Leading Clan to Enterprise: Self-Transformational Leadership in Community-Driven Development Programs

Abstract

Leader is not only a subject of change (i.e., influencing team members positively) but also an object of change (i.e., being changed positively for team performance). This study examines how the change of leader's personality is associated with team effectiveness in the community-driven development (CDD) process. To that end, we examined a CDD case in Myanmar implemented by the Korea International Cooperation Agency and the Myanmar Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation. The analyses present several patterns: (1) a good performance of CDD program can be accompanied by an upward change (improvement) of leader personality more than by a steadily good personality of leader; (2) however, even a downward change (deterioration) of leader personality can be associated with team effectiveness in a metamorphosis from traditional to modern communities. Our findings suggest the importance of “self-transformational leadership,” which emphasizes the need for leaders to change themselves to better lead the changing nature of the community.