Examining the Credibility and Influence of Agile Leadership on Transformation Gail Ferreira, DM

Abstract Relevant Literature Procedures Limitations The use of online sources for decision information Fishbein and Ajzen‘s (1975) multi-attribute of The 118 online participants were solicited through agile In this study, one specific domain (agile blogs) with the continues to grow among consumers. One of these attitude provides the conceptual framework to study posts and the data were collected using an online hope that the findings prove useful for future sources is the blog, a venue for user-generated the credibility beliefs and attitude effects of the survey. comparative studies of differing topic domains. content that simulates word-of-mouth communication. agile blog on agile behavioral intentions. The growth and influence of blogs create opportunities Using a random split of the dataset, items were Additionally, the technical and aesthetic features of the for marketers to use them as part of strategy Three dimensions of agile blog credibility selected that highly correlated (r > .50) with the blog site (e.g., load speed, graphics) can influence the development. To facilitate an understanding of blogs (site, message, and ) are discussed as measure (all items) as a whole and with the believability of the blog. Additionally spam messages and their potential influence on consumers‘ decisions, cognitive predictors of affect-based dimensions developed from the original content and other extraneous data will need to be filtered and this study was an examination of the influence of the trust attitude that leads to behavioral intentions (follow analysis and evaluation. removed in order to assess a valid set of data. credibility of blogs on blog readers‘ behavioral product purchase or non-product intentions (e.g., agile transformation), as mediated by recommendations, engage in word-of-mouth trust and moderated by involvement. The appraisal of communication about the agile blog, and blog credibility was characterized as tri-dimensional – continue to interact with the same agile blog). Data Analysis assessed by characteristics of site, message, and Conclusions source. This study also used Petty and Cacioppo‘s (1981) The model encompassing relationships between agile This study was a first step to quantify the behavioral elaboration likelihood model to explore the blog site, message, and source credibility beliefs, agile effects of blogs and it may have raised more questions moderating effect of blog involvement on the blog trust attitude, and agile and agile blog behavioral than it answered. relationship between credibility beliefs and trust. intentions was tested in a structural equation model. Little research has explored the characteristics of Problem The number of blogs have grown because of easy-to- The moderating effects of agile and agile blog blogs as an information source. Thus there are further use publishing tools (e.g., Google®; eBlogger.com®; involvement on the relationship between perceived opportunities for research. Strategies for are not being WordPress.com®; MovableType.com®) and it appears credibility and trust attitude were also examined. implemented by leaders because of their inability to that they are widely accepted as an information The current study needs to expand and include other understand the measurement and influence of blogs exchange channel. As of the 2008 State of populations in non-profit and for-profit organizations on consumers. the Blogosphere report, Technorati® (WWW search and also consider how the perceived credibility of engine for blogs) had indexed over 133 million blogs Findings blogs compares to their traditional counterpart. At the Specifically, the process to measure and analyze the published in over 120 languages with a reported 346 same time, bloggers have vastly increased their All three credibility dimensions demonstrated a influence of transformational leadership was not in million worldwide blog readers. However, it is likely readership and profile as a viable information source. positive, significant relationship with agile blog trust place for the organization. that the amount of experience readers have with the attitude, only source credibility indicated practical blog environment will influence how blogs are significance. evaluated and used. In addition, the data supported the hypothesized Social Change Implications Research Questions influence of blog credibility on the intention to follow Purpose The information from this study can be used to help 1) What are the characteristics of the agile blog that recommendations and to continue blog participation as The purposes of this research was to develop and marketers devise social media strategies to accelerate individuals use to assess site, message, and mediated by trust. assess credibility scales for agile blogs (site, behavioral transformational changes for individuals to source credibility? message, and source) and test the influence of a However, the findings indicated that source credibility optimize individual and group quality and performance. blog‘s credibility on consumers‘ behavioral intentions Findings from this study can be used in a variety of 2) What are reliable and valid measures of the three was the main contributor to the proportion of variance (agile transformation) based on trust. Phase 1 transformational marketing campaigns that change dimensions of perceived agile blog credibility (site, in both intentions. implemented online focus groups to gather societal outcomes such as elections. message, and source)? characteristics of the agile blog that signal credibility to Furthermore, the data did not fully support the central the reader. Centering resonance 3) How do evaluations of agile blog site, message, and versus peripheral routes hypothesized according to the analysis was used to generate items for scale source credibility impact trust in an agile blog? elaboration likelihood model (ELM). The hypothesized development. Phase 2 used online survey peripheral route of source assessment on trust was data to validate the proposed scales and test the 4) How does trust in an agile blog influence behavioral predictive for individuals with both levels of influence of a blog‘s credibility on a intentions? involvement and substantively more predictive than reader‘s intentions as specified in the model. either of the other two dimensions (site assessment as 5) How do different levels of involvement associated peripheral route, message assessment as central with agile and agile blogs impact the relationship route. between credibility and agile blog trust?