Publication Date

5-1-2005

Degree Program

Department of Psychology

Degree Type

Master of Arts

Abstract

This study examines connective leadership, a theory of leadership largely ignored in research, in relation to work outcomes and other leadership styles. The purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of how connective leadership affects work outcomes. Two hundred forty-four undergraduate and graduate students (32% male and 68% female) from nursing, business, and psychology classes participated in the study. Participants completed measures of leadership perceptions, group identification, and work outcomes. Correlations, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and regression analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that women were more often perceived to be connective leaders than men, while men and women were equally likely to report positive outcomes with leaders they perceived to be connective. Connective leadership was found to be predictive of positive work outcomes, even after controlling for negative affectivity, job and school stress, and transformational leadership. Employees who did not identify with their work group reported especially high levels of job satisfaction when their leader was perceived as connective. This research expands our knowledge of a lesser-known theory of leadership and suggests that connective leadership is a unique leadership style that may have important implications for employees.

Disciplines

Psychology

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