decision to solicit the views of service staff and inter-departmental management. While Bush (2019, p. 13) suggests that identifying concerns/problems requires an effective approach.
This paper will discuss Transformational and Distributed leadership and provide a critique through work based learning discourse. The work by Nevalainen et al. (2018) suggests individual attitudes, self-efficacy and perceived control is a significant predictor towards leadership while staff and learner learning behaviour are motivated by individual leaders exhibiting a set of actions and beliefs. If as Goleman and Chemiss (2024) suggest synthesis of personality traits and behaviours of a leader in the workplace (Bush and Bell (2019) will present an emphasis on values, ethic and morals.
Transformational leadership, Adeoye et al. (2025), Sliwka, et al. (2024) and Doody et al. (2024) highlight design, empowerment and motivation while Distributed leadership, Gronn (2023) Somers (2022), Hartely (2010) and Harris (2008) suggest staff in an organisation will interact at all levels and not as a single leadership stance.
This paper will reflect on Fullan (2020) suggestion that ‘Give people experience in the new way’ (Fullan p58 2020).
Main argument:
The UK Department for Education (DfE) Work Based Learning (WBL) private training providers (PTP) service delivery provide a valuable context for comparative analysis and critique of leadership. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), Bass and Avolio (1996) is a widely used tool for assessing different leadership styles, including transformational, transactional, and passive-avoidant leadership. Comprehensive insights into leadership behaviours and their impact on organisational performance.
Conclusion:
Individual leadership (Quew-jones 2024) may overlook the importance of group-level outcomes and the potential for leaders to enhance team performance Leadership is increasingly viewed not merely as a function (Kok &McDonald (2017) of individual traits but as a dynamic process involving leaders, followers, and their interactions within a specific organisational context. Fullan (2020) highlights that effective leadership encompasses the interplay between these elements, suggesting that focusing solely on the leader’s attributes without considering the broader relational and environmental factors may provide an incomplete picture.