Social work perceptions of transformational and transactional leadership in health care

Despite the resurgence of leadership research, few investigations have examined the association between leadership behaviors and organizational performance in the social work field. The purpose of this study was to evaluate empirically a model that delineates two types of leadership processes, transformational and transactional leadership, within social work practice as measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. The model was tested with a sample of 187 clinical social workers employed in hospitals. Results indicated that all five transformational factors and one transactional factor were significantly correlated with leader outcomes of effectiveness, satisfaction, and extra effort. Implications for social work practice are provided. Key words: clinical social workers; effectiveness; leadership; transactional; transformational Little empirical attention has been given in the social work literature to the concepts of leadership and organizational performance (Malka, 1989; Patti, 1987). Researchers have emphasized that investigation of management characteristics and behavior constitutes a critical area for social work (Gummer, 1995; Hasenfeld & Schmid, 1989; Malka, 1989). Others have called for expanded training in leadership practice in schools of social work (Brilliant, 1986; Patti, 1987). Bargal and Schmid (1989) reviewed the management literature and suggested such themes as transformational leadership, vision and strategy, and organizational culture to be useful to the social work field. They stated that there has been a "changing paradigm in research on organizations ... and these themes represent holisfic and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding leadership approaches" (p. 52). At a theoretical level, transformational leadership has the potential to be instructive to the social work field (Gummer, 1995). Therefore, this research investigated social workers' perceptions of the degree to which their managers practice transformational leadership, and of leader attitudes and behaviors that social workers associate with organizational effectiveness. No previous studies have been identified that extend the theory of transformational leadership in the social work and health field. Rarely have models of leadership practice been advanced in social welfare (Ezell, Menefee, & Patti, 1989). Berg (1980) developed a "proactive"--"reactive" model of leadership style. In this model, proactive leaders are associated with attributes of risk taking, innovation, and change, whereas reactive leaders are depicted as maintaining the status quo and avoiding risk taking and change. Ezell et al. described a model of social work administration whereby managerial behaviors produced or enhance desired client outcomes. Austin (1989) stated that the appropriate behavioral model for the human services was "interactive leadership." This model emphasized the pattern of personal interaction between the manager and other staff in the organization, using a problem-solving approach within participatory groups. Hasenfeld and Schmid (1989) described a life cycle model of social services organizations from a management perspective incorporating concepts such as transactional, management by exception, and transformational leadership within their stages of maturation and elaboration. Existing social work studies on leadership have numerous methodological limitations. Some lack adequate samples and do not rely on systematic observations of leadership behavior, whereas others lack operational definitions of leadership practice (Malka, 1989; Wernet & Austin, 1991). Other studies rely on the reporting and perception of a small number of respondents (Jansson & Simmons, 1986). Also, inadequate attention is paid to issues of reliability and validity of measurement instruments (Wernet & Austin, 1991). Relevant literature informative to social work examines leadership in teams and organizations (Bass, 1985; Bass & Avolio, 1994; Bennis & Nanus, 1985; Gummer, 1997). …