Transformational leadership and sustainable development of Russian transport systems

Abstract

Background: The Sustainable Development (ESG) issue, declared by the UN in 2015 and approved by the Russian Government in 2020, is going through challenging times: the drivers and incentives that have been driving national economies to growth are undergoing significant change. In a situation where many infrastructure organisations have left or temporarily withdrawn from cooperation with Russian companies, the question arises as to how to fill this gap so that companies choosing to continue their movement in the ESG agenda can have the appropriate infrastructure and support.
 Aim: The scientific hypothesis of the influence of transformational leadership on the activity of sustainable development processes (ESG) and the development of tools to assess this influence on the effectiveness of transport organisations' operational and business models.
 Methods: The methodology of the work is based on the development of the theory of transformational leadership as a new type of effective management activity, the concept of evolution of digital platforms and ecosystems.
 Results: The positions of the scientific hypothesis on the impact of transformational leadership tools on the efficiency of operational and business models of transport organisations implementing sustainable development projects and the establishment of a new type of management activity have been confirmed. It has been proved that the existing transactional leadership metrics (KPIs and deviation management) cease to work in the current environment. A model has been developed to quantify the appropriateness of the impact of transformational leadership on sustainable development goals of transport companies.
 Conclusion: It has been substantiated that transformational leadership that ensures the principle of unity, intersectorality and resource conservation becomes a new type of management activity that ensures growth of long-term returns from social and 'green investments'. Sustainable development projects of Russian transport companies have been systematised and the conclusion about the superiority of investing in long-term development projects over projects that ensure short-term profit generation has been substantiated.