Bransford Uta 2502M 11055.Pdf (552.1Kb)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
GENERATIONS: THE DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN PREFERENCES FOR LEADERSHIP STYLES by ALYSIA A. BRANSFORD Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Arlington in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN PSYCHOLOGY THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON MAY 2011 Copyright © by Alysia A. Bransford 2011 All Rights Reserved To my parents – who reminded me to not focus on the mountain but to instead focus on moving one rock at a time. Love you most, first, period. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to give a special thanks to my family and friends for always being there for me. To my parents, Ben and Suzanne, you have always been a steadying rock for me to lean on. You have given me the strength and courage to keep moving forward no matter how defeated or exhausted I may feel. To my siblings, Benjamin and Natalie, you are both such amazing individuals and the best siblings a little sister could ask for. You have always been there for me and I cannot begin to express how much you r encouragement, faith, love, and laughter have meant to me. To my besties, Carolina, Lyndsay, Missy, and Miranda, you are all such amazing individuals and I am better for having each of you in my life. To my amazing friends at UTA, Caroline, Katy, Doni, and Ajal, you have kept me going everyday with your abilities to calm me down and make me laugh. I will always cherish our ‘productive’ days when it all simply became too much that we all ended up hanging out in an office laughing, joking, and making up random games to alleviate the stress. Each of you has helped me to accomplish things I never would have thought possible and have made me into a better person for knowing you. You are all so special to me, and I thank God for bringing you all into my life. Finally, I would like to thank my thesis advisor, academic mentor, and friend, Dr. Nicolette Lopez, for all of her support and encouragement. She has truly been an amazing woman to look up to and I cannot express enough of my gratitude for her time, effort, and kind words of wisdom when it all felt like too much. I would also like to thank my thesis committee members, Dr. Shannon Scielzo and Dr. Angela Dougall, and the entire UTA Department of Psychology faculty who have played such an integral part in my education and success as an I/O Psychology consultant. April 12, 2011 iv ABSTRACT GENERATIONS: THE DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN PREFERENCES FOR LEADERSHIP STYLES Alysia A. Bransford, M.S. The University of Texas at Arlington, 2011 Supervising Professor: Nicolette Lopez This research examined what effects the characteristics of the Millennial generation had on the preferences for leadership style by investigating which qualities in leaders were more highly valued within this generational cohort. The Millennial generations’ (i.e., individuals born between 1980 and 2000) potential preferences towards four leadership styles (i.e., charismatic, ideological, pragmatic, and servant) versus that of non-Millennials (i.e., individuals born before 1980) were investigated. In addition, this study investigated how Millennials’ locus of control affects their leader preference. Two 2 x 3 Mixed ANCOVAs were run to assess leadership preferences between the two generational groups. Multiple regressions were run to assess for any significant relationships, as well as the direction of these relationships, between locus of control and leadership preference. Results showed that all generations had higher preferences for servant leaders, and that locus of control factors had an effect on leader preferences. A discussion of the findings, the limitations of the study and implications for the future are presented. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................... iv ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................ xi Chapter Page 1. INTRODUCTION SECTION……………………………………..………..….. .................... 1 1.1 Introduction....................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Perceptions of Leaders .................................................................... 1 1.1.1.1 The Effects of Culture ....................................................... 2 1.1.2 Leadership Development ................................................................. 3 1.1.2.1 Authentic Leadership Development Model ....................... 3 1.1.2.2 Shifting Leadership Styles ................................................ 4 1.1.3 The Importance of “Good” Leaders .................................................. 4 1.1.3.1 Effects of “Poor” Leadership ............................................. 4 1.1.3.2 Effects of “Good” Leadership ............................................ 5 1.1.4 Vital Leadership Theories ................................................................ 5 1.1.4.1 Leadership Categorization Theory .................................... 5 1.1.4.2 Normative Decision Theory ............................................... 6 1.1.4.3 Path-Goal Theory .............................................................. 6 1.1.5 Exchange Theories .......................................................................... 7 1.1.5.1 Social-Exchange Theory ................................................... 7 1.1.5.2 Leader-Member Exchange Theory ................................... 7 1.1.6 Transformation vs. Transactional Leaders ....................................... 8 1.1.6.1 Transformational Leaders ................................................. 8 vi 1.1.6.2 Transactional Leaders ...................................................... 9 1.1.7 Leadership Styles ............................................................................. 9 1.1.7.1 Charismatic Leaders ....................................................... 10 1.1.7.2 Ideological Leaders ......................................................... 11 1.1.7.3 Pragmatic Leaders .......................................................... 11 1.1.7.4 Servant Leaders .............................................................. 11 1.1.8 Preference for Specific Leadership Styles ..................................... 12 1.1.9 Generational Cohorts ..................................................................... 13 1.1.9.1 Defining A Generation ..................................................... 13 1.1.9.2 WWIIers .......................................................................... 13 1.1.9.3 Swingers/Silents.............................................................. 14 1.1.9.4 Baby-Boomers ................................................................ 14 1.1.9.5 Generation X ................................................................... 14 1.1.9.6 Millennials ....................................................................... 15 1.1.9.7 Six Factors Shaping Generations ................................... 16 1.1.9.8 Generational Differences ................................................ 16 1.1.9.9 Generational Preference for Leaders ............................. 17 1.1.10 Focus of Study ............................................................................. 18 1.1.11 Hypothesis Development ............................................................. 19 1.2 Pilot Study ...................................................................................................... 24 1.2.1 Participants .................................................................................... 25 1.2.2 Procedure ....................................................................................... 25 1.2.3 Results ........................................................................................... 25 1.2.4 Leader Profiles ............................................................................... 27 2. METHODS SECTION .................................................................................................. 28 vii 2.1 Method ........................................................................................................... 28 2.1.1 Participants .................................................................................... 28 2.1.1.1 Recruitment ..................................................................... 29 2.1.2 Materials ......................................................................................... 30 2.1.3 Procedure ....................................................................................... 30 3. RESULTS SECTION .................................................................................................... 33 3.1 Results ........................................................................................................... 33 3.1.1 Data Analyses ................................................................................ 33 3.1.2 Data Screening .............................................................................. 34 3.1.3 Analysis Findings ........................................................................... 36 3.1.3.1 Hypothesis 1 ................................................................... 37 3.1.3.2 Hypothesis 2 ................................................................... 38 3.1.3.3 Hypothesis 3 ..................................................................