Leadership Styles of Successful FFA Advisors and FFA Programs

Leadership development has been viewed as a foundational component of agriculture education and the FFA since the early 20 century (Hoover, Scholl, Dunnigan, & Mamontova, 2007). To contribute to previous research in the field of leadership, this study lays the framework for future studies on the leadership styles of those individuals who lead today’s youth in FFA programs across the State of Texas. This study describes FFA advisors of successful FFA programs in terms of their leadership styles, leadership training/educational background, and suggests how FFA advisors could use their leadership styles to improve their programs. Participants reported engaging in behaviors related to transformational leadership, M = 3.15, more often than those related to transactional, M = 2.45, or laissez-faire leadership styles, M = 0.86 Introduction and Theoretical Framework Leadership development is an essential aspect of the Texas FFA and the state’s Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resource (AFNR) program, which will hence forth be noted as FFA programs. Leadership has been a foundation of the FFA since 1928 (Hoover, Scholl, Dunnigan, & Mamontova, 2007). There are Leadership Development Events (LDEs) in which students may compete, leadership camps for students to learn how to become great leaders, and leadership positions for students to hold at local, district, area, state and national levels. In fact, FFA members have more leadership and personal development abilities than do non-members, and the leadership traits of youth Journal of Leadership Education DOI:10.12806/V18/I1/R4 January 2019 RESEARCH 46 can be enhanced by participation in FFA activities (Rutherford, Townsend, Briers, Cummings, & Conrad, 2002). Is there a leadership style that is more effective than others for educators who are tasked with the development of today’s AFNR students? Success in the FFA can have different meanings for different audiences. This study uses the term “successful” to represent an FFA program that received a Golden Horizon Award in a recent school year, and the advisor had been part of that particular program for at least four years. This definition was created to describe a program that is not only well-rounded but also has had success in its contests and is not simply competing for the fun of it. This study defines leadership as it is determined by Northouse (2010), who defined leadership as “a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (p. 3). This leadership definition was selected because throughout the FFA, teams of students, multi-teacher departments, and classrooms are full of students and educators working towards a common goal: students may be participating in the Agricultural Technical and Mechanical Systems Career Development Event (CDE), showing heifers at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, or simply working together on a community service project. Throughout the FFA, a key factor in the leadership that defines, encompasses, and takes place throughout the organization, is the FFA advisor or agricultural educator. Transformational Leadership. A major aspect of leadership that has been given considerable attention in recent research is that of leadership styles. The theory of transformational leadership served as the theoretical framework for this study. Some leadership researchers have placed transactional and transformational leadership on a continuum, where a leader falls somewhere along the line between the two, exhibiting combinations of both styles (Burns, 1978). Others view these two approaches as complementary constructs, which suggests that leaders can exhibit and engage in both leadership behaviors: allowing for the idea that transactional leadership is not a substitute for transformational leadership, but rather adds to its effectiveness e.g., (Bass, 1997). Understanding how teacher leadership styles may influence students’ perceptions may help educators understand how their interaction with students can be used to motivate students, thereby helping to improve the success of students (Kelly, 2000). It is important to first elaborate on the different aspects of each leadership style in this theory. The “transformational leadership theory is part of the ‘New Leadership Paradigm’ (Bryman, 1992), which gives more attention to the charismatic and affective elements of leadership” (Northouse, 2010, p. 171). Transformational leadership involves an exceptional form of influence that moves followers to accomplish more than what is usually expected of them, often incorporating charismatic and visionary leadership into its context (Northouse, 2010). The transformational leadership style is best represented by a person who engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morale in both the leader and the follower. This type of leader is attentive to the needs and motives of followers and tries to help followers reach their fullest potential (Northouse, 2010). According to Bass (1985), the transformational leader raises the level of awareness about the importance and value of desired outcomes and expands the wants and needs of followers to surpass their own self-interest for the sake of the group. Journal of Leadership Education DOI:10.12806/V18/I1/R4 January 2019 RESEARCH 47 Transformational leadership is composed of five different factors: Idealized Influence (Attributed), Idealized Influence (Behaviors), Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual Stimulation, and Individualized Consideration (Greiman, Addington, Larson, & Olander, 2007). Idealized Influence is defined in terms of how followers react to the leader and the leader’s behavior (Moore & Rudd, 2006). Avolio and Bass (2004) noted that Idealized Influence is both an impact and a behavior; thus, two leadership factors are required to describe it. Leaders that exhibit Idealized Influence are admired and respected by followers, they have high standards of moral and ethical behavior, along with a charisma that provides followers with a sense of mission (Greiman, et al, 2007; Moore & Rudd, 2006). Inspirational Motivation describes the ability of a leader to communicate high expectations to followers and motivate them as well to become committed, taking vested interest in a shared vision (Northouse, 2010). The fourth factor of transformational leadership is that of Intellectual Stimulation. Leaders that exhibit Intellectual Stimulation tend to question old assumptions, traditions, and beliefs guiding and stimulating followers to develop new perspectives and ways of doing things (Harms & Knobloch, 2005). The final element of transformational leadership is Individualized Consideration. This factor represents leaders who are supportive, good listeners, and act as coaches and mentors to followers (Northouse, 2010). They treat followers as unique individuals, often giving various levels of direction to different individuals. They use their leadership style which focuses on the development of good teacher-student relationships as an effective tool to enhance student motivation (Kelly, 2000). Transactional Leadership. Transactional leadership differs from transformational leadership in that the transactional leader does not individualize the needs of subordinates or focus on their personal development (Burns, 1978; Northouse, 2010). The transactional leadership model consists of three different factors: Contingent Reward, Management-byException (active), and Management-by-Exception (passive) (Greiman et al, 2007). Contingent Reward refers to the engagement of leaders and followers in an exchange process, in which effort by followers is exchanged with a specific reward (Moore & Rudd, 2006). Management-byException has two different categories based on how the leader acts. In the Management-byException (Active) form, the leader closely monitors followers for mistakes and then takes corrective action (Greiman et al, 2007). In the Management-by-Exception (Passive) form, which is a subscale of the laissez-faire leadership style, the leader intervenes when the problem becomes serious or standards have not been met (Greiman et al, 2007). In both forms, corrective criticism, negative feedback, and negative reinforcement are defining characteristics. A transactional leader is influential because it is in the best interest of subordinates for them to do what the leader wants (Northouse, 2010). Laissez-Faire Leadership. This laissez-faire style of leadership characterizes the leader who takes a hands-off approach by abdicating responsibility, delaying decisions, providing little to no feedback and making little effort to help followers satisfy their needs (Northouse, 2010). This type of leader simply gives the work or project to the followers and allows them to determine the outcome of the project, and is satisfied with the outcomes that are produced, regardless of the quality. The style of leadership that a laissez-faire leader uses is not always ineffective. When this type of leader is able to select qualified followers, then the success of the goal is in fact, still very much achievable at high standards of quality. Journal of Leadership Education DOI:10.12806/V18/I1/R4 January 2019 RESEARCH 48 Conceptual Framework, Related Research and Significance of the Study This study drew on three main categories of leadership research: leadership styles and education, characteristics of successful agricultural education and FFA programs, and the amount of teaching experience and its effect on leadership. Little research exists on how the leadership style of an FFA advisor affects the success of a program. Therefore, this research sought to describe the leadership styles and practices of FFA advisors who lead successful programs, based on the transformational leadership theory. Leadership Education and Training. Within the literature, educational background and leadership training related to agricultural education and