The lived experience of transformational leadership: a study of the Sabah state public sector / Sa’adilah Abdillah

This phenomenological study explored the meaning and the essence of transformational leadership lived experiences in bringing about transformational agenda in the Sabah State Public Sector. The lived experiences of the Sabah State Public Sector transformational leadership had never been studied before this. For this purpose, four purposively selected study participants were chosen and taken on a journey to reflect and relived on their lived experiences as guided by the study research questions of what had been their lived experiences as transformational leadership on bringing about their transformational changes. The data collections for this study were performed through semi-structured and in-depth interviews and observations on the transformational leadership practices as related by the four participants who were defined and seen as the transformational leaders. The collected data were explicated via open coding, axial coding and selective coding processes resulting in the emergence of six themes which laid inroads into the meaning and the essence of transformational leadership phenomenon in bringing transformational agenda. These six themes which contributed to the study’s conceptual framework were those of: (i) leadership as a journey; (ii) the call for transformational endeavor; (iii) transformational leadership as an agent of change; (iv) transformational leadership practices; (v) meaningful work; and (vi) the essence of transformational leadership. This study highlighted the findings on the meaning and essence of transformational leadership lived experiences as: (a) transformational leadership as a journey with leadership call; (b) transformational leadership as practice and the agency of change; and (c) transformational leadership meaningfulness and essence, a mission with exuberance. Based on the findings, this study suggested for the need to prepare and positioned potential leaders earlier in their careers, and therefore recommended for, firstly, future State Public Sector leaders need to be prepared for their custodianship of public trust. Secondly, public sector leaders need to be engaging in their professional development and practices and their agency of change. And thirdly, public sector leaders need to be cultured on establishing their self-image and their searching for the meaning of who they are. In making the State Government’s management work better for the people, Public Sector leaders must be prepared to perform their mission with exuberance.