Testing The Multi-Dimensional Nature Of “New Leadership” In A Non-Western Context: The Case Of Malaysia

• Main Authors: Lo, May-Chiun, Ramayah, T., Ernest Cyril, de Run
• Format: E-Article
• Language: English
• Published: Allied Business Academies 2010
• Subjects: H Social Sciences (General)
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/17409/1/TESTING%20THE%20MULTI-DIMENSIONAL%20NATURE%20%28abstract%29.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/17409/; http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=9781355e-4a7d-4b8f-a6c1-e5ef68ffd4a5%40sessionmgr101&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=55009466&db=bth

Past researchers in leadership studies have observed a shift in the dimensions of new leadership behavior such as transformational and transactional styles. For the past few decades, leadership styles continue to be one of the most exciting issues for organizations. Many studies have attempted to explore its effect on work outcomes such as employee’s commitment, job satisfaction, turnover intention, and performances. Leadership styles exhibited by the managers have often been known as the essence of leaders’ behavior which is the major driving force behind this continuous recognition of employees’ behavior in the management literatures. Hence, a better understanding of the dimensionality of leadership styles is needed to facilitate further theoretical development and practical measurement of the construct. The purpose of the research reported here was to test empirically and to validate a conceptualization of two forms of leadership styles known as transformational and transactional, that consists of four and five dimensions, respectively. Data was gathered through a survey using a structured questionnaire to employees in Malaysia with a total of 146 respondents. A series of tests such as factor analysis, correlation, and reliability analysis was conducted to confirm that the instrument is valid (content, construct, convergent, discriminant and nomological) as well as reliable. Implications regarding the value of conducting validity and reliability test for practitioners and researchers are discussed.