Gotowa bibliografia na temat „Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire”

Although the most used measure of transformational leadership, the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), has been the subject of intense scrutiny among leadership scholars, little interest has been shown in analyzing the relationship between its underlying constructs and / or their measures. The present study identifies a formative factor structure for most MLQ first-order factors, replacing the usual reflective model. We demonstrate the value of this structure using data from two different samples. First, we applied the MLQ to a sample of 129 police officers from the Catalan Police workforce. Second, we ran an online survey with 300 US citizens. We argue that three second-order factors (transformational, transactional, and laissez faire) should be used as emergent aggregate multidimensional models to describe three different leadership styles, challenging the ubiquitous multidimensional latent models favored in the extant literature. We then propose that transformational/charismatic leadership should be treated as a multidimensional emergent profile model, replacing the leadership development order of precedence, which is dominant in modern leadership research.

Purpose An emphasis on school performance is not just a national issue, but must be examined within the global context. Successful leadership is ensured by school leaders’ compliance to a set of basic practices within particular school contexts. The impact of leadership styles on performance, the work environment and job satisfaction is emphasized, while the appropriate leadership style could make teachers more effective in terms of job productivity. The adoption of different leadership styles by school leaders shows positive results with regard to school effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to describe school leadership styles and the influence the styles have on school performance. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach with a post-positive paradigm was followed. A systematic random sample of 72 secondary schools in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, was selected. The Cronbach’s α coefficient, statistical significance (p-values) and effect size (d-values) were calculated, and a factor analysis was conducted. Findings The results show a difference between teachers and principals regarding the transformational leadership style. The principals in the high-performing schools were perceived as less passive-avoidant in practice than those in the low-performing schools. A principal manages and leads a school effectively by applying an appropriate leadership style. Research limitations/implications For future research, it will be advisable to make use of a mixed-method design. Although the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire addressed numerous aspects of leadership and leadership styles, the “voice” of the respondents lacked. Furthermore, more leadership styles could be investigated in different contexts. Practical implications A chosen principal leadership style is not necessarily the best style for this purpose. School principals and teachers interpret leadership styles differently. Communication is therefore important. Social implications The principal leadership style is not always necessarily the teachers’ and learners’ choice. It is important that schools keep up with a constantly changing world. Originality/value If school principals and teachers agree upon a specific leadership style, there may be better collaboration which enhances better academic performance as well as effectiveness regarding schools.

Relationships between motivation and transformational leadership were examined in this study. 56 leaders and 234 followers from a variety of organizations were sampled. Leaders were administered the Motivation Sources Inventory and the Job Choice Decision-making Exercise, while followers reported leaders' behaviors using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ–rater version). Scores on the Motivation Sources Inventory subscales subsequently correlated with the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire subscales of inspirational motivation, idealized influence (behavior), and individualized consideration (range, r = .13 to .23). There were no significant correlations among any of the Job Choice Decision-making Exercise subscales with any of the variables measured.

The purpose of this study was to propose and examine a new leadership framework, the Team Leadership Model for Sport. Specifi cally, the aim was to examine a functional leadership paradigm in sport where full range of leadership behaviors by the coach and by the collective athletes infl uence team cohesion, and thereby increase the likelihood of team goal achievement. Data were utilized from 518 NCAA Division I-III athletes from 36 softball teams and 13 baseball teams. The participants completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Avolio & Bass, 2004), the Team Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Avolio & Bass, 1996), the Group Environment Questionnaire (Carron, Brawley, & Widmeyer, 1985), and the Team Outcome Questionnaire that was developed for this study. Structural equation modeling indicated that the original hypothesized model did not fi t the data, but an acceptable alternative model was established, which included transformational leadership and two transactional leadership variables infl uencing perceptions of cohesion. Transformational leadership had a signifi cant positive path to cohesion, which in turn had a signifi cant positive path to goal achievement. We discuss a potentially fruitful direction in the examination of team leadership, within which the fi rst step involves a closer examination of measurement of coach leadership, shared athlete leadership, and cohesion. Keywords: transformational, cohesion, shared leadership, baseball, softball

The purpose of this study was to propose and examine a new leadership framework, the Team Leadership Model for Sport. Specifically, the aim was to examine a functional leadership paradigm in sport where full range of leadership behaviors by the coach and by the collective athletes influence team cohesion, and thereby increase the likelihood of team goal achievement. Data were utilized from 518 NCAA Division I-III athletes from 36 softball teams and 13 baseball teams. The participants completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Avolio & Bass, 2004), the Team Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Avolio & Bass, 1996), the Group Environment Questionnaire (Carron, Brawley, & Widmeyer, 1985), and the Team Outcome Questionnaire that was developed for this study. Structural equation modeling indicated that the original hypothesized model did not fit the data, but an acceptable alternative model was established, which included transformational leadership and two transactional leadership variables influencing perceptions of cohesion. Transformational leadership had a significant positive path to cohesion, which in turn had a significant positive path to goal achievement. We discuss a potentially fruitful direction in the examination of team leadership, within which the first step involves a closer examination of measurement of coach leadership, shared athlete leadership, and cohesion.

Purpose – Libraries need library leaders who are able to follow the changes and developments and keep pace with them, manage and shape the changes, bring theories and practices together, be solution-oriented, people-oriented, environment-oriented, well-appointed, successful, and creative, because of the rapid developments and continuous changes. In this context, it has become more important for library managers to improve their leadership skills. In the scope of this study, a questionnaire study has been conducted with staff working in 168 different university central libraries. Information form, consisting of 16 questions about librarians’ demographic characteristics and manager satisfaction and Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire is used for data accumulation. The purpose of this paper is to determine library managers’ leadership approaches in private and public university libraries of Turkey and to survey library staff's satisfaction with their managers. Design/methodology/approach – This research is a methodological and descriptive research. Original sample of this research consists of 168 university central library in total (103 public-65 private) and approximately 500 library employee 183 library employees from 20 public university central libraries (108 employees) and 13 private university central libraries responded. Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, so sample of this research consists of 33 libraries and 183 questionnaire answers. 20.62 percent of the library employees of the target group had responded the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Findings – In total, 183 employees (108 public and 75 private university central libraries) from 33 university central libraries are responded to Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Multiple responses were gained from 183 library employees of whom 57.4 percent (105) were female and 42.6 percent (78) were male. When the age distribution is concerned it has determined that 25.1 percent (46) of the participants were centered on 26-34 age group. Other age distributions are defined as in the following: ages 20-25, 19.7 percent (36); ages 31-35, 18.6 percent (34); ages 36-40, 13.7 percent (25); ages 41-45, 15.8 percent (29); and age 46 and over, 7.1 percent. Originality/value – As with all organizations, library managers with leadership qualities are needed in the field of library science. Organizational structures of libraries are constantly changing. Libraries need library leaders who are able to follow the changes and developments and keep pace with them, manage and shape the changes, bring theories and practices together, be solution-oriented, people-oriented, environment-oriented, well-appointed, successful, and creative, because of the rapid developments and continuous changes.

The psychometric properties of the measure of transformational leadership as measured by 20 items in Bass and Avolios Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) (Form 5x) were examined. The examination was based on a sample of 372 chief executives in the United States government.

An increasing number of organisations are turning to knowledge management (KM) as a key to leverage their distinctive core competencies in their pursuit of competitive advantage. Organisations are interested in KM to boost the efficiency of their processes, increase their productivity and quality of their services, and to achieve innovative solutions and products for their customers. Consequently, the contributions of KM to the overall success of an organisation have been widely acknowledged. Prior research studies have demonstrated that both organisational culture and leadership behaviours are widely held to be major barriers to creating and leveraging knowledge. The literature suggests that for KM implementation to be effective there is a need to diagnose the fit between an organisation and its KM objectives. Thus, it is essential to articulate how organisational culture and leadership styles affect the organisation’s ability to create and apply knowledge. It is only then that appropriate strategies can be designed to either adapt the organisational culture or reshape it to support KM objectives. A critical evaluation of research studies in the fields of leadership, organisational culture, and knowledge management indicated that, while some evidence exists supporting the links between leadership and KM and between organisational culture and KM, the combined study of all three of these concepts has been hitherto lacking. This study, therefore, examines this research gap. More specifically, the study investigates the relationship between leadership behaviours and KM practices, and the moderating effects of organisational culture on that relationship. To investigate such a relationship, a conceptual model comprising four constructs, namely transformational leadership, transactional leadership, organisational culture, and KM practices, was developed. The model and its related four hypotheses were empirically examined using a questionnaire-based survey targeting Australian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The rationale for selecting SMEs was two-fold. First, one of the main characteristics of SMEs is that management structures are often minimal, and decision making is centralised at the owner/manager level. Hence, the leader’s personality and behaviours would be expected to have a significant influence on supporting organisational KM practices. Second, individual SMEs are more likely to have a single organisational culture. Thus, culture and cultural fit are more profound in SMEs than in large organisations where several cultures may be present. Data related to the four constructs of the study were collected from 157 SMEs using three previously validated instruments. For the measurement of leadership behaviours, the study used the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5X), which is one of the most widely tested measures of transformational and transactional leadership. For the construct of KM practices, a 17-item assessment questionnaire developed by Becerra-Fernandez and Sabherwal (2001) was used to allow participants to indicate how frequently each of the identified KM processes and tools is currently being used within their respective organisations. Finally, Denison’s Organisational Cultural Survey (DOCS), adapted from Fey & Denison (2003), was selected to measure the dimensions of organisational culture. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Regression Analysis (RA) were employed to examine the relationships among the research constructs. The results shed light on how leadership behaviours and organisational culture influence KM practices. First, both transformational and transactional leadership behaviours appear to be positively related to KM practices. More specifically, charismatic leadership (focusing on envisioning, empathy, and empowerment) and contingent reward leadership behaviours (focusing on transactions, rewards, and punishment) have a greater impact on facilitating knowledge socialisation and exchange within organisations. Second, the results of moderated regression analyses reveal that the effectiveness of leadership behaviours is contingent upon the type of organisational culture. To illustrate, cultures with strong emphasis on hierarchy (i.e. highly centralised and formalised) and/or mission (i.e. being competitive and goal-oriented) would attenuate the contribution of transactional leadership behaviours to KM. These findings, hence, suggest that the most effective leaders for successful KM implementation are those who are best able to display and use both transformational and transactional leadership behaviours upon different organisational contexts and cultures. For example, transactional leadership might work better in reinforcing existing norms, values and procedures, whereas transformational leadership behaviours would allow the adaptation of organisational culture to and its realignment with, a new vision when needed. Third, and perhaps of most interest, the evidence provided by the study indicated that leadership behaviours (in their own right) are significant contributors to organisational culture, and that leaders can influence KM practices either directly or indirectly through organisational culture. These findings confirm the crucial role of leadership in building and maintaining a supportive organisational culture for KM, thus providing further evidence for the need to develop a comprehensive investigation into the potential role that organisational culture could play as an effective mechanism by which leaders could enact KM within their organisations. Finally, although the use of well-tested questionnaires indicated a strong conceptualisation of the transactional leadership model, this could not be extended to the transformational leadership and organisational constructs where a relatively moderate representation was obtained for these two constructs. While this finding is somewhat disappointing, it enhances the existing body of knowledge by suggesting that perceptions of transformational leadership and organisational culture might be contingent upon other contextual conditions such as national culture, organisational history and performance – all of which are outside the scope of this research study. In conclusion, this study provides empirical evidence on the connection among leadership behaviours, organisational culture, and knowledge management, thereby addressing the need for research that incorporates cultural context in leadership and KM studies. Furthermore, it provides practical implications for managers/leaders by identifying the leadership behaviours and organisational mechanism required to enhance KM practices.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Engineering
Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology
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The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), the most used instrument for gauging Bass and Avolio's full-range leadership model, underwent numerous revisions to answer criticisms about its construct validity. Since researchers found conflicting results regarding the number of factors that best constitute the model, this study examined whether the factor structure of the MLQ (5X) was consistent across a diverse array of samples. The total size of the samples was 6,525, integrated from 18 independent studies. Using confirmatory structural equation modeling techniques, results indicated that the factor structure was best represented by nine single-order factors, as asserted by Bass and Avolio. These results were prevalent when all samples were integrated for the factor structure invariance test, or when individual samples were grouped into homogenous units for strict factorial or factor structure invariance. Thus, the validity of the model was a function of sample conditions explaining why independent researchers who used nonhomogenous samples failed to confirm the nine-factor model. These conditions---interpretable as moderators that bounded the theoretical model---included various environmental and organizational settings, leader gender, and the hierarchical level of the leader. The criterion validity of the MLQ was also tested, but results should be viewed cautiously as the leadership and outcome measures were each collected from the same source. Nonetheless, the regression paths of the MLQ factors were interpretable, and followed theoretical propositions. Transformational and contingent reward leadership was positively related to performance, and passive-avoidant leadership negatively related. Management-by-exception active varied according to sample conditions. These findings imply that a standard set of leadership behaviors is not universally related to effectiveness, and that leaders operationalize their behaviors differently depending on contextual factors. As a consequence, the interfactor relationships of the MLQ, and the relationships of the factors to criterion measures may be a function of the conditions under which the model is examined. Therefore, testing the MLQ's validity---and indeed that of other leadership instruments---should be performed under homogenous sample conditions. Finally, this dissertation suggests that the MLQ should be retained for future research and training. Possible improvements to the theory and measurement model are also discussed.

Narcissistic transformation leaders have inflicted severe physical, psychological, and financial damage on individuals, institutions, and society. Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) has shown promise for early detection of narcissistic leadership tendencies, but selection criteria have not been established. The purpose of this quantitative research was to determine if item response theory (IRT) could advance the detection of narcissistic leadership tendencies using an item-level analysis of the 20 transformational leadership items of the MLQ. Three archival samples of subordinates from Israeli corporate and athletic organizations were combined (N = 1,703) to assess IRT data assumptions, comparative fit of competing IRT models, item discrimination and difficulty, and theta reliabilities within the trait range. Compared to the generalized graded unfolding model, the graded response model had slightly more category points within the 95% confidence interval and consistently lower X2/df item fit indices. Items tended to be easier yet more discriminating than average, and five items were identified as candidates for modification. IRT item marginal reliability was .94 (slightly better than classical test theory reliability of .93), and IRT ability prediction had a .96 reliability within a trait range from -1.7 to 1.3 theta. Based on 8 invariant item parameters, selection criteria of category fairly often (3) or above on attributed idealized influence items and sometimes (2) or below on individual consideration items was suggested. A test case demonstrated how narcissistic tendencies could be detected with these criteria. The study can contribute to positive social change by informing improved selection processes that more effectively screen candidates for key leadership roles that directly impact the wellbeing of individuals and organizations.

Abstract The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between nursing leadership and burnout among nurses in health care as well as the incidence of multidimensional leadership and burnout in Finnish nursing. A further purpose was to test a factor structure of Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) in Finnish health care. The empirical data were gathered by postal questionnaires from nursing staff working in university, central and district hospitals, health centers as well as psychiatric and private hospitals (n = 900, response rate 73%). In addition, a follow-up study was performed at a one-year interval (n = 100, response rate 79%). After deleting unusable questionnaires, the sample consisted of 627, and the follow-up study of 78 nurses and nurse leaders. The data were analyzed with descriptive and multivariate statistical methods. Nurse leaders proved to be transformational leaders who rewarded their subordinates, but traditional active and passive management-by-exception and laissez-faire leadership also appeared in their leadership behavior. Half of the nursing staff were moderately burned out and about one tenth were highly burned out. Nearly one fifth suffered from high emotional exhaustion. Nursing leadership has both positive and negative effects on burnout among nursing staff. Rewarding transformational leadership and active management-by-exception functioned as protecting factors, and passive laissez-faire leadership as an exposing factor. However, the results suggest that the relation between leadership and burnout is complex, affected by situational factors of leadership and the ambiguous nature of burnout. The six- and three-factor structure of the MLQ as well as the three-factor structure of the MBI were empirically supported. According to psychometric properties both instruments are well applicable to Finnish health care research. The results can be used in academic leadership education and leadership training in health care organizations, as well as to improve the quality of work life and to promote work well-being. The results can also be utilized in studies applying MLQ and MBI as well as when exploring factor structure of measures and in validation studies of instruments
Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää hoitotyön johtajuuden ja hoitohenkilöstön työuupumuksen yhteyttä terveydenhuollossa sekä moniulotteisen johtajuuden ja työuupumuksen esiintymistä suomalaisessa hoitotyössä. Lisäksi tarkoituksena oli testata suomalaisessa terveydenhuollossa moniulotteisen johtajuusmittarin ja kolmiulotteisen työuupumusmittarin rakennetta. Empiirinen tutkimusaineisto kerättiin postikyselyllä yliopisto-, keskus- ja aluesairaaloiden, terveyskeskusten sekä psykiatristen ja yksityisten sairaaloiden hoitohenkilöstöltä (n = 900, vastausprosentti 73). Lisäksi toteutettiin seurantakysely vuoden intervallilla (n = 100, vastausprosentti 79). Aineistosta jouduttiin poistamaan vastauksia, ja poistojen jälkeen tutkimusjoukko muodostui 627:stä ja seurantakyselyssä 78 hoitajasta ja hoitotyön esimiehestä. Aineiston analyysissä käytettiin tilastollisina kuvailevina menetelminä ristiintaulukointia, kontingenssikerrointa, χ²-testiä, Pearsonin tulomomenttikorrelaatiokerrointa, t-testiä, Mann-Whitney U-testiä, Wilcoxonin testiä, yksi- ja kaksisuuntaista varianssianalyysiä sekä Kruskal-Wallisin testiä. Monimuuttujamenetelminä olivat rakenneyhtälömallitus ja lineaarinen regressioanalyysi. Mittareiden luotettavuuden arvioinnissa käytettiin eksploratiivista ja konfirmatorista faktorianalyysiä, Cronbachin alpha -kerrointa, osiosummakorrelaatioita, osioiden välisiä korrelaatioita, Pearsonin tulomomenttikorrelaatiokerrointa ja intraclass-korrelaatiokerrointa. Hoitotyön johtajat osoittautuivat työntekijöitä palkitseviksi muutosjohtajiksi, mutta johtamiskäyttäytymisessä esiintyi myös perinteistä työntekijöiden aktiivista ja passiivista valvomista sekä välttävää johtajuutta. Eroja ilmeni johtajan iän, työkokemuksen, työtehtävän ja perustyöhön osallistumisen mukaan. Puolella hoitohenkilöstöstä esiintyi keskimääräistä ja noin kymmenesosalla voimakasta työuupumusta. Voimakkaasta emotionaalisesta väsymyksestä kärsi lähes joka viides. Hoitotyön johtajuudella on sekä myönteisiä että kielteisiä vaikutuksia hoitohenkilöstön työuupumuksen kannalta. Palkitseva muutosjohtajuus ja työntekijöiden aktiivinen valvominen toimivat työuupumukselta suojaavina tekijöinä ja passiivinen välttäminen työuupumukselle altistavana tekijänä. Tulokset viittaavat kuitenkin siihen, että johtajuuden ja työuupumuksen yhteys on kompleksinen, ja tähän vaikuttavat johtajuuden tilannetekijät ja työuupumuksen moniselitteinen luonne. Hoitohenkilöstön ikä, työllisyystilanne, työaikamuoto ja työtehtävän luonne vaikuttivat johtajuuden ja työuupumuksen yhteyteen, joka oli suhteellisen pysyvä vuoden intervallilla mitattuna. Myös johtajuus ja työuupumus osoittautuivat stabiileiksi ilmiöiksi. Johtajuusmittarin kuuden ja kolmen faktorin rakenne sekä työuupumusmittarin kolmen faktorin rakenne saivat empiiristä tukea. Mittareita voidaan pitää psykometristen ominaisuuksiensa perusteella suomalaiseen terveydenhuoltotutkimukseen soveltuvina. Tutkimustuloksia voidaan hyödyntää terveydenhuoltoalan yliopistollisessa ja terveydenhuollon organisaatioiden sisäisessä johtamiskoulutuksessa, työelämän laadun parantamisessa ja työhyvinvoinnin edistämisessä, johtajuus- ja työuupumusmittaria soveltavissa tutkimuksissa sekä laajemmin mittareiden kehittämistyössä ja validointitutkimuksissa

This study sheds light on the firm-lifecycle and the impact of leadership and how itdevelops negatively when the entrepreneurial firm becomes administrative andmanagerial. The ambivalent fact is that the firm, when growing in size, need to becomemore managerial, though without undermining the previously entrepreneurial mind-setthat pervade the organization. The term corporate entrepreneurship has emerged andcomprises that the firm can continue to be entrepreneurial in the managerial stage. Thatis to resume the firm’s work to keep innovative. The article seeks to find out how theleadership can be adapted for the firm to stay innovative through the managerial stage.

Objective: To assess the effect of upward feedback on the perception gap of manager-rated and subordinate-rated managerial behavior scores using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ). Design: Phase I questionnaires assessed the use of upward (subordinate to manager) feedback and were used to form Feedback and Comparison groups. Phase II questionnaires included feedback, attitudinal, and demographic questions and the MLQ. MLQ scores were compared between the two groups. Subjects/setting: Directors of Food and Nutrition Services and Clinical Nutrition Managers and their respective subordinates in a hospital setting. Statistical analyses performed: General Linear Model (using SAS Version 9.2, Cary, NC) was used to determine the relationships between MLQ scores and questions of interest. Results: Upward feedback practices in both the Feedback and Communication groups did not correspond to the Phase I reports. Feedback managers did not have higher MLQ scores based on feedback group, manager tenure, and manager implementation of feedback. Managers whose subordinates who enjoyed their jobs had higher subordinate-rated MLQ scores. Conclusions: Policies and practices of upward evaluation methods are not clear and need to be studied further in a hospital dietetics setting.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2009.
"Department of Workforce Education and Development." Keywords: Effective leadership, Full-range leadership, Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, Personal Values Profile, Transactional leadership, Transformational leadership, Leadership. Includes bibliographical references (p. 120-133). Also available online.

Thailand is entering into a new phase of educational administration under the new National Education Act of 1999 which requires all educational institutions to have internal and external quality assurance in order to ensure improvement of educational quality and standards at all levels (Section 47). This means that all educational institutions, especially in the private sector, have to undergo many changes, including changes in administration, teaching and learning processes, methods of evaluation and professional development programs. The current study focused specifically on the transformational leadership behaviour of principals on school culture. Culture is considered to be a key factor in determining whether school improvement is possible (Deal & Peterson, 1999). The study was conducted in two phases: quantitative and a qualitative, and carried out in the secondary schools of the Brothers of St. Gabriel, in Thailand. In the quantitative phase, the researcher used two instruments, namely the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ, Short form) developed by Bass (2000) to measure the leadership behaviour of principals, and the School Culture Survey developed by Gruenert (1998) to measure school culture. The results from the quantitative study were used to select a school for the second phase of the study that was carried out using a qualitative approach. The quantitative findings provided descriptive evidence that transformational leadership existed in the schools of the Brothers of St. Gabriel, in Thailand and the dominant culture of the Gabrieltie schools was Professional Development. In addition, the findings also revealed that there was a significant relationship between leadership behaviour and school culture. In the second phase, the leadership behaviour of the selected principal was interpreted based on transformational leadership applied in a school setting. This process was outlined by Leithwood (1996) as frame of reference to identify a pattern of leadership behaviour of the selected principal. The findings revealed that the selected principal exercised the qualities of transformational leadership to some extent. Some qualities were missing and some were practised to a moderate degree. The study helps provide guidance and direction to principals who wish to exercise their leadership in a more appropriate and relevant way particularly in a context of change.

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to determine the best methods for achieving key leadership roles in education. The problem was to define the qualities that are important in leadership positions and to determine how those qualities relate to the top-level positions in school systems across Tennessee. Nineteen female directors of schools were interviewed. Directors also completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (5X-Short). Characteristics of transformational and transactional leadership styles were included in the study. Most of the directors scored high on using the transformational factors (idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration) of leadership and on using the contingent reward style of transactional leadership. The female directors of this study perceived communication skills, a caring attitude, honesty, being a visionary, and having people skills as important leadership characteristics. Other emergent themes included the qualities of males and females in the workplace, barriers to success, and the best practices that leaders are currently using in the workplace. The retention of top leaders in education is important. The perceptions of the 19 directors of Tennessee's public schools in this study are vital in understanding how women in leadership positions work. Mentoring, peer coaching, and providing time for directors to network, collaborate, and receive quality professional development are essential practices that should be promoted and continued to retain these leaders. The implication from this study is that higher education institutions should also consider best practices for preparing future administrators to be successful. Attention should be paid to the differences in which males and females work and to the difference of personality traits and characteristics of leaders that may affect success in top-level positions in education.

This research investigated the leadership style in a research and development (R&D) work unit within a petro-chemical company, using the Full Range Leadership Development Theory as assessed by Multifactor-Leadership-Questionnaire (MLQ). From the literature review conducted, it was concluded that an R&D environment is multi-dimensional and the workforce can be diverse in the field of specialisation and personality characteristics. Subsequently, the literature review also focused on functional diversity and gender differences within technological and/or scientific environments. Descriptive statistics were provided and the data were then statistically analysed. The research results showed a statistical difference in the perception of the frequency of leadership style between manager-leaders and subordinates. Differences in the mean scores of manager-leaders and subordinates found that the manager-leaders overestimated the frequency ratings of their transformational leadership style and the leadership outcomes, while they under-estimated the frequency ratings for transactional and laissez-faire leadership style. This indicates that although the manager-leaders consider themselves as more transformational, the subordinates of this R&D unit view their immediate managers as not displaying ideal levels of transformational leadership behaviours. A self-bias phenomenon may be present where the manager-leaders judge themselves as overly favourable. It is recommended that this be addressed within the organisation. A statistical significant difference was observed in how some male and female employees experienced their manager-leaders' leadership style. The females indicated a higher frequency of laissez-faire leadership style, while some males viewed their manager-leaders as more transformational compared to the female employees. Manager-leaders may need different skills to manage females and in general an increasing awareness of gender bias within the unit may mitigate stereotypical assumptions. No statistically significant differences (p<0, 05) could be found for the total group between functional areas, being scientists versus engineers. It should be noted that the departments consist of predominantly scientists, while only one department showed a mixture of scientists and engineers.
Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

It is important to determine the relevance of the theory of transformational leadership and the way college leaders motivate their subordinates in community colleges in Jamaica. This chapter examines the impact of gender differences, empowerment, power, and trust on subordinates' motivation. Subordinates and their leaders employed by community colleges in Jamaica were the population for the study. The researcher compared data collected from these individuals using the multifactor leaders questionnaire (MLQ). The researcher analyzed data to test hypotheses and describe trends. The purpose of this chapter is to provide readers, organizational leaders, and future researchers with empirical evidence of the relationship between transformational leadership and subordinates' motivation. The results of this chapter highlight the importance of transformational leadership to the motivation of subordinates. Findings and conclusions also explain the impact of contemporary leadership issues prevalent in the twenty-first century, particularly employee empowerment and gender differences in leadership. There was no difference between male and female leaders in terms of their influence in motivating subordinates in Jamaican colleges. There was a significant difference between empowered and non-empowered subordinates in terms of their levels of motivation in Jamaican colleges. There was no difference between power sources of male and female leaders when motivating subordinates in Jamaican colleges. Finally, there was a significant difference between leaders who inspire trust and those who do not in motivating subordinates in Jamaican colleges.