Jharcraft: A Gift of Transformational Leadership
Dr. Pragya Singh
Assistant Professor
Symbiosis Centre for Management Studies NOIDA
Symbiosis International University, Pune
ORCHID ID - https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8114-2785
Dr. Karishma Chaudhary
Academic Research Fellow Associate
University of South Africa- Florida Campus,
Department of Industrial Engineering,
School of Engineering, College of Science,
Engineering and Technology.
ORCHID ID-https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1059-1153
Purpose: A leader who inspires, facilitates, and leads people to outperform themselves and bring phenomenal changes on an individual and social canvas is recognized as a Transformational Leader (TL). TL focuses on innovative methods and processes to improve the efficiency of the subordinates. Experts deem transformational leadership management style to be more efficacious pragmatic leadership style. This study focuses on the traits of a transformational leader Mr. Dhirendra Kumar, Managing Director of Jharcraft who set on a mission to lead people to revive the lost art and craft in Jharkhand, India. The case highlights how his leadership stylealigns with the four components of Transformational Leadership suggested by Bass (1985).
Design / Methodology /Approach: Our study is a qualitative approach to comprehend the theory of Transformational Leadership. First of all, an in-depth analysis of transformational leadership theory was conducted using secondary data. The findings of several researchers on the basis of their contribution to the development of transformational leadership theory were analyzed. Based on which the Bass transformational theory framework was selected.
Primary data was collected by conducting interviews with Mr. Dhirendra Kumar, Managing Director of Jharcraft.This paper highlights how his leadership style aligns with the four key elementsof Transformational Leadership i.e. idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, and personal considerations proposed by Bass (1985).
Findings: Transformational leaders can inspire progressive mindset among the followers. A TL oozes energy, enthusiasm, and passion to bring in the positive change. As per Bass’s Transformational leadership components, Kumar challenged the status quo and imbibed creativity and skill to local artisans. Artisans were imparted training by experts of the National Institute of Fashion and Technology and provided Intellectual stimulation. Kumar encouraged and supported his followers individually. He articulated a clear vision to followers to build and foster supportive relationships. He earned the trust and respect of the followers who eventually idolized him as their role model.
Research limitations/implications: This study only considered the traits portrayed by Dhirendra Kumar during his tenure as the Managing Director of Jharcraft and the data was collected at one single point of time only. Future research may consider his entire service journey and study factors which influenced his role as a transformational leader.
Originality/value: Given the importance of transformational leadership in today’s organizational context, this study builds a knowledge base to understand factors for transformational leadership and traits exhibited by transformational leaders.
Keywords: Transformational leadership; idealized influence; intellectual stimulation; inspirational motivation; personal considerations, Handlooms, Handicraft, sustainable livelihood
Introduction:
A leader is someone who inspires his team to achieve the goals. Kim (1992) stated that leadership is the capability to inspire, build trust, and facilitate team members working to achieve organization’s objectives. As asserted by Yulk (2013), leadership is the intentional pushing people and provide them direction to lead an organization and accelerate activities and linkages either in a team or in an organization. A leader plays a vital role in an organization by ensuring that his leadership style win over team members. Depending on the general framework of understanding that each leader is supposed to have in relation to their specific expectations, different companies have varied viewpoints on leadership (Khan, 2017). According to Stogdill (1974), people have attempted to explain the leadership in their own ways and hence, there exists various definitions of leadership. This has led to the creation of up to 60 unique classification frameworks over the past 50 years to characterize the elements of leadership (Fleishman, 1991).
Fiedler, who is among the most celebrated management researchers studied about the impact of leadership on team performance in 1996. He concluded that the success or failure of any team organization or unit is directly linked with its leader’s capabilities to lead them. Therefore, an effective leadership style can work wonders to achieve the goals of an organization. (Obiwuru et al. (2011), Mokgolo (2012) and Gillet (2014) also asserted that the leadership is amongst the most decisive factors of accomplishments of teams in any establishment. A good leader makes sure that goals are met in an effective and efficient way and guide and enable the team members. Hence, leader’s decision can help the organization advance or suffer setbacks. With the expansion of the organization, the demand for a competent leader grows.
Different authors have presented different theories and management styles from time to time. Transformational leadership is a paradigm of leadership that has gained considerable attention in recent decades from academics and scientists (Castelli, 2016). The most dominant analysis of leadership styles is presented by Bass (1987, 1997) and his team and a model was developed by Bass and Avolio (1980,1997). Later, Burns (1978) presented a model through transactional and transformational leadership styles as well.
Contemporary and earlier meta-examinations done by many researchers support the assumptions that A TL inspires his team to value the organization's goals more than their own goals, deliver their best (DeGroot, 2000); (Judge, 2004). In 1973, James V. Downton introduced the concept of transformational leadership. This leadership style was further researched by Bernard M. Bass in 1985 and was further expanded by Macgregor Burns in 1978. This theory considers transformation at the individual level as well as across social systems. Burns (1978) defined a transformational leader as one who can motivate followers to distance themselves from their trivial concerns and force them to work towards a common goal and achieve things that were never thought possible. According to him, transformational leadership is relatable to an authority style characterized by the charisma and mutual intelligence among pioneers and devotees. The vitality of the TL can be seen in their capacity to energize and encourage the team to carry out crucial work. According to Bass (1999), transformational leadership occurs when leaders engage with their team members to create awareness and acceptance about the team's goals. A TL therefore, widens the point of view of the team members to prioritize the organization goals.
According to a new study by Tepper (2018), team members behave well under transformational leaders, particularly when they are going through the most difficult times at work. In particular, transformational leaders focus on "vision" and have "shared" direction with their team members rather than influencing them in traditional methods (Wang, 2014; Khan, 2017; Thomas, 2017). A leadership approach that enjoys widespread trust is transformational leadership (Collins, 2014).According to Yukl (2013), transformational leadership is a strategy for engendering significant changes in team members' perspectives and presumptions and motivating them to support the team's objectives. To achieve the greatest levels, transformational leaders use role models, forge unique ties with their team members, inspire them, and promote brainstorming and active observation (Singh and Krishnan, 2007; Rotberg, 2014; Somboonpakom, 2014). Vision, independent independence, appreciation, inspiration, and taking on difficulties are just a few traits of a transformational leader that greatly influence how creative and original teams are at work. In addition to inspiring and emancipating the teams to achieve the pre-determined objectives by incorporating fresh perspectives and a code of ethics, a transformational leader takes the initiative. Positive ethological improvements that are visible in terms of improved teamwork and innovation among the people in any firm are ensured by transformational leaders. (Gumusluoglu and Isev, 2007; Bacha, 2014)
A team member is made aware of and prepared to go above their expectations and perceived capabilities by a leader. (Palestini, 2009; Avolio, 2010). All theoretical and empirical research on transformational leadership suggests that it increases the performance and helping behaviors of team members (Chun, 2016). Crane (2018) and Zach (2018) summarized that transformational leaders can address the emotional complexity of employees by providing appropriate coaching and feedback. A leader can be considered transformational when he nurtures a sense of justice, morality, importance and attractiveness, when he helps followers increase their achievement and fulfillment by nurturing team members. good spirit and motivates them to work for the best of the team, organization or community far from themselves.
According to Susan (2014), transformational leadership is characterized by five key elements: idealized influence, attributive charisma, individual consideration, inspirational drive, and intellectual stimulation.By individual concern, we mean that a leader places special emphasis on maintaining relationships with all of the team members. The leader is aware of and keeps an eye on the diverse requirements, sentiments, skills, and goals of the subordinates (Winkler, 2010; Dionne, 2010; Jones, 2008). The team's leader uses inspirational motivation to communicate the team's ideal to them and persuade them to accept it. They do this by showing them multiple ways to achieve the team's goals and inspiring confidence in their ability to do so (Yukl, 2013; Ndunge, 2014).Through intellectual stimulation, the team's leader enhances and develops team members' intellectual capacity and intellectually prepares them to solve professional problems with new ideas and advancements (Judge 2004; Hancott, 2005).
When it comes to the growth and performance of followers, transformational leadership is incredibly compelling. Even while research on transformational leadership has consistently shown that there is a vital process by which transformational leaders demonstrate the impact on their subordinates' progress and eventually lift their spirits, the team eventually performs at its peak. Astonishingly, there has been comparably little research on this subject, especially in the IT sector and in team contexts (Dvir, 2002; Walumbwa, 2004; Wang, 2012).According to changes made by Haque (2017) to the workforce and the commercial center necessitated the adoption of a transformational leadership style. These leaders encourage followers to think beyond their own interests, advancing their own development while also demonstrating concern for the success, fulfilment, and prosperity of subordinates. By doing this, the leaders exert influence over the followers' traits, emotions, and viewpoints to motivate them to complete their work in spite of their wants (Yukl, 2013). Transformational leadership has become crucial to promote team performance by guiding team members toward more notable levels of accomplishment. According to a study by Tepper (2018), teams with transformational leaders perform better overall, especially when faced with greater problems at work. The association between transformational leadership theory and performance is supported by research (Avolio, 2010). Various studies demonstrate that transformational leadership is acknowledged to deliver positive results in a variety of professional settings, including governmental as well as non-government ones (Bass, 2009; Trottier, 2008). Transformational leaders are skilled in persuading, motivating, and inspiring their teams to think creatively (Fernet, 2015). Transformational leaders have the ability to make followers take more serious action and go beyond what is considered good for the team (Polychroniou, 2009). Consequently, transformational leaders make followers more committed to the team's mission and thus lead over time to collaboration, better practices, and better operational understanding. Overall, team performance would improve (Strauss, 2009). They transform the management environment so that team members can fully engage in different aspects of their tasks (Thomas, 2017).Ekvall&Arvonen (1991) investigated change-centered leadership which creates vision, makes quick decisions and promotes innovation and corporation by developing a questionnaire. Jung (2001) researched the effects of transformational and transactional leadership on creativity in groups. Samad (2012) investigated the relationship between innovation, transformational leadership and organizational effectiveness. Ryan &Tipu (2013) researched leadership effects on innovation in a developing country.Transformational leadership aims at instilling positive change in subordinates to transform them towards a better future and groom them as future leaders to carry the baton of change. Undoubtedly, a transformational leader motivates subordinates to outperform and have high morale. A transformational leader (TL) is cognizant of current challenges and carves the way for a change by doing an in-depth analysis of prevalent conditions. A TL analyzes the strengths, and weaknesses of the subordinates and encourage them to achieve tasks with sheer grit and determination. TL directs subordinates by presenting a vision. Therefore, transformational leadership is not just general change, but is a conscious, moral and spiritual process that provides models for equal power relations between leaders and followers to achieve a collective goal or real change. This style brings commitment to the organization's goals and empowers people to achieve them. Subordinates are encouraged to show their creativity and work towards a common goal. Thus, TL brings about organizational wide change and creates perspective for both managers and employees. (Andreani&Petrick, 2016).
Bernard M. Bass put forward the Bass Transformational Leadership in 1985. He focused on how a leader influences his/her subordinates by improving and developing their understanding of the tasks and thereby concentrating their efforts toward organizational goals and team goals. As per the work on various researchers such as Bass (1985), Bass &Avolio (1994), and Burns (1978;2003) etc. aTLtransmutes his subordinates by the following methods:
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Increasing Awareness |
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A TL ascertains that the followers are cognizant of the tasks they need to work on and the benefits linked with it. |
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Focuses on Higher Order needs |
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A TL focuses on the wants of the followers that are of higher order. |
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Achievement of Organizational Goals |
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A TL prioritize the organization and team’s interest over his interests and encourage subordinates to follow the same mindset. |
The key components of transformational leadership proposed by Bass are depictedin Figure 1:
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Intellectual Stimulation |
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Individualized Consideration |
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Inspirational Motivation |
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Idealized Influence |
Figure 1- Key Components of Transformational Leadership
Idealized Influence: TL acts as a role model and mark a positive impact on the actions of subordinates who try to mimic him/her.
TL involves the followers in the transformation processes. The morale and motivation of both the leader and the followers are increased by transformational leaders (House & Shamir, 1993). Transformational leaders form an engaging relationships with followers on the premise of collective goals and value system. This positively impacts the performance of the team whoch work tirelessly to achieve the organizational goals.As per Bass, a transformational leader, induce followers to rise above their personal gain to achieve higher order goals which will eventually benefit them and society. Bass’s theory also fit in the Maslow’s (1954) higher-order needs theory. Transformational leadership essentiallyfollows the multipronged approach to strengthen the beliefs and values of subordinates.
TLs are celebratedfor their competence to realize the need for change and drive that change by collaborating with various stakeholders. He paves a path that that institutionalize the change (MacGregor Bums, 2003). TLs personally pay attention to all employees and counsel them about their consciousness, values, and abilities by making them understand the meaning of their jobs. These leaders are visionary and strive to nudge the followers toward higher and more universal wants and objectives (MacGregor Bums, 2003) (Amabile et al, 2004).
Research Methodology
This study employs a qualitative approach to comprehend the theory of Transformational Leadership. First of all, an in-depth analysis of transformational leadership theory was conducted using secondary data. The findings of several researchers on the basis of their contribution to the development of transformational leadership theory were analyzed. Based on which the Bass transformational theory framework was selected for this study.
Primary data was collected by conducting interviews with Mr. Dhirendra Kumar, Managing Director of Jharcraft. The case highlights how his leadership style aligns with the four components of Transformational Leadership suggested by Bass (1985) i.e. idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, and personal considerations.
Case: Dhirendra Kumar as a Transformational Leader
Jharkhand is a state located in the eastern part of India. The word "Jhar" means 'forest' and "Khand" means 'land' in various Indo-Aryan languages. The state is truly blessed with a diverse flora & fauna and is home of almost 30 different tribal communities. The artistic abilities and skillfulness’ of natives form a very significant and historic part of the cultural lineage and showcase a great deal of expertise which is rarely found elsewhere. The crafts inlcudes handlooms, bamboo products , wood crafts, metal works, Paitkar paintings, ornaments, stone carvings, and toys.
But the brilliance of these unique crafts was unduly complimented by adequate promotional and advertisement efforts. As a result, the crafts failed to receive the national and international acclaim that they deserved. Explicit paintings, handlooms, handicrafts, and so forth, which were pretty amazing to one’s sight, remained under a thick veil in earlier decades post-independence and needed collective and handy support from a government body or group.
The inception of Jharcraft / Brief History of JHARCRAFT and its Journey of Development
In August 2006, the government of Jharkhand formed Jharkhand Silk Textile and Handicraft Development Corporation Ltd. (Jharcraft), to generate sustainable livelihood prospects in the rural areas.The mission of Jharcraft was “Creating opportunities and changing lives” of the poor and women of the state. It also aimed to promote the tasar-culture, handloom, and handicrafts, and revive the unique culture of the state. The government took the initiative to revitalize the sector and all it needed was a leader who could push it forward (Jharcraft, 2008).
Mr. Kumar: Messiah for Jharcraft
In 2006 Mr. Dhirendra Kumar was appointed as Managing Director of Jharcraft and was entrusted with the colossal task of reviving the craft of Jharkhand. Kumar was an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer and he was handed over the charge as Special Secretary in the Department of Industries specifically in the domain of sericulture, handlooms, handicrafts, and khadi.
On taking charge, Kumar realized that the condition of sericulture, handloom, and handicrafts was dismal. He observed silk production was stumbling due todwindling supply of cocoons which was due to lack of funds. No marketing efforts were done to promote silk products. Most of the handloom cooperatives,created back in the 1940s, had become redundant and non-operational. Power looms and textile factories broke the spine of handlooms and handicrafts and moreover no efforts were done to support the priceless crafts. Kumar also found that other crafts of the region were gradually dying out due to a lack of direction and support.
Those employed in this sector were migrating to other states in search of a better life. In the process, and most importantly, the state’s art and craft were dying a slow death. Therefore, Kumar took this challenge upon himself to try and design a robust socio-economic framework that would create sustainable earning opportunities and revive local art, especially within the rural belts of Jharkhand.
Kumar understood that the revival of the traditional craft of Jharkhand would lead to the upliftment of local artisans, and thereby create a source of sustainable livelihood. He could visualize a silver lining in the form of prolific handicrafts and handlooms.
Kumar options were either to continue as an ‘implementer’, and provide charity support to handlooms and other crafts or to become a ‘facilitator’ to make this sector flourish again. He chose the latter.
When he embarked on this journey, many of his colleagues discouraged him, stating that it would be an unproductive endeavor, but he chose not to be discouraged. The early objective of Jharcraft was to provide a favorable atmosphere for native craftsmen to hone their skills and maximize their earning potential with the state’s support and guidance (Kumar, 2020).
The objective of Jharcraft envisioned by Kumar
Kumar embarked on his journey to transform the lives of rural artisans and people. He envisioned the integration of the local handloom products, organizing them into an integrated entity, taking measures to look up for newer markets, and spending the revenue for the welfare of the artisans, craftsmen, and the poorer community.
Kumar defined the following objectives and characteristics behind Jharcraft’s prolific initiative:
Kumar started with the identification of small groups of artisans that were working in the field of handloom and handicrafts, which largely comprised women and poor people, and Adivasis. A series of efforts were undertaken under him to enable a respectable livelihood for them such as:
a)Identification Of Self-Help Groups (SHGs): He began the process by conducting multiple surveys in order to identify artisan groups from the Jharkhand state. Jharcraft signed MoUs [ND2] with these groups.
c)World-class Training:To provide proper training to SHGs and artisans several measures were taken by Kumar. A qualified trainer was onboarded for imparting training to the participants to hone their craft-making skills. Further, in order to give them global exposure, Jharcraft also tied them up with the National Institute of Fashion and Design (NIFD) and the National Institute of Design (NID), premier design institutes in India.
In the grander scheme of things, the Jharcraft project also administered superfluous training to young men and women of the state to nurture their skill levels to world-class standards, and eventually absorb them into such larger entrepreneurial initiatives.
d)Production Process Initiates: After training, successful and promising candidates were put on the live production process, while their performance and skills were also being scanned and nurtured over time.
e)Buying of Produce Crafts:Once the productionprocess was initiated, the produce was evaluated for required quality standards, and itemswere purchased by Jharcraft through bank transactions. The products were graded as per their distinguishing categories.
f)Marketing Platform for Local Produce: Kumar also formed a marketing platform backed by the state government where local crafts and handlooms were made available for the market. Eventually, local NGOs and SHGs could also access Jharcraft to market their wares in international markets.
g)Life-Changing Opportunity:Kumar emerged as a leader who transformed the lives of thousands of craftsmen and their families, simply by enabling them to master the skill of local crafts and to manufacture such crafts and tasar silk which not only sought international certification but is also hailed widely.
h)Women Empowerment:Through Jharcraft each women artisan could earn around INR 6000 per month and make them self-reliant.
Over a period of time, superior types of equipment were provided; each of the production factors was identified, researched, and optimized for better qualitative and quantitative production. Once Jharcraft began to gain momentum in its growth journey, Kumar initiated collective production and aggressive marketing programs in an attempt to generate mass employment for natives, especially the poor and the backward classes. Additionally, the company also made efforts to galvanize tourism, so as to showcase its valuable craft and natural phenomena before the world with the intention to build lucrative markets.
Jharcraft supports bothforward and backward linkage to the Handloom and Handicrafts sectors for a sustainable source of livelihood. It was formed to provide aggressive marketing to the merchandise made by rural artists.
Through maximum utilization of natural resources and labor power available in the rural areas of the state, Jharcraft aims to provide each hand its value and add to employment and income generation.
Products of Jharcraft include Dhokra art, cloths of tasar silk, tribal artwork, woodcraft, lac jewelry and bangles, leather products, Gonda grass items, terracotta products, cane and bamboo products, musical instruments, and jute products.
Not an easy sail for Kumar
Kumar faced many challenges to make this transformation successful such as:
Here, the versatility of Kumar worked and with his friendly and pious approach, he won the hearts of the tribal who changed their mind and were ready to live in an organized manner capitalizing on their genuine skill in handicrafts and handlooms.
Craftsmen comprising such groups were not willing to include banks in their money trail and to get finances through them, as they were not knowledgeable enough to deal with such a complex set of aspects that any business enterprise faces. They were not ready to open a bank account as well.
In such a quest, Kumar again became the flag-bearer and came to the rescue with an easy and quick solution as mentioned earlier. He narrated the benefits of seeking easy loans and finances through banks, and out of his tenderness, he won the confidence of such tribes who constituted powerful Self-Help Groups.
Kumar also ensured easy and quick sales of their products and easy disbursal of revenue and earnings in the form of cash.
Kumar’s idea to empower people drew flake from employees of Jharcraft and local people. They did not believe it was possible to revive the sector. But the consistent efforts of Kumar paid off.
A Crafty Feat
Jharcraft has been turning dreams into reality. The appreciation and purchase of products have instilled the hope and pride among artisans and now they are even more motivated to showcase their artistic skills. Kumar and his team have worked tirelessly to make Jharcraft a profitable PSU.Jharcraft products and success is making waves at national and international platform, for its quality products and innovative designs. Jharcraft products are well appreciated by customers.
Kumar garnered all the resources and put all the efforts enhancing the scope of local crafts, handlooms, and the cottage industry of the state and improving the living standards of people working in this Industry. As soon he assumed charge as Managing Director of Jharcraft, his efforts paid off, Jharcraft soared from just 90 metric tons of annual production in 2006, to 1025 tons in five years. In 2007, Jharcraft launched its first outlet in Ranchi (the capital city of the state) and now has more than 35 emporiums across the country.
Jharcraft product portfolio consists of bamboo, cane, paper-mâché, leather, jewelry, lac, terracotta, jute, grass products as well as various Adivasi art forms. Over 400 artisans are involved in amazing dhokra metalwork that has 4000 years of history in this region (but dwindling of late). Women have beenimparted training in wax designing that gives the final product its distinctive pattern.
The end objectives of Jharcraft seemed to be achieved to a massive extent when one casts a glance at the following facts:
It can be said that Kumar’s acted as anchor for Jharkhand’s people boat and opened up prospects to mollify rural livelihood crisis. He left no stone unturned to protect and revive the curtural lineage and the languishing art forms. He launched and implemented capacity-building programs for rural artisans.
Kumar and Jharcraft were felicitated by The Institute of Economic Studies (IES), New Delhi, for their extra-ordinary contribution to the state's industrial sector and to the country. Jharcraft was awarded as the "Most admired State PSU." By Jharkhand Times Impact Award, 2012. Kumar was also conferred the coveted Udyog Ratan award in 2014 and in the same year Jharcraft was conferred Certificate of Excellence.
Undoubtedly, Kumar exhibited his leadership skills and played an instrumental role in transforming the lives of the rural population of Jharkhand and reviving the lost craftsmanship. Kumar was no doubt a transformational leader. Following points highlights his contribution.
Kumar felt dejected by the situation of crafts, and he emerged as a leader who took up the task to change the situation by creating sustainable livelihood prospects for the local people. He brought people together and conveyed a clear vision to his team. His passion to bring the change, ability to garner all the resourcesmade the people hopeful and energized. Eventually, together they achieved their self-crafted dreams.
Table 1 summarizes the transformational leadership of Kumar.
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Traits of a Transformational Leader |
Traits exhibited by Kumar |
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Idealized influence
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● Kumar instilled a sense of pride and honor to the craftsmen . ● Empowered them with a sense of power and competence |
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Inspirational motivation
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● Meticulously planning to garner resources to improve the processes. ● Motivating the followers to showcase their talent. ● Inspired them to achieve common organizational goals by giving their best individually.
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Intellectual stimulation
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● Thinking out of the box solutions and imparted training to the followers by the best designing institutes in the country. ● Boosting the creativity of artisans and members. ● Encouraging innovation |
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Personal consideration
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● Developing a bond of trust with individual followers and motivated them ● Facilitated the individuals with training and equipped them with resources. ● Understanding the needs, abilities and creativities of people individually
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Conclusion
Transformational leadership style instills progressive mindset among followers and inspire them to be the part of transformationprocess. TLs are driven by higher order changes and therefore pass on their enthusiasm, passion and energy with the followers. They focus on each member and facilitate them with all the tools and knowledge to succeed and achieve the goal.
TLs garner trust, respect, and admiration from their followers. As per Bass’s Transformational leadership components, Kumar challenged the status quo and imbibed creativity and skill to local artisans. Artisans were imparted training by experts of the National Institute of Fashion and Technology and provided Intellectual stimulation. Kumar supported and encouragedhis followers and hence nurtured the strong bond of trust and respect with them. He articulated a clear vision to followers and served as a role model and inspired his followers to achieve extraordinary results. Jharcraft helped artisans to get their long-awaited appreciation and dues at national and international platform. The vision of Kumar benefitted millions of artisans and revived the lost crafts of native artisans. Kumar exhibited extraordinary leadership skills to provide sustainable livelihood to the poor people of Jharcraft. He brought all the major stakeholders- Government, Artisans, farmers, designers and financial institutions to make it a successful and flourishing venture. As indicated by Bass and Riggio (1985),”Transformational leaders are those who stimulate and inspire followers to both achieve extraordinary outcomes and, help followers grow and develop into leaders by responding to individual followers' needs by empowering them and by aligning the objectives and goals of the individual followers, the leader, the group, and the larger organization”. Kumar demonstrated all these capabilities and undoubtedly, he is a transformational Leader who inspired his subordinates to achieve extraordinary outcomes.
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