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1 – 10 of over 68000This paper aims to investigate whether the feedback managers receive from their work colleagues is based on a shared understanding of their leadership behaviours. This similarity…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate whether the feedback managers receive from their work colleagues is based on a shared understanding of their leadership behaviours. This similarity in perception is called conceptual equivalence. The study also took into account the managers’ and their work colleagues’ expectations.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 441 managers participated in a 360-degree feedback programme that sought responses from their bosses (n = 380), peers (n = 1,621) and subordinates (n = 1,680). The instrument used was the Competing Values Framework 16-item survey, which describes the leadership behaviours that managers must display to be effective. It also measures the behaviours they consider important. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the rating scores of the managers and the three hierarchical levels of their work colleagues to determine conceptual equivalence between self and work colleagues’ ratings. Conceptual models were formulated and compared by testing for factor form equivalence.
Findings
Conceptual equivalence was found across all rater groups for both leadership behaviours displayed and the importance of leadership behaviours.
Practical implications
This paper provides managers and human resource professionals with useful insights on how to improve the use of 360-degree feedback processes by ensuring that conceptual equivalence is established for feedback supplied by raters from different hierarchical levels. The findings also stress the importance of including expectations when receiving feedback on leadership behaviours.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature on the benefits of determining the conceptual equivalence of feedback received by managers from various work colleagues. A second contribution is the inclusion of expectations in the feedback process, as none of the previous work has included such a measure.
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Koen Dewettinck and Maaike van Ameijde
This study aims to investigate the relationship between leadership empowerment behaviour (LEB), employee psychological empowerment and employee attitudes (affective commitment and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the relationship between leadership empowerment behaviour (LEB), employee psychological empowerment and employee attitudes (affective commitment and job satisfaction) and behavioural intentions (intention to stay).
Design/methodology/approach
The hypotheses were simultaneously tested on a sample of 380 frontline service employees, using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The paper found a direct relationship between leadership empowerment behaviour and job satisfaction and affective commitment. Psychological empowerment partially mediates these relationships. Employee attitudes were also shown to be related to intention to stay.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides validation of the LEB construct in an individualized working context and suggests that psychological empowerment is a relevant construct to link LEB to employee attitudes and behavioural intentions. The cross‐sectional nature of this study restricts the clear pinpointing of temporal causal relationships within the empowerment process. Furthermore, common method bias might have inflated correlations between constructs.
Practical implications
The LEB dimensions provide organizations with concrete behaviour that leaders should emphasize in order to foster employee commitment, satisfaction and loyalty to the company.
Originality/value
This is the first paper that studies the relationship between leadership empowerment behaviour and the multi‐dimensional conceptualization of psychological empowerment. It aims to gain further insights into the relationship between structural and psychological perspectives on empowerment and clarifies how these constructs relate to employee attitudes and behavioural intentions.
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Ramazan Cansoy and Hanifi Parlar
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between school principals’ instructional leadership behaviors, teacher self-efficacy, and collective teacher efficacy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between school principals’ instructional leadership behaviors, teacher self-efficacy, and collective teacher efficacy.
Design/methodology/approach
The participants were a total of 427 teachers working in elementary, middle, and high schools located in the Cekmekoy district of Istanbul. The data were gathered through the “Effective School Leadership Scale,” the “Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale,” and the “Collective Efficacy Scale.” Arithmetic mean, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression analysis were used in the data analysis.
Findings
The results revealed positive and significant relationships between school leadership, teacher self-efficacy, and collective teacher efficacy. In addition, effective school leadership behaviors and teacher self-efficacy perceptions were found to be positive and significant predictors of collective teacher efficacy perceptions.
Originality/value
School principals can implement practices to enhance teachers’ competence, to make them feel more effective and competent as a group. In this sense, teachers who do not feel competent can be guided by those who have more experience in the profession. Additionally, opportunities through which they can experience success can be created for these teachers.
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Tom Henkel, Jim Marion and Debra Bourdeau
In this paper, we examined managers’leadership behavior when working on a simulated team project regarding task-oriented versus relationship-oriented leadership behavior to…
Abstract
In this paper, we examined managers’leadership behavior when working on a simulated team project regarding task-oriented versus relationship-oriented leadership behavior to effectively achieve successful project completion.Managers attending an advanced project management development program responded to the Fielder Leadership Behavior Style Self-Assessment, which is a useful framework to determine task-orientedversus relationship-oriented leadership behavioral styles.The degree oftask-oriented versus relationship- oriented leadership behavior styles was assessedto determine the approach taken by the managers forachievingsuccessfulprojectcompletion.APearson’schi-squaretestwasconductedtodeterminewhether the observed values were significantly different from an expected value of five.The findings can contribute to better understanding the leadership styles, which characterize project management accomplishment.
Leaders in education face diverse challenges in an increasingly competitive and changing environment. Although women numerically dominate the workforce, senior managers are…
Abstract
Purpose
Leaders in education face diverse challenges in an increasingly competitive and changing environment. Although women numerically dominate the workforce, senior managers are predominately men. The purpose of this paper is to examine leadership skills required for senior management roles in vocational education training (VET); determine if the ranking of importance of skills differs by gender and if the ranking contributes to women not advancing to senior management roles. As skills are abilities that can be developed and learned focusing on leadership skills will provide further insight into leadership and influence leadership development programs in VET to re-orientate women into senior management roles.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology was based on the theoretical framework of the Leadership Skills Strataplex Model (LSSM). The model categorises leadership skills into cognitive, interpersonal, business and strategic skills and determines skill requirement based on management level. A quantitative study with data collected from an online survey completed by 100 senior managers employed in Australian VET, with an even distribution of men and women, identified leadership skills and ranked the importance of the skills. Analysis of the data was conducted using correlation test and principal factor analysis.
Findings
Both men and women identified that cognitive, interpersonal, business and strategic skills were required for senior management roles in VET; however, they ranked the importance of these skills differently. Men ranked business and strategic skills as the most important whilst women ranked cognitive and interpersonal skills. The findings provide insight into how gender influences leadership with men focused on task-orientated leadership skills whilst and women focused on relationship development leadership skills.
Research limitations/implications
The major limitation of this study was that the results were derived from the employees’ perspective and not that of the employer. However, the limitation does not detract from the overall contribution, this study makes to leadership, leadership skills and VET. The findings of this study suggest that further education leadership research is warranted as most studies are predominately focused on leadership theory with limited reference to leadership skills.
Practical implications
The findings of this study provide practical implications to inform VET leadership professional development programs for teachers and managers to focus on leadership skills. The difference in ranking of importance of leadership skills by men and women highlights that focusing on specific leadership skill development of cognitive, interpersonal, business and strategic skills for aspiring managers may help re-orientate women into senior management roles.
Originality/value
The use of the LSSM, previously used in government and higher education to identify leadership skills, the online survey as the data collection tool and quantitative analysis provides originality in the methodology rarely seen in VET education. The study adds value to education management, VET, leadership, and gender research by providing insight into leadership skills.
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Tricia Vilkinas, Greg Cartan and Judith Saebel
The purpose of this paper is to understand what was important to managers of businesses in desert Australia, and in particular, what they needed for the businesses to be…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand what was important to managers of businesses in desert Australia, and in particular, what they needed for the businesses to be successful.
Design/methodology/approach
There were two studies. In Study 1, 88 managers of business in remote desert Australia were interviewed. In Study 2, 112 managers who had business in regional desert Australia participated in an on‐line survey.
Findings
In both studies, the respondents claimed that their businesses were reasonably successful. In Study 1, the interviewees said that making a living and seeing the business grow were important indices of success. In Study 2, customer/client satisfaction was the strongest indicator of business success. Factors such as safe and all‐weather roads, internet/e‐mail access and reliable power supplies were important to this success. The importance to business success of a number of leadership behaviours was also identified.
Research limitations/implications
Future research needs to encourage a larger number of managers to participate. In addition, suppliers and customers of the businesses need to be included.
Originality/value
This is the first study in which managers were included, because normally, only owner‐managers are involved. It is also the first study of its kind to be undertaken in desert Australia.
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The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a theory-based measure presenting the creative and innovative leadership behavior construct.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a theory-based measure presenting the creative and innovative leadership behavior construct.
Design/methodology/approach
The theoretical dimensions of five leadership theories (transformational leadership, change-oriented leadership, innovation champion, leader – member exchange and authentic leadership) were synthesized. Using a quantitative approach, the population sample was composed of 514 respondents who held management and non-management positions. The validity and reliability of the instrument were evaluated.
Findings
The results indicated that the newly developed 24-item measure achieved an acceptable level of reliability and validity in measuring the creative and innovative leadership behavior construct. Eventually, the findings revealed positive and significant influence of creative and innovative leadership behavior on creativity and innovative behavior at the individual level in the workplace.
Practical implications
Organizations should invest in the creative and innovative leadership behavior construct in their training and in the selection of leaders with the newly developed 24-item measurement scale if their purpose is to nurture and enhance creativity and innovation.
Originality/value
This study makes important theoretical contributions in different ways. The newly developed instrument contributes to the relevant literature through the development and validation of a theory-based measure. Also, this study expands knowledge about resources in the workplace that nurture and enhance creativity and innovation at the individual level.
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Yeunjae Lee and Myoung-Gi Chon
This study aims to examine the effects of transformational leadership on employees' internal (i.e. voice) and external (i.e. megaphoning) communication behaviors and to explore…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the effects of transformational leadership on employees' internal (i.e. voice) and external (i.e. megaphoning) communication behaviors and to explore the mediating role of employees' communal and exchange relationship norms with their organization.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was conducted with full-time employees working in various industry sectors in the USA.
Findings
Transformational leadership significantly increased employees' voice behaviors and their positive and negative megaphoning behaviors. Communal relationship norms exerted a significant mediation effect on employees' communicative behaviors and exchange relationship norms had positive impacts on employees' megaphoning behaviors.
Originality/value
This study is among the first attempts to test the effect of transformational leadership style on employees' communicative actions within and outside of a company and the mediating role of exchange-communal relationship norms.
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Qiumei Jane Xu and Jianfeng Jiang
This paper aims to examine the moderating role of cultural similarity between leaders and followers on leadership training effectiveness in terms of followers' fairness perception…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the moderating role of cultural similarity between leaders and followers on leadership training effectiveness in terms of followers' fairness perception and organizational citizenship behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
A quasi‐experiment was conducted with 40 managers from international corporations as the subjects. The 40 subjects were equally assigned to a treatment group and a control group. In each group, half share similar backgrounds with the followers while the other half do not. Leadership training was offered to managers in the treatment group, but not to those in the control group.
Findings
Results show that leadership training has positive effects on followers' fairness perception and organizational citizenship behavior, and the effects are stronger for those leaders who are similar to their followers in cultural background.
Research limitations/implications
The study further supports that followers' fairness perception and organizational citizenship behavior will be enhanced if their leaders receive proper leadership training, and it is the first to demonstrate that cultural similarity between leaders and followers plays an important role in influencing leadership training effectiveness.
Practical implications
The training program described in this study is straightforward, inexpensive, easy to implement, and can be used by organizations with a diverse workforce to improve their training effectiveness and facilitate their leaders' managerial efforts.
Originality/value
This is the first paper to examine how cultural similarity between leaders and followers influences leadership training effectiveness.
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Nikolaos Panagopoulos and Sergios Dimitriadis
Two rather distinct lines of theory/research have emerged in the study of sales manager's effectiveness. The first focuses on the notion of sales force control systems (SFCS…
Abstract
Purpose
Two rather distinct lines of theory/research have emerged in the study of sales manager's effectiveness. The first focuses on the notion of sales force control systems (SFCS) while the second focuses on transformational leadership (TL) behaviors. To date, however, no theoretical or empirical attempt has been made to integrate these two mostly unconnected streams of research in a sales management context. The present study aims to attempt such integration by conceptualizing TL as a mediator of the relationship between behavior‐based control (BBC) and key salesperson outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
Responses were gathered via a mail survey from a sample of 128 salespeople working in various industries. Structural equation modeling was employed.
Findings
The results provide evidence for the mediating effect of TL on the relationships between BBC and key salesperson outcomes. Moreover, it was found that BBC positively affects TL behaviors, which, in turn, enhance salesperson performance, satisfaction with supervision, and organizational commitment.
Research limitations/implications
The present study focused at SFCS as a possible antecedent of TL behaviors. Future researchers should identify other possible antecedents of TL behaviors.
Practical implications
With the assumption that TL behaviors enhance salespeople's motivation and performance, chief sales executives should employ a BBC system, as it can facilitate the ability of sales managers to engage in TL behaviors.
Originality/value
This paper fills an important void in current leadership research and offers practical guidance to sales managers.
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