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

TR AND LEADERSHIP OUTCOMES

When examining each individual attribute of TR, it was noted that transactional contingent reward had a significant (p

FULL-RANGE LEADERSHIP AND LEADERSHIP OUTCOMES

This study supports previous research, which has found that a blend of TR and TL styles is associated with better outcomes.9,10 Reiss found that successful use of TL and transactional contingent reward leadership had the largest impact on achieving positive outcomes of leadership.13 It was also supported by the findings of Snodgrass10 and Gellis3 in which all five TL constructs and transactional contingent reward were significantly and positively correlated with leadership outcomes.

Avolio and Bass1 theorized that the most effective leaders utilize a full range of leadership styles that combine TL and transactional contingent reward, which is supported by our study. Thus, the most effective leaders perform a full range of leadership styles that exhibit all of the TL constructs augmented by the transactional contingent reward leadership to achieve a maximum impact on their followers. This notion is supported by the majority of leadership research using the MLQ instrument.1,4

Limitations

To properly interpret and apply the findings and conclusions from this study, an understanding of the limitations is required. The study sample is limited to OT practitioners in the state of Tennessee. With a small sample size (n = 73), no statements and/or conclusions can be drawn about the relationships among the variables for nonrespondents, thus limiting the generalizability of the findings. The cross-sectional design of this study is considered a limitation. Leadership develops over time, and a longitudinal study would more accurately capture a description over time. In addition, care must be taken when interpreting the relationships found with this study. A Pearson correlation coefficient was utilized to examine the associations between leadership styles and leadership outcomes. Correlation coefficient merely tells us that a linear relationship exists; it does not specify the nature of this relationship.22

Implications

The findings of this study may be found helpful and may be implemented by rehabilitation stakeholders.

1. Rehabilitation leaders currently practicing in the field of rehabilitation in general, and OT specifically, will better understand the associations between the various leadership styles and leadership outcomes such as employee satisfaction, extra effort, and effectiveness to augment their role as leaders. Based on the study findings, which are supported by the literature, employees reported a positive relationship between leadership style and leadership outcomes when TL attributes were utilized by OT managers.

2. Rehabilitation/OT practitioners planning to assume a future formal leadership role will benefit by learning about and understanding the relationship between leadership styles and leadership outcomes and by seeking out strategies for developing and enhancing their ability. The daunting role transition from clinician to leader (e.g., rehabilitation manager) may be facilitated through interaction with mentors who would be considered transformational leaders and involvement in skills-based leadership training.