From Individual to Organizational Transformation: A Foucauldian Perspective on the Transformational Leadership

Abstract

Leaders have always faced challenges that require profound transformations. The work of the philosopher Michel Foucault is a major reference for transformation both on a personal and on a organizational level, since he campaigned to contribute to a better society, even if it meant questioning ideas and proposing new approaches in a world that was changing rapidly. Considering that a society cannot improve and innovate without a profound transformation, it is advisable to reflect on the microprocesses that lead to such a transformation. How many managers have been able to shake up the hierarchy and thus replace old, dusty practices with innovative practices, thanks to their sense of leadership? What do we have to learn from Foucauldian philosophy on this subject? We argue that there can be no organizational transformation without individual transformation. We discuss a new transformation model first at the individual level, then at the organizational level, based on leadership from the rich Foucauldian literature.