Transformational leadership as a model to promote the professional development in the university education sector

Abstract

Introduction. Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán (UPNFM) promotes the training of leaders who enhance the development of its collaborators and thus comply with its motto “educate to transform”. The theory of transformational leadership was proposed by James MacGregor Burns in 1978. The aim of the study was to evaluate transformational leadership in the professional development of UPNFM staff. Methods. The approach used was quantitative and correlational, analyzing the variables of transformational leadership and professional development. A sample of 545 people was used, including technical and administrative staff of the university. The Likert scale survey was sent via institutional email. The data was analyzed using the Pearson correlation relationship coefficient. Results. Among the variables, a moderate correlation of 0.530 was identified. Likewise, it was found that 66.56% presented transformational leadership factors and 87.32% of the staff considered that the institution encourages professional development. The UPNFM staff showed characteristics of transformational leadership, such as empathy, team management, empowerment, coherence, innovation, executive capacity, and strategic vision. Conclusion. The staff evaluated showed that transformational leadership influences professional development.