The Presidents of the E uropean Commission

Transactional or Transforming Leaders

Bibliographic Data

ID7312184
AuthorsIngeborg Tömmel (0000-0003-3746-9446, Osnabrück University, corresponding author)
Year2013
Volume51
Issue4
Pages789-805
Publication date2013-04-24
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJCMS Journal of Common Market Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-9886 • E-ISSN: 1468-5965
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jcms.12023
OpenAlexW2127289720
LanguageEN
Citations received31
References cited19

This article analyzes the leadership of three C ommission P residents: J acques D elors, J acques S anter and R omano P rodi. It questions whether these P residents performed as transactional or transforming leaders – that is, whether they ‘mattered’ as forceful promoters of the E uropean project. Drawing on leadership theory, the article identifies three factors providing opportunities and setting constraints, as decisive for exercising political leadership: the institutional setting, the situational context and the personal qualities of the office holders. It analyzes to what extent these factors, and the interplay among them, shape the leadership of the C ommission P residents, and which of these factors are conditional for the exercise of transforming leadership. It concludes that only D elors was able to act as a transforming leader, whereas S anter and P rodi mainly performed as transactional leaders. These differences are explained by variations in the situational context and the personal qualities of the incumbents and the interplay between all three factors determining political leadership

Commission · Context (archaeology · Leadership · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Shared leadership · Situational ethics · Situational leadership theory · Transactional leadership · European and International Law Studies · European Union Policy and Governance · Law · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Psychology · Social Psychology