Visionary Leadership: A Survey of Literature and Case Study of Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam at Drdl

Abstract

Visionary leadership has emerged as a key determinant of corporate survival, success and growth in today's turbulent environment. Successful leaders of the 21st century have the capacity to create vision and also translate it into reality. Visionary leadership is transformative and based on the power of inspiration. It is characterized by: a commitment to core spiritual values, with a clear vision, respect for empowering relationship, followed by courageous and innovative action. From an Indian perspective, it is marked by an act of leading from the front, benevolence from within, respectful pluralism, continuous introspection and focus on legacy. It involves a dynamic, interactive process. As a visionary leader, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam substantially changed the organizational climate of DRDL prior to launching Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) using effective communication and providing clear direction to the various teams involved. Later on, a highly performing climate emerged, when he used further indigenous techniques to manage technology for accomplishing outstanding performance. The techniques used were technology-oriented structure, search for capable project leaders, Science Council (Panchayat), collaborative (partnership) effort, transformation of organizational dynamics by empowering scientists, motivation, etc. The outstanding success of DRDL is evidenced by the fact that the country acquired the capability of making five state-of-the-art missile systems in record time. The visionary leadership style of Dr. Kalam is comparable to that of George Washington, the founding father of the USA, having far-reaching implications for the guidance of new age leaders engaged in developmental tasks globally.