Investigating the relationship between leadership style and team effectiveness of employees in private training institutions

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between leadership style and team effectiveness of employees in private training institutions. Teamwork is an essential element in organisations. Leadership is central to building a highly effective team; the focus was therefore on the leadership style and team effectiveness within the organisations. This was done though a literature review and an empirical investigation. The literature review highlighted the key terms such as leadership and leadership styles as well as the different dimensions of the focused leadership styles. Additionally, the empirical investigation was aimed at determining the prominent leadership style and the most prevalent component of team effectiveness in managing employees as well as determining whether there is a correlation between the dominant leadership style and team effectiveness. This study utilised a quantitative method research design. The research was conducted at Akademia and Sol-Tech, private training institutions in Pretoria. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalent leadership style used to manage employees using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5x), developed by Avolio and Bass, as well as to determine its correlation with team effectiveness. This was done using the Team Effectiveness Questionnaire (TEQ) developed by The Effective Teaming Laboratory. Both measuring instruments have demonstrated proven reliability and validity. The analysis of data was done using the Statistics Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) and the results presented by figures and tables. Both descriptive and inferential statistical tests were conducted to answer the research questions. With regards to the findings of this study, a clear correlation was found between transformational leadership style and team effectiveness. The study further revealed that the transformational leadership style is the most dominant leadership style used in the management of employees.