THE INFLUENCE OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP ON FOLLOWERS' RELATIONAL VERSUS COLLECTIVE SELF-CONCEPT.

In this paper we develop a conceptual framework for understanding the exceptional and diverse effects transformational leaders may have on their followers by integrating recent theories on followers' self-concept, and transformational leadership theory. We propose that transformational leadership exerts its effects by engaging two levels of follower's social-self concepts: the relational self and the collective self, leading to followers' personal identification with the leader and social identification with the organizational unit. Specific leader's behaviors that prime different aspects of followers' self-concepts are identified and their possible effects on different aspects of followers' perceptions and behaviors are discussed.