Skip navigation
Chat Apply Now Request Info Call Now

Exploring the Influence of Leader-Member Exchange(s) on the Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Organizational Commitment Among Telecommunications Employees

Abstract

This study was designed to address the lack of data available regarding the extent of the relationship between leader emotional intelligence (EI) and employee organizational commitment (OC), and the potential influence leader-member exchange (LMX) might have as a moderating variable. I utilized a quantitative research design to test if a relationship existed between leader EI, as perceived by employees and member OC, and if LMX influenced (moderates) the relationship between leader EI and employee OC. The participants for this study were employees from a midsized southwestern telecommunications company in southern California. Three validated surveys were used to measure study variables. The Wong and Long Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS; Wong & Long, 2002) was used to measure EI of leaders, as perceived by employees. The three component model (TCM) Employee Commitment Survey (Meyer & Allen, 1991) was used to measure OC of employees. Additionally, the LMX-7 instrument (Bell, 2017) was used to measure LMX. Study predictor variables included the 4 dimensions of EI (self-emotions appraisal [SEA], others-emotions appraisal [OEA], use of emotion [UOE], and regulation of emotion [ROE]). Criterion variables included the 3 components of OC (affective commitment [AC], normative commitment [NC], and continuance commitment [CC]), and the moderating variable was LMX. Multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis was conducted to determine the relationship among the variables. The research results did not support a predictive relationship between any of the 4 dimensions of EI and any of the 3 components of OC. These were consistent with prior research findings that failed to establish a relationship between EI and OC (Boivin, 2013; Brent, 2017; Willyard, 2017). Conversely, the results did indicate a significant predictive relationship between the moderating variable LMX and each of the 3 criterion variables of OC (AC, NC, and CC). The results also indicated that LMX significantly positively moderated the relationship between leader ROE and employee AC, leader OEA and employee AC, leader OEA and employee NC, and leader UOE and employee NC.

A Phenomenological Study of Different Followership Styles as Perceived or Experienced by Officers and Non-commissioned Officers While Serving on Combat Missions in Afghanistan or Iraq Wars

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the different followership styles, as experienced and perceived by United States Army officers and noncommissioned officers serving in combat situations in the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. Literature is almost nonexistent concerning followership in the military. In particular, what is not evident are the different followership styles exhibited by United State Army officers and noncommissioned officers in different situations. This qualitative study incorporated a hermeneutic phenomenological approach by conducting in-depth, semistructured interviews. The research was reduced to one central overarching question and several subquestions. The open-ended supporting questions further analyzed the phenomenon and divided the central question into supportive parts. Purposeful sampling was used to select 10 personnel from the 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Eighteen candidates were contacted; of these, 12 accepted and three later dropped out, which resulted in nine qualified participants. The research used NVivo, computer-assisted qualitative analysis software, to assist in coding and categorizing responses from the interviews. The sample population was limited to the 3rd Infantry Division, and the convenience sample may have impacted the data because it was chosen for the proximity to the researcher. The study concluded there is no one best followership style that is best for every situation.

A Qualitative Study of the Relationship Between Morality and Authentic Leadership

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the relationship between morality and authentic leadership based on a research question that inquired whether a high moral standard was required of an authentic leader in order for him to achieve a good outcome for society. The study adopted the phenomenological approach, using in-depth interviews and the guided interview technique, to explore the constructs. A purposeful sampling technique of the snowball variety was utilized to select 16 business leaders as participants. Data collection was done through in-person and telephone interviews. Data saturation was determined to have been reached with eight interviews; two more interviews validated the saturation. The statements and narratives collected were subjected to a thematic analysis involving coding and reduction procedures, and the patterns that emerged appeared to reflect some common and some divergent views of authentic leadership and morality. The study discovered that authentic leadership and morality appear to be related in various ways: (a) authenticity might be intrinsically moral because benevolence, genuineness, honesty, and goodness are common characteristics of both the authentic person and the moral person; (b) both the authentic person and the moral person appear to demonstrate the quality of integrity; and (c) authenticity and morality appear to share a dyadic relationship that, on the one hand, define the leader, and on the other hand, empower the leader to make good decisions, thereby facilitating a good outcome for society. In presenting its findings, the study also aimed to bridge the researcher–practitioner gap by providing some evidence-based guidelines for the practicing leader and the leadership consultant.

The Moderating Effect of Environmental Empowerment on the Relationship Between Personal Growth Initiative and Motivation to Lead Among African Americans in Corporate Organizations

Abstract

Empirical research of personal growth initiative (PGI) and motivation to lead (MTL) among various cultural groups is scarce. Additionally, there are no studies relating environmental empowerment to PGI and MTL. Research on PGI has focused primarily on college students and addressed the cognitive and behavioral components that influence individuals to look for opportunities to engage in self-change and to seek opportunities to grow and develop. MTL research has focused on personality traits, sociocultural values, leadership self-efficacy, and past leadership experiences. Studies on environmental empowerment have addressed organizational outcomes such as job satisfaction, job performance, organizational commitment, and turnover. To this researcher’s knowledge, the current study is the first to examine the relationship between PGI and MTL and the influence of environmental empowerment on that relationship, specifically among African Americans in corporate organizations. This study used a nonexperimental, cross-sectional, quantitative approach to examine the moderating effect of environmental empowerment on the relationship between PGI and MTL among African Americans in corporate organizations. Hierarchical multiple regression and Pearson product-moment correlations were used to test the hypotheses. Results of this study did not fully demonstrate a moderating effect; however, dynamic structural framework proved to strengthen the relationship between intentional behavior and affective-identity MTL. Intentional behavior also proved to be the strongest predictor of affective-identity MTL and noncalculative MTL. Leadership experience and intentional behavior were the strongest predictors of social-normative MTL. Theoretical and practical implications as well as limitations of the study are discussed. Recommendations for future research are also provided.

Measuring Clergy Effectiveness: The Development and Validation of the Clergy Effectiveness Scale

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to operationalize the 64 characteristics within the domains of knowledge, skills, abilities, and personal characteristics (KSAPs) that DeShon (2010) identified as enhancing clergy effectiveness. A review of the current literature showed that clergy effectiveness instruments are inadequate due to age (developed in the 1980s), theological orientation (insufficient evangelical representation), and insufficient content validity and/or were based on secondary criteria. The methodology for the study closely followed the widely accepted steps for scale development identified in DeVellis (2017). The sample was comprised of church leaders, both staff and lay, who had a working relationship with the senior pastor for at least 1 year (N = 397). Churches of various sizes from five different denominations were selected using a snowball technique. Data were collected via an online Google Forms application, downloaded to an Excel spreadsheet where it was scrubbed, and then uploaded into SPSS V23.0 for analysis. Tests conducted on the data confirmed suitability for factor analysis—greater than a 5:1 ratio of participants per item, Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy (.965), Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity (significant at .000), and an assessment of the correlation matrix (most correlations greater than .5). Factor analysis was conducted using an orthogonal rotation (varimax). Four analyses were run before all of the cross-load and no-load items were eliminated. Scale optimization resulted in a final three-factor instrument consisting of 14 items. A scree plot substantiated a three-factor model. The three factors for the final clergy effectiveness instrument were socially adept (five items), professional competence (five items), and inclination to lead (four items). Scale reliability was substantiated by Cronbach’s alpha scores of .94 (socially adept), .89 (professional competence), and .73 (inclination to lead). Discussion included significance of the study, limitations of the study, and suggestions for future research.

Testing Servant Leader Development in Student Life Workshops at Maranatha Baptist University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to extend servant leadership theory by exploring the seven virtuous constructs of Patterson’s (2003) theoretical model at Maranatha Baptist University (MBU) and to ascertain if MBU’s Student Life Servant Leadership Workshops (SLW) are effective at bringing about perspective transformation (King, 1998) by focusing specifically on the nurturing and development of Patterson’s seven constructs. Using a pretest/posttest quasi-experimental design with control group (Shadish, Cook, & Campbell, 2002), this study used Dennis and Bocarnea’s (2005) Servant Leadership Assessment Instrument (SLAI) to survey students from two samples: (a) residential students who attend the SLW and (b) online students (i.e., the control group) who receive no training on Patterson’s dimensions of love, altruism, humility, vision, trust, empowerment, and service. Data were collected electronically from students before and after the SLW intervention. Partial support of Patterson’s model was found in the SLAI responses for the residential sample among the relationships between love and humility, love and altruism, and empowerment and service. Similarly, partial support was found for Patterson’s model in the SLAI responses for the online sample among the relationships between love and humility, love and altruism, vision and trust and empowerment, and empowerment and service. The independent-samples t tests conducted using students’ paired pretest/posttest responses indicated that the SLW intervention did not produce a statistically significant effect on residential students’ perceptions of their leaders’ servant leader characteristics as measured by the SLAI. The study concludes with a discussion of theoretical and practical implications of not finding support for relationships among the remaining dimensions of Patterson’s model and for the inability of the SLW to produce a statistically significant effect on students’ perceptions of their leaders’ servant leader characteristics along with suggestions for future research. This study makes important contributions to the study of servant leadership theory and perspective transformation.

Servant Leadership Theory Across Subcultures: A Comparative Study Between Officer and Enlisted Leaders of the U.S. Air Force

Abstract

This research study investigated the theoretical servant leadership constructs of love, humility, altruism, trust, vision, empowerment, and service, developed by Patterson (2003), within two subcultures (officer-leaders and enlisted-leaders) of the greater culture of the U.S. Air Force. T-tests were used to investigate whether significant statistical differences were apparent between the two subcultures. Additionally, causal relationships between the seven constructs of Patterson’s (2003) servant leadership model were revealed using simple and multiple regression analysis to test these relationships. This study provided empirical cross subculture validation of Patterson’s (2003) theory in a military context. Overall, the evidence indicated both a both a high degree of statistical significance and a high degree of confidence that leaders of both subcultures (officer-leaders and enlisted-leaders) exhibited Patterson’s (2003) constructs of servant leadership. This finding added to the validity of the foundation previously developed by servant leadership experts and provided another platform for future investigation into servant leadership practices.

An Examination of the Relationship Between the Five Dimensions of Courageous Followership and Servant Leadership Within the U.S. Air Force

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine if there was a positive and significant relationship between the five dimensions of courageous followership and servant leadership. Based on an extensive review of the literature, it was determined that there had not been an empirical study to date that attempted to determine the correlation between courageous followership and a definition of servant leadership that included the construct of service. This study fills this gap in the literature by surveying participants to indicate their perceptions of their followership behaviors and their perceptions of the servant leadership behaviors of their leaders. The Followership Profile was used to measure followership behaviors, and the Essential Servant Leadership Behaviors Scale was used to measure one-dimensional servant leadership. The data were collected from military members who serve in one of the three components of the U.S. Air Force; data were analyzed with SPSS 24 software. A Pearson product-moment correlation was performed to determine if there was a significant relationship between the five dimensions of courageous followership and servant leadership. The findings from this study substantiated the assertion that there was a positive and significant relationship between the overall model of courageous followership and servant leadership. In addition, two of the five dimensions were positively and significantly correlated to one-dimensional servant leadership. This is the first study to find a correlation between courageous followership and one-dimensional servant leadership. This finding lays the groundwork for future studies. It is likely that the nature of the relationship is reciprocal with servant leaders causing courageous followership behaviors in their followers and courageous followers causing servant leadership behaviors in their leaders.

The Effects of Servant Leadership and Job Stress on Job Satisfaction Among Online University Administrators and Faculty

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to test the direct relationship between the level of servant leadership demonstrated by one’s direct supervisor and the level of job satisfaction reported by an employee, as well as the potential moderating effect of servant leadership on the proposed negative relationship between job stress and job satisfaction. Winston and Fields (2015) stated there is a dearth of research on the impact of servant leadership on individual and organizational outcomes; the current research proposes to help fill that gap in the literature. The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (Short Form; D. Weiss, Dawis, England, & Lofquist, 1967), Perceived Job Stressors scale (Kanner, Kafry, & Pines, 1978), and Essential Servant Leadership Behaviors (Winston & Fields, 2015) are the three previously developed and validated instruments utilized in this study. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis (Cramer, 2007) was utilized to determine the predictive value of the independent variables (job stress and servant leadership) on the dependent variable (job satisfaction) at a significance level of .05. SPSS software was utilized to run all statistical analyses. Potential confounding variables, age and tenure, were controlled for statistically using the analysis software. Results failed to demonstrate a statistically significant relationship between job stress and job satisfaction, but a statistically significant relationship between servant leadership and job satisfaction was supported, as was a significant moderating effect of servant leadership on job stress and job satisfaction. Model and practical implications are discussed, as are study limitations and suggestions for future research.

Authentic Leadership: A Study of the Relationship Between Authentic Leadership and Moral Values

Abstract

The study in this research expounded on the current need in Authentic Leadership (AL) research to better understand the moral aspect of the theory. The approach in this research study design included the comparing the variables of authentic leadership with the variables of Moral Values. An empirical, quantitative correlation field-study was conducted on a random sample of 100 participants in the United States. The Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ) was used to measure the four variables of authentic leadership, and the Measure of Moral Values (MMV) was used to measure the four variables of moral values. The four ALQ variables were matched with the four MMV variables resulting in 16 hypotheses. The data collection process consisted of using SurveyMonkey® through LinkedIn and Facebook. In addition, printed questionnaires were administered in person to ensure the target sample size of participants. The data were uploaded to IBM® SPSS®, and a Pearson product-moment correlation analysis was conducted. The correlation analysis showed that 14 of the 16 hypotheses were positively correlated ranging from .28 to .55 at the p < .01 level. In addition, the Cronbach alpha coefficient was .95 for the ALQ and .73 for the MMV. The results indicated that an authentic leader’s morals encompassed the four MMV variables or descriptions, including making judgments based on the spirit of the law rather than just the letter of the law, expressing concern for the welfare of society as a whole, having the capacity to see both sides of an issue, and having concern for the sanctity of the individual. Future research should entail testing other moral variables to authentic leadership variables, as well as research in other countries and cultures.