Brazilian executives: in the opposite sense of the transformational leadership deified profile

Abstract

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-8077.2012v14n32p35 The goal of this article is to relate the psychological type of the executives who are in the strategic level of corporations in Brazil with the characteristics showed in the literature about transformational leadership. The last, although deified, is the most mentioned by the current literature. The theoretical framework presents a synthesis of the literature on leadership, from the 1960s to the Theory of transformational leadership. We used the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), an indicator of psychological types based on Carl G. Jung work. A quantitative research with the width of the one that originated this work is rare in literature; we applied the MBTI in a sample of 430 executives. The research reveals that exists more divergence than convergence among the characteristics found in Brazilian executives and the characteristics of transformational leadership. Brazilian leaders show difficulty to see the need for changes while transformational leaders are said to be more capable to lead people. Brazilian executives are hard and inflexible when the situation demands, unlike what the Theory of transformational leadership says. Empathy and concern with those who are led are characteristics of transformational leaders that are not so present among Brazilian leaders.

Keywords

• executivos
• liderança
• teoria transformacional