The Mutual Influence of Technology and Leadership Behaviors

The present book chapter focuses on e-leadership, reviewing and discussing the latest developments in new (e-)leadership conceptions, such as transformational leadership and others. The authors propose alternative, albeit well-proven measures (e.g., MLQ 5X Short, Bass & Avolio, 1990) and an e-leadership tool called Virtual Team Trainer (VTT; Reips & Ito, 2007). The VTT uses the Online Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire (OLBDQ; Reips & Heilmann, 2009), assessing the Ohio State Leadership styles consideration and initiating structure. Alongside personality tests and group process development units that were built from the Existential Mapping Process (EMP; Horowitz, 1985), the tool contains modules that help leaders and team members to identify their Ohio State leadership styles. The VTT relates the results of the self- and other-questionnaires regarding team structure, development, and modifications and improvement of leadership skills. The VTT is available free for use via the iScience Server portal at http://iscience.eu.

Measuring Followership

The focus in this chapter is a proposal for a measure of followership with three dimensions: resistant follower, compliant follower, and mature follower. The chapter contains an internet link to specific items and a format for the measure. The rationale centers on various theoretic views about followership. The chapter provides suggestions for use of the measure within organizations. The conclusion centers on a program for future research.

Inventory of Leader Sternness (ILS)

The Inventory of Leader Sternness (ILS) is a new leadership construct designed to measure sternness in an adult self-directed leader. Sternness, as a leadership construct, is derived from the writings of Sun Tzu in The Art of War as proposed by Carr, Coe, Derrick, and Ponton (2007). Winner (2008) developed the ILS to measure three co-occurring behavioral intentions of sternness: (a) a willingness to establish obedience through rewards and punishments within limits, (b) consistency in actions to ensure good behavior through rituals and respect, and (c) a determination to do the difficult tasks of leadership. The ILS is a valid and reliable instrument for use in the assessment of sternness in an adult self-directed leader.

A Cross-Cultural Measure of Servant Leadership Behaviors

This chapter presents items comprising three scales that measure servant leadership using three key dimensions: service, humility, and vision. The instrument was used to measure servant leadership behaviors experienced by followers in the United States and Ghana. Reliability and validity evidence is included from two research studies. A discussion of the relationship of servant leadership behaviors with employee outcomes assessed in these studies concludes the chapter.

Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ & LBDQ-XII)

This chapter focuses on the most widely used and known leadership instrument: The Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ). The LBDQ, and its sibling the LBDQ-XII, have been around for more than 50 years and are still being used today. As a result, the purpose of this chapter is to examine the instrument by summarizing its background, and giving a perspective on the instrument’s reliability and validity. This was accomplished by looking at the LBDQ and LBDQ-XII’s long history, how it has been applied over the years, while focusing on the scales main factors of Consideration and Initiation of Structure. Additionally, many analyses of the instruments (LBDQ and LBDQ-XII) were reviewed to support the instruments robust reliability and validity. Lastly, the location and cost of the instruments were revealed in order for the reader to utilize the instrument under study.

The Use of E-Questionnaires in Organizational Surveys

In recent years, there has been an increase in academic studies that examine the advantages and disadvantages of using e-questionnaires in organizations, but these studies have tended to ignore the potential differences between human resource (HR) managers and HR consultants with regards to using this tool. This chapter examines the use of e-questionnaires from the point of view of both types of practitioners. The study includes a qualitative exploratory survey, as well as a quantitative survey. T-tests, cluster analysis, and principal component analysis are performed and results support the three propositions that are presented. Specifically, it was found that (a) HR consultants and HR managers differ in the ranking of factors they think are important when deciding whether to use e-questionnaires; (b) preference differences exist between HR managers and HR consultants - managers are more directed by organizational constraints than consultants; and (c) the groupings for e-questionnaire preferences, compared to paper-and-pencil questionnaires, are consistent with Caldwell’s (2003) four roles of HR managers. The chapter concludes with implications and suggestions for future research.

The Inventory of Learner Persistence

The Inventory of Learner Persistence (ILP) was designed to assess persistence in learning and specifically within the context of autonomous learning. Autonomous learning is defined as the manifestation of persistence along with desire, resourcefulness, and initiative in learning; learner autonomy is defined as the characteristic or personal attribute of the individual to exhibit agency or intentional behavior. Thus, persistence in learning is the exhibition of volition, goal directedness and self-regulation. The development of items for the ILP provides a theoretical framework for defining persistence from a cognitive and psychological perspective and provides a mechanism for understanding persistence from other than a post hoc behavioral standpoint. The implications of such assessments can provide an analysis of where a learner may be in terms of their development and readiness for learning that will require persistent skills for success.

On Measurement Instruments for Fatalism

In this chapter, fatalism is conceptualized as a set of health beliefs that encompass the dimensions of predetermination, luck, and pessimism. It is argued that such fatalistic beliefs can be extended from health issues to organizational context as well. A recently developed fatalism scale is assessed, as well as other existing instruments using three criteria: (a) item content, (b) associations among the items, and (c) associations between the items and external variables. Available empirical evidence shows that the new scale is uni-dimensional, and demonstrates good construct validity as well as scale reliability. Implications for procrastination are discussed.

The Use of Mixed Methods in Organizational Communication Research

Most organizational research employs either quantitative or qualitative methods. Furthermore, users of one methodology often dismiss those who use another. The purpose of this report was to describe how researchers could use mixed methods, especially online. Researchers often begin investigations with paradigmatic assumptions or multiple constructs that should lead to mixed methods. However, quantitative methodological assumptions may seem to contradict qualitative methodological assumptions, and scholars have found it easier and quicker to deliver results adopting only one methodology. Additionally, researchers may be resistant because making high quality inferences from mixed methods might seem too demanding. This chapter describes how one researcher grappled with these challenges when using mixed methods off-line. Online technologies contribute to resolving some difficulties more easily.

Online Survey Software

The commonality among online instruments – regardless of discipline – is the use of online tools to administer the electronic measurements, collect participant responses, and aggregate the results for data analysis. Under the heading of software as a service (SaaS) or cloud computing, online survey software makes it possible for individuals and organizations to easily develop and administer online instruments. This chapter provides a background into SaaS and cloud computing, profiles three leading online survey software tools – SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, and LimeSurvey – along with the PollEverywhere online and mobile polling tool. The chapter concludes with the corresponding cost and links to these online survey tools along with relevant terms and resources.