Union leadership : what is transformational leadership and can it make a difference?

This paper addresses the issue of transformational leadership in trade unions, and whether transformational leadership can make a difference, both for the union’s organisation, and in terms of outcomes for its members. It examines the literature on transformational leadership and develops a set of characteristics of transformational leadership based on this. This framework of characteristics is then discussed in the context of a case study, the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (SDA), which underwent a major leadership change in the 1970s. In the case of the SDA, and based on the literature, we conclude that the leadership of the union at that time was transformational, and that this leadership had positive benefits, both for the union as an organisation, and in terms of outcomes for its members.