Toward a better understanding of transformational leadership: Differentiating between altruism and self-sacrifice. Paper presented at the proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management conference

Abstract. This paper distinguishes between self-sacrifice and altruism, and reports a cross-sectional survey of working managers (n = 127). The study tested how the two variables differentially affect transformational leadership. Results yielded evidence that altruism is a better predictor of transformational leadership than self-sacrifice is. The hypothesis that self-sacrifice would enhance the effect of altruism on transformational leadership did not obtain support. Findings also showed that transformational leadership in turn leads to followers ’ enhanced perception of collective identity and performance. Implications of the results are discussed and future directions for research are proposed