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Measuring leadership an assessment of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire

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  • Joan Manuel Batista-Foguet
  • Marc Esteve
  • Arjen van Witteloostuijn

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Joan Manuel Batista-Foguet & Marc Esteve & Arjen van Witteloostuijn, 2021. "Measuring leadership an assessment of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(7), pages 1-22, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0254329
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254329
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. John Antonakis & Samuel Bendahan & Philippe Jacquart & Rafael Lalive, 2010. "On making causal claims : A review and recommendations," Post-Print hal-02313119, HAL.
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    1. Lucas N. Mburu & Dr. Mary Ragui, PhD & Dr. Walter Ongeti, PhD, 2024. "Transformational Leadership, Soft HR Approach, and Millennial Workforce Engagement in International NGOs in Nairobi, Kenya," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(4), pages 1319-1332, April.
    2. Maira Khan & Mukaram Ali Khan & Syed Sohaib Zubair & Aisha Rizwan, 2022. "How Transformational Leaders Are Engaged in Work Settings During Episode of Covid-19? Exploring Mediating Effects of Structural Empowerment and Process Innovation," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, April.

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