**4. Results and analysis**

## **4.1 Strengths of transformational leadership and technical universities**

The strength of transformational leadership is based on the premise that, leaders exhibit positive work behaviours of commitment, readiness, transparency and support that generate innovations and improvement of the organization [5]. First, the theory is comprehensive and all-inclusive because it covers broad descriptions of leadership qualities from different perspectives at the management levels [40]. Some of the leadership qualities are the ability to influence followers, integrity, provide motivation and morality at the organization [26, 41]. In the TUs, the characteristics of the TL are embedded in the analysis of the strategic plan, with key theme being the experienced and qualified staff, who are of integrity, innovativeness, commitment and excellence. The quality of staff reflects in the increasing number of students in the TUs. Another strength is the communication flow between the leaders and their subordinates with the aim of adopting moral standards that guide favourable interactions [4]. Effective communication flow is the one of the hall marks of a TL. Each of the TUs have an organogram or organizational structure which indicates the reporting lines of authority and channels of communication. Each faculty or administrative department has a head of department, supervisors, and subordinates. As such there is continuous flow of information from leaders to subordinates. Third, the TL motivates their followers to go beyond their limits and attain higher heights [42–44]. Hu et al. [44] argue that inspirational motivation encourage employees to exert more efforts to tackle challenges, work towards achieving their goals, and create more opportunities. The TUs have motivated staff whose aim is to achieve the goals of the university. Fourth, TL are encouraged to be innovative, creative and solve problems [8, 45]. Hu et al. [44] assert that, creativity and innovation occur in organizations whose leaders practice transformational styles. In the TUs, creativity and innovation have become essential because of the need to sustain relevance and competitive advantage in today's higher educational institutions for growth of new knowledge, ideas and research in a globalized world [8, 46]. Fifth, TLs are strong in their support they provide to members and help them develop their career, overcome personal fear and take on difficult and situational challenges [47]. The TUs have staff development policy for which they encourage staff to pursue further studies by offering scholarships, seminars, workshops and conferences for staff. Six, transformational leaders serve as role models to their followers and adopt proactive means to realize the vision [48, 49]. In TUs, the teaching and non-teaching staff follow the vision enshrined in their strategic plan inspire their followers to espouse the ownership of the TU goals in harmony with their personal goals for a follower transformation [28, 50]. All the 10 TUs have a vision, which are similar and reflect on their TL styles (**Figure 2**; **Table 1**) [51, 52]. For instance the visions of five of the TUs were stated as:

*"A world-class technical university recognized for excellence, innovation and societal relevance (TU 1)".*

*"A world-class technical university devoted to science, technology and entrepreneurship education (TU 2)".*

*"Recognized as the top technical university in Ghana, with strong regional influence (TU 3)".*

#### *Leadership in a Changing World - A Multidimensional Perspective*

#### **Figure 2.**

*Strengths of TUs in relations to TL. Source: Author's Construct (2021).*


#### **Table 1.**

*Strengths of transformational leadership in technical university education.*

*"The vision of the university is to become an internationally reputable institution of excellence in the provision of technical education (TU 4)."*

*"University is to become a leading global tertiary institution that offers high quality career oriented programmes in… (TU 5)".*

#### **4.2 Weaknesses of TUs and relations with TL**

Weaknesses or challenges of transformational leadership (TL), though exist, is limited in literature. Leaders have challenges of integrating the situational conditions with the group goals which allow individuals to work outside of the group goals [4]. In TUs, the administration system is associated with the committee work *Leadership in a Changing World: Relating Transformational Leadership to Internal… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.102574*


#### **Table 2.**

*Weaknesses of transformational leadership in technical university education.*

and teamwork. As such, urgent emerging situational conditions which require immediate attention, delay due to the bureaucracies.

Second, the qualities of the TL, is conceptual and closely related to each other, and this may be quite difficult to observe and its impact on the followers [20]. The concept of the TL has not been fully embraced in the TUs as other leadership styles may be employed by leaders in the TUs.

Third, it may be difficult to consistently adopt to the TL behaviours to achieve the goals of the TUs as leadership changes periodically [53]. After every 4 years, academic and administrative leadership changes occur in the TUs and may result in the lack of continuity of activities of the TUs.

Fourth, the employees may have difficulty in differentiating between various TL behaviours as they may perceive them to be in the same leadership sphere [54]. Leadership in TUs could exhibit charismatic, transactional, servant leadership or a blend of them which will be difficult to associate them with TL style. **Table 2** shows the weaknesses of TL in TUs. There has not been any cutting edge type of leadership adopted by the TUs (**Figure 3**).
