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1 – 4 of 4Christina Stothard and Maya Drobnjak
The study aims to propose and test how leadership styles (learning-oriented, transformational and transactional leadership) and a new construct, psychological equality, help…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to propose and test how leadership styles (learning-oriented, transformational and transactional leadership) and a new construct, psychological equality, help overcome the typically negative effect of rank disparity on team learning.
Design/methodology/approach
Militaries have a rigid hierarchy, and rank disparity (hierarchy) inhibits team learning. However, little (quantitative) attention has been paid to understanding the factors that might help overcome the inhibiting effect of hierarchy on military team learning. This study evaluates how learning-oriented leadership helps military teams to learn by improving a sense of psychological equality.
Findings
Learning-oriented leadership supported greater psychological equality and team learning than either transformational or transactional leadership. Additionally, psychological equality significantly improved team learning. Together, learning-oriented leadership and psychological equality were found to support team learning within hierarchical teams. The findings show that team rank disparity does not inevitably stifle team learning.
Research limitations/implications
Cross-sectional archival and self-report data limits drawing causal conclusions; further, longitudinal studies should be undertaken to extend and test the proposed causal relationship modeled in this study.
Practical implications
Generating team learning within the military does not require dismantling traditional military command, communication and control structures; instead, specific leadership behaviors (e.g., sharing information, coaching and avoiding blame or shame) can support psychological equality and increased team learning within military’s established command and control structures.
Originality/value
This study answered recent calls to identify the contingencies shaping team learning; improving psychological equality enhances team learning while maintaining the benefits of a clear hierarchical structure (e.g. military command and control).
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Learning organizations are often theorized at a team level, yet there is a lack of team-level studies. This study aims to evaluate if team-level dimensions of a learning…
Abstract
Purpose
Learning organizations are often theorized at a team level, yet there is a lack of team-level studies. This study aims to evaluate if team-level dimensions of a learning organizational questionnaire (DLOQ) measures are reliable and reflect real team properties and if both individual-level and team-level DLOQ leadership mediates the effect of rank on other DLOQ measures.
Design/methodology/approach
An empirical analysis evaluated if team-level DLOQ measures are reliable and reflected real team properties and if DLOQ learning-oriented leadership mediates the effect of rank or team hierarchy on all other DLOQ measures. A novel approach (random group resampling) was used to evaluate if team level measures reflected either a real team property or a statistical artifact. Next, a series of mediation models evaluated if learning-oriented leadership was isomorphic, namely, displays a similar pattern at both individual and team levels.
Findings
The analysis found team-level DLOQ measures reflected real properties of the teams and were reliable and learning-oriented leadership mediates between rank and team hierarchy and the other six dimensions at both individual and team-levels (i.e. DLOQ team and individual level were isomorphic).
Practical implications
The results show that hierarchical teams’ learning capacities can be improved by focusing on the learning-oriented leadership, which overcomes the typically negative effect of hierarchical differences within teams.
Originality/value
This study provides a significant step forward by applying an innovative analysis that shows that the DLOQ team level measures reflect real team properties and DLOQ leadership displays isomorphic characteristics.
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Ruchi Sinha and Christina Stothard
This paper aims to clarify under which conditions, and via what mechanisms, power asymmetry is likely to affect team learning. This work is part of a two-paper series. Part I…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to clarify under which conditions, and via what mechanisms, power asymmetry is likely to affect team learning. This work is part of a two-paper series. Part I presents the theoretical arguments linking power asymmetry to team learning via egalitarianism and the moderating role of environmental hardship. In Part II, the authors provide an empirical evaluation of the conceptual model presented in Part I.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was gathered on 4,637 military personnel nested in 143 ongoing teams. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the proposed moderated mediation model. The results show that under higher levels of environmental hardship, teams with higher power asymmetry (greater hierarchy) show greater team egalitarianism and higher team learning.
Findings
The results show that under higher levels of environmental hardship, teams with higher power asymmetry (greater hierarchy) show greater team egalitarianism and higher team learning.
Research limitations/implications
The empirical examination of the proposed relationships is based on a large sample of military teams in the real world. Future research would benefit from testing the model on different samples across industries and adopting different operationalizations for environmental hardship relevant to each industry.
Originality/value
This work provides insights to help practitioners to preserve the coordination benefits of hierarchy, while still promoting more egalitarianism and team learning in hierarchical teams.
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