Occupational Therapy Practitioners' Perceptions of Rehabilitation Managers' Leadership Styles and the Outcomes of Leadership

Journal of Allied Health, Spring 2008 by Snodgrass, Jeff, Douthitt, Shannon, Ellis, Rachel, Wade, Shelly, Plemons, Josh

The purpose of this research was to serve as a pilot study to investigate the association between occupational therapy practitioners' perceptions of rehabilitation managers' leadership styles and the outcomes of leadership. Data for this study were collected using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Form 5X and a self-designed demographic questionnaire. The study working sample included 73 occupational therapy practitioners. Major findings from the study indicate that overall, transformational, and transactional leadership styles are associated with leadership outcomes. Transformational leadership had a significant (p

IN RECENT YEARS, the demand for effective ways to improve employee performance and productivity has resulted in a significant amount of research on leadership styles and outcomes of leadership within organizations. The underlying desire to be more effective has led to major strides in understanding the culture of leadership and the relationship between managerial styles and employee performance. One of the most widely accepted and studied leadership theories is the Full-Range Leadership Theory (FRLT). A great deal of attention has focused on two components of the FRLT: transactional leadership (TR) and transformational leadership (TL).1 Research has found that leadership styles are positively associated with leadership outcomes.2-5

TL and TR styles have been examined in diverse organizational settings, including education, politics, business, and the military.6 Despite the abundance of research examining the relationship between leadership styles and leader effectiveness, there is a lack of recent research investigating leadership in the domain of rehabilitation in general and occupational therapy (OT) specifically. Atkinson studied the characteristics and competencies required by leaders in various settings and concluded that many similarities exist across the leadership spectrum from rehabilitation managers to top leaders in the business world.7 However, a paucity of research exists that focuses on leaders in rehabilitation.

OT practitioners are frequently thrust into leadership positions within their first few years of professional practice. Atkinson pointed out that rehabilitation practitioners are typically promoted to leadership positions on the sole basis of technical skill and ability.7 This trend results in a "leadership vacuum" where these newfound leaders must seek outside training opportunities to develop leadership traits and qualities.

The purpose of this study was to utilize the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), which is based on the FRLT, to examine the association between leadership styles and leadership outcomes of rehabilitation managers as perceived by OT practitioners and to determine whether TL has a higher positive association with the leadership outcomes of extra effort, effectiveness, and satisfaction as compared with TR.1

Literature Review

Effective leadership skills are associated with desired leadership outcomes.2,6,8 One of the most widely accepted and researched leadership approaches during the late 20th century and early 21st century is the FRLT, which has been empirically proven in studies of diverse organizations to positively correlate with organizational effectiveness, especially TL.1,6,9-11 Refer to Table 1 for a description of the key terms associated with the FRLT.1

According to the FRLT, transformational leaders inspire, energize, and intellectually stimulate their followers.1 TL occurs when leaders broaden and elevate the interests of their employees above that of their own. Transformational leaders inspire the employees to look beyond self-interest and focus on the purpose and mission of the group. Avolio and Bass point to the use of charisma or intellectual stimulation to inspire their followers.1 Transformational leaders inspire and excite others with the notion that much can be accomplished with extra effort. Intellectual stimulation is another central focal point in TL, which explains that difficult problems can be resolved with rational solutions.1

Avolio and Bass assert that the alternative to TL (TR) is often a prescription for mediocrity in the absence of TL.1 TR in its constructive form is characterized by working with individuals and groups, establishing contracts to achieve work objectives, determining the capabilities of individuals, and setting up a compensation and rewards system. In its corrective form, the transactional leader is passive by waiting for mistakes to occur before acting and monitors for the occurrence of mistakes (active). This especially holds true when the leader intervenes only when procedures and standards for accomplishing tasks are not being met, that is, passive management by exception. Transactional leaders use the promise of awards or avoidance of penalties as their approach to leadership. This often proves to be ineffective because leaders have no control over rewards or penalties and, even if they do, employees may not want the rewards or fear the penalties. Frequently, pay increases or promotions depend on seniority or qualifications and policies in which the leader has very little control. Many leaders find their hands tied due to contract provisions, organizational politics, or inadequate resources.1