LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS OF ... - Drake University

This study extended the multi-item assessment of the Rokeach
Values Survey as outlined in the work done by Johnston (1 995) by further
dividing the defined instrumental and terminal values into collectivist and
individualist subsets. Instrumental and terminal values, when subdivided
into collectivist and individualist categories, revealed no significant
differences or similarities related to leadership style. This researcher
initially thought that transformational leaders, by virtue of engaging others,
would be more collectivist in their values of importance; and that
transactional leaders, with their focus on relational exchange, would
emerge as more individualist in their values. The results revealed no such
findings, but instead suggested that individuals can hold as important a
wide variety of values and still possess varying leadership styles.
The RVS, unlike the MLQ, was completed only by the CEO and
was not cross-validated or referenced by others. Values, as defined in the
context of this study, reflect the self-perceptions of the CEO. While
possible, it is unlikely that the CEOs' values were precisely those of the
hospital organization. As with individual values, the values of an
organization provide the underpinnings of behaviors, beliefs, and actions
(Collins & Porras, 1994). Maslow (1954) believed that as individuals move
from one level of his hierarchy to another, attitudes, perceptions, and
values change in response to a set of newly acquired needs. Pendleton
and King (2002) and Collins and Porras (1994) suggested that the same
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