Transformational Leader as Person-Centered Communicator: Empirical Findings and Observations for Leadership Educators

Abstract

This article focuses on the empirical effects of cognitive differentiation and persuasive skills on transformational, transaction, and laissez-faire leadership. Subjects (N = 294) completed measures of independent and dependent variables. Findings confirmed prior findings, however findings some reflected differences. Cognitive differentiation was positively related to transformation leadership (r = .16, p = .038), unrelated to transactional leadership (r = -.02, ns), and negatively related to laissez-faire leadership (r = -.22, p = .002). Findings were nearly identical for the persuasive skills variable showing a positive relationship with transformational leadership (r = .19, p = .021), no relationship with transactional leadership (r = -.007, ns), and negatively related to laissez-faire leadership (r = -.27, p = .001). In a regression analysis cognitive differentiation and persuasive skills accounted for 5.4% of the unique variance of transformation leadership (F = 4.02, df = 2,139, p = .02). Implications to leadership educators were discussed.

Citation

Crawford, C.B. and Strohkirch, C.S. (2004), "Transformational Leader as Person-Centered Communicator: Empirical Findings and Observations for Leadership Educators", Journal of Leadership Education, Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 40-60. https://doi.org/10.12806/V3/I1/RF1