LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS OF ... - Drake University

training, and the control group of leaders received eclectic leadership
training. The sample included 54 military leaders, 90 direct reports, and
724 indirect reports. The results indicated that the experimental group of
leaders had more positive impact on the development of direct reports and
on performance of indirect reports than did the control group leaders (Dvir,
Eden, Avolio, & Shamir, 2002). These findings suggest, then, that
leadership skill development, when provided in the appropriate context,
can result in significant changes to the leader, the direct reports and the
business outcomes.
Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness
Transitioning into the 21 century, understanding of leadership
provides an opportunity to evaluate leadership effectiveness in various
settings and with different leadership styles. As revealed in Bass' (1 999)
meta-analysis, more than 200 studies on the effectiveness of
transformational, transactional, and passive/avoidant (laissez faire)
leaders have contributed to our knowledge of these styles. Research also
exists about the relationship of leadership and gender as identified in
Eagly et al.'s meta-analysis (Eagly, Makhijani, & Klonksy, 1992). Far less
research addresses the relationships of leadership and age, leadership
training and experience, and leadership in organizations of varied sizes or
settings.