DOES LEADERSHIP STYLE AFFECT THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS STUDENTS? AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

Thomas J. Bell III
Trisha D. Anderson
Texas Wesleyan University
Charlene Conner
University of North Texas at Dallas
James Severance
Dallas Baptist University

ABSTRACT

This study intends to analyzes the various types of leadership styles (transactional, transformational, and passive-avoidant) used while collaboratively working in teams to generate a business plan for a course project assignment. The influence of leadership styles are believed to influence the dynamics of the teaming environment as students work together on a classroom project assignment. Leadership constructs and its dimensionality was examined using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire short form available from Mind Garden, Inc a standard instrument for assessing transformational and transactional leadership behavior (Avolio & Bass, 2004) to study student responses regarding leadership behavior on teaming assignments and the correlations, if any, between leaders’ behaviors and the team dynamics of conflict and cohesion.

Keywords: Leadership styles, collaborative learning environments, team based learning, teaming dynamics