A511.5.3.RB - Remote Transformational Leadership

A511.5.3.RB - Remote Transformational Leadership

What was the point of the research?

The point of this research was to show that not only does transformational leadership work with leaders and follower in the same location, but also over long distances. It is used to dispel the thinking that face-to-face interaction is necessary. The goal of the Remote Transformational Leadership study was to document the perceived effects of transformational leadership, management by exception, and laissez-faire on two aspects of employee morale.

What were the hypotheses?

There are you different assumption: 1. Can followers identify the leadership style being use in a email. 2. What is the intent of the message (email) and how is it received? The hypothesis is that no matter how a transformational message (in this case a email) is delivered the same effects happen. Followers will be stimulate and inspire achieve extraordinary outcomes and, in the process, develop their own leadership capacity.

What was the research method used?

In the first study, eight judges read emails, which described three leadership styles:  transformational, management by exception and laissez-faire.  A questionnaire was used to evaluate their findings and each correctly identified each account, save for management by exception. Before conducting the main experiment, a final manipulation check was conducted. Participants were 12 MBA students who had received lectures on transformational leadership. The difference between the first subset of students and this cohort is the later would rank each account for realism. Lastly, the experiment was opened to 132 students to evaluate the same data as the two prior groups.

Were the results supportive of the research goals?

The results found that interpersonal justice and supervisor satisfaction were significantly and substantially correlated. Individuals could differentiate between different leadership styles within communication, and communication containing transformational leadership messages were associated with higher levels of interpersonal justice and satisfaction compared to those based on the management by exception and laissez-faire styles.

Of what value was the research?

The research shows that remote transformational leadership can have the same positive effects on performance and attitudes that occur on face-to-face interaction. Because organizations may have workers in several parts of the world or who are out-of-office workers, the amount of time in which workers interact face-to-face is limited, and it is important that leaders understand how this changes the way that we communicate. Leadership is constantly emerging, and in order fit the needs of the current era, it is necessary to understand how to lead most effectively from afar. And while the authors concede more field studies are needed for their research to be deemed ironclad, their preliminary findings on remote transformational leadership is promising.

References

Kelloway, E. K., Barling, J., Kelley, E., Comtols, J., & Gatien, B. (2002). Remote Transformational Leadership. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 163-171.