The Impact of Transformational Leadership on a Religious Congregation of Women

Transformational leadership is considered the most effective form of leadership. Transformational leadership aims to inspire and empower followers to reach beyond what they thought possible and elicit extraordinary results. It motivates the followers and brings the best out of them. It looks to achieve true commitment and transcend the followers’ self-interests for the sake of others. The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of transformational leadership on the outcomes of a religious congregation of women. More specifically, the study focuses on three aspects of outcomes: 1) vision statement; 2) culture of trust; and 3) performance. A quantitative survey was conducted with 153 participants from the members of the Dominican Sisters of Tam Hiep in Vietnam. A comparative analysis of temporary professed and perpetual professed members was conducted. The relationships between transformational leadership with each aspect of outcomes were examined. Additionally, this study examined the mediating role of vision statement and culture of trust between transformational leadership and performance. The results of this study indicate that transformational leadership had a positive impact on the congregation’s outcomes. The findings also showed that the culture of trust played a positive mediating role between transformational leadership and performance. By focusing on shared vision and individuals development, leaders promote trusting relationships among leaders-members and members-members. This study may affect positive social change by demonstrating how trust can be created by both leaders and members. These findings may also contribute to the expansion and development of training programs