The influence of transformational leadership on trust, psychological empowerment, and team effectiveness
Aucamp, Linza (2014-04)
Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigated the growing phenomenon of teams in the workplace, and how team effectiveness can be established. It was therefore important to establish what contributes to team effectiveness.
The aim of this study was to investigate existing relationships between constructs that play a significant role in enhancing team effectiveness. These constructs include transformational leadership, organisational trust, and psychological empowerment. This study was therefore undertaken to obtain more clarity about these aspects. Based on existing literature, a theoretical model depicting how the different constructs are related to one another was developed and various hypotheses were formulated.
Data for the purpose of the quantitative study were collected by means of an electronic web-based questionnaire. A total of 224 completed questionnaires were returned. The final questionnaire comprised of four scales, namely the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), the Workplace Trust Survey (WTS), the Psychological Empowerment Scale (PES), and the Team Effectiveness Scale (TES).
The postulated relationships and the conceptual model were empirically tested using various statistical methods. Reliability analysis was done on all the measurement scales and satisfactory reliability was found. The content and structure of the measured constructs were investigated by means of confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses. The results indicated that reasonable good fit was achieved for all the refined measurement models. Subsequently, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to determine the extent to which the conceptual model fitted the data obtained from the sample and to test the hypothesised relationships between the constructs. The results indicated positive relationships between transformational leadership and organisational trust; organisational trust and team effectiveness; transformational leadership and psychological empowerment; psychological empowerment and organisational trust; and psychological empowerment and team effectiveness. However, no support was found for a direct relationship between transformational leadership and team effectiveness.
The present study contributes to existing literature on team effectiveness by providing insights into the relationship between transformational leadership, organisational trust, psychological empowerment and team effectiveness. Furthermore, this study identified practical implications to be considered in management practices in order to enhance team effectiveness. The limitations and recommendations present additional insights and possibilities that could be explored through future research studies.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die huidige studie is op die toenemende belangrikheid van spanne in organisasies gebaseer, en op hoe te werk gegaan moet word om spaneffektiwiteit te verseker. Dit was dus belangrik om vas te stel watter eienskappe tot spaneffektiwiteit bydra.
Die studie het ten doel gehad om die verwantskappe tussen konstrukte wat ‘n beduidende rol in spaneffektiwiteit binne die organsiasie speel, te ondersoek. Hierdie konstrukte omvat transformasionele leierskap, vertroue, asook sielkundige bemagtiging. Die studie is dus uitgevoer om meer duidelikheid oor hierdie aspekte te verkry. ‘n Teoretiese model wat voorstel hoe die verskillende konstrukte aan mekaar verwant is, is op grond van die navorsing oor die bestaande literatuur ontwikkel. Verskeie hipoteses is hiervolgens geformuleer.
Data vir die doel van die kwantitatiewe studie is deur middel van ‘n elektroniese web-gebaseerde vraelys ingesamel. ‘n Totaal van 224 voltooide vraelyste is terug ontvang. Die finale vraelys is uit vier subvraelyste saamgestel, naamlik die Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), die Workplace Trust Survey (WTS), die Psychological Empowerment Scale (PES), en die Team Effectiveness Scale (TES). Die gepostuleerde verwantskappe en die konseptuele model is empiries met behulp van verskeie statistiese metodes getoets. Betroubaarheidsanalise is op die betrokke meetinstrumente uitgevoer en voldoende betroubaarheid is gevind. Die inhoud en die struktuur van die konstrukte wat deur die instrumente gemeet is, is verder deur middel van verkennende en bevestigende faktorontledings ondersoek. Die resultate het redelike goeie passings vir al die hersiene metingsmodelle getoon. Daarna is struktuurvergelykings-modellering (SVM), gebruik om te bepaal tot watter mate die konseptuele model die data pas, en om die verwantskappe tussen die verskillende konstrukte te toets. Die resultate het positiewe verwantskappe tussen transformasionele leierskap en vertroue; vertroue en spaneffektiwiteit; transformasionele leierskap en sielkundige bemagtiging; sielkundige bemagtiging en vertroue; asook tussen sielkundige bemagtiging en spaneffektiwiteit aangedui. Geen steun is egter vir die direkte verband tussen tranformasionele leierskap en spaneffektiwitiet gevind nie.
Hierdie studie dra by tot die bestaande literatuur betreffende spaneffektiwiteit deurdat dit insig bied in die aard van die verwantskappe tussen die konstrukte. Die studie identifiseer ook praktiese implikasies wat in bestuurspraktyke in aanmerking geneem behoort te word om spaneffektiwiteit te versterk. Die beperkings en aanbevelings van die studie dui op verdere insig en moontlikhede wat in toekomstige navorsing ondersoek kan word.
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/86572
This item appears in the following collections: Masters Degrees (Industrial Psychology)212