Relation between Transformational vs Transactional Leadership Preference and Subordinates' Personality: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

The present study was designed to explore the possible links between subordinates' personality traits and their preference for transformational vs transactional leadership style. 87 undergraduate men were required to imagine an “ideal leader” in a work situation and then go through Bass' (1984) Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, Form 4, to describe the behavior of this ideal leader. Subjects also completed the Affiliation, Achievement, and Succorance subscales of the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule as well as a conformity rating scale. Affiliation correlated significantly with charisma, individualised consideration, and the over-all transformational leadership measure. The personality trait of conformity also correlated significantly with intellectual stimulation, indicating that “nonconformers” prefer leaders who provide intellectual stimulation. There was also a tendency for high achievers to favor such leaders. None of the other ratings of subordinates' personality traits correlated significantly with ratings of ideal leadership. The results also showed that student-subjects in the present study preferred working with leaders who are more transformational than transactional.