An Analysis of Transformational Leadership Skills of Marketing, Sales, Human Resources, and

231 Pages·2017·3.44 MB·English

Brandman University
Brandman Digital Repository
Dissertations
Fall 11-15-2016
An Analysis of Transformational Leadership Skills
of Marketing, Sales, Human Resources, and
Information Technology Leaders in Relation to
Teir Job
Ramendra Singh Dr.
An Analysis of Transformational Leadership Skills of Marketing, Sales, Human

Resources, and Information Technology Leaders in Relation to Their Job

A Dissertation by
Ramendra Singh

Brandman University

Irvine, California

School of Education

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership

November 2016

Committee in Charge:

Philip Pendley, Ed.D. Committee Chair

Samuel Bresler, Ph.D.

Jalin Brooks Johnson, Ed.D.
ProQuest Number: 1 0 2 42 9 2 5
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An Analysis of Transformational Leadership Skills of Marketing, Sales, Human
Resources, and Information Technology Leaders in Relation to Their Job
Copyright © 2016
by Ramendra Singh

iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to acknowledge the support of my family, teachers, and committee
members towards the successful completion of this study. Throughout this journey, I
relied on this group for enriching my learning and knowledge, for motivation, and for
continued feedback. I consider myself fortunate to have the ability to lean on this group
for things that have helped me advance both personally and professionally.

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ABSTRACT
An Analysis of Transformational Leadership Skills of Marketing, Sales, Human
Resources, and Information Technology Leaders in Relation to Their Job
by Ramendra Singh
Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to identify
transformational leadership skills exhibited by executives in mid-size companies,
working in the fields of Marketing, Sales, HR, and IT. Additionally, this study also tried
to identify top domains and skills for each group, and analyze the similarities and
differences between groups.
Methodology: The study was structured around three research questions. As this was a
quantitative study, self-rating data on 10 domains and 80 skills were collected using the
Transformational Leadership Skills inventory instrument. These data were then analyzed
using multiple statistical methods.
Findings: Analysis of data produced multiple findings in relation to top, middle, and
bottom tier skills and domains for each group, thereby supporting the hypothesis that the
situational context of job function is material for transformational leadership.
Conclusions: There were six conclusions that applied to all groups, thereby providing
valuable insights in relation to similarities across job functions. Additionally, there were
multiple differences found in the use of transformational leadership skills across
Marketing, Sales, HR, and IT functions, leading to the creation of distinct
transformational leadership skill portfolio for each group.
Recommendations: There were six implications for actions that were developed from
the conclusions, ranging from hiring, to talent development, to succession planning.
Additionally, eight recommendations for future research were also presented, ranging
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from logical extensions of this study into different verticals, to complementary new
studies that would expand the body of knowledge, to longitudinal cross-sectional study
that can be developed over time.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1
Background ......................................................................................................................... 6
Need for Transformational Leadership in Organizations ................................................ 6
Executive Failure, Underlying Factors, and Impact ........................................................ 8
Situational Leadership Approach .................................................................................. 11
Different Situational Context Set by Different Business Functions ............................. 12
Statement of the Research Problem .................................................................................. 14
Purpose Statement ............................................................................................................. 16
Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 16
Significance of the Problem .............................................................................................. 17
Definitions......................................................................................................................... 18
Delimitations ..................................................................................................................... 21
Organization of the Study ................................................................................................. 21

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .......................................................... 22
Leadership Importance...................................................................................................... 23
History of Leadership Theory ........................................................................................... 25
Early Theories ............................................................................................................... 25
The Traits Era ................................................................................................................ 26
The Behavior Era .......................................................................................................... 28
The Contingency Era ..................................................................................................... 30
Fiedler Model. ........................................................................................................... 31
House-Mitchell Path-Goal Theory ............................................................................ 32
Vroom-Yetton Contingency Model ........................................................................... 33
Hersey-Blanchard Situational Theory ....................................................................... 33
Leadership Models of Current Era ................................................................................ 35
Charismatic leadership .............................................................................................. 35
Transformational leadership ...................................................................................... 37
Context and Impact of Transformational Changes ........................................................... 40
Transformational Changes in Marketing....................................................................... 43
Transformational Changes in Sales ............................................................................... 45
Transformational Changes in IT ................................................................................... 47
Transformational Changes in HR .................................................................................. 49
Transformational Leadership in the Situational Context of Job Function ........................ 51
Implications of Missed or Mismanaged Change Leadership ............................................ 53
Research Gap .................................................................................................................... 55
Summary ........................................................................................................................... 57

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY .................................................................................. 59
Overview ........................................................................................................................... 59
Purpose Statement ............................................................................................................. 59
Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 60
Research Design................................................................................................................ 60
Population ......................................................................................................................... 62
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Target Population .......................................................................................................... 63
Sample............................................................................................................................... 63
Sample Selection Process .............................................................................................. 65
Instrumentation ................................................................................................................. 66
Data Collection ................................................................................................................. 70
Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 71
Limitations ........................................................................................................................ 73
Summary ........................................................................................................................... 74

CHAPTER IV: RESEARCH, DATA COLLECTION, AND FINDINGS....................... 75
Overview ........................................................................................................................... 75
Purpose Statement ............................................................................................................. 75
Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 76
Research Methods and Data Collection Procedures ......................................................... 76
Population ......................................................................................................................... 77
Sample............................................................................................................................... 77
Response Data ................................................................................................................... 78
Presentation and Analysis of Data .................................................................................... 78
Definition of Data Elements .......................................................................................... 78
D1 – visionary leadership .......................................................................................... 79
D2 – communication ................................................................................................. 79
D3 – problem-solving & decision making ................................................................ 80
D4 – personal/interpersonal skills ............................................................................. 80
D5 – character/integrity ............................................................................................. 81
D6 – collaboration ..................................................................................................... 81
D7 – creativity and sustained innovation .................................................................. 82
D8 – diversity ............................................................................................................ 82
D9 – team building .................................................................................................... 83
D10 – political intelligence........................................................................................ 83
Response Groupings ...................................................................................................... 84
Self-Rating Scores and Rankings by Job Function Groupings ..................................... 84
Relationships Between Variables .................................................................................. 87
Relationship between response and predictor variables. ........................................... 87
Correlation Within Response Variables and Predictor Variables ................................. 92
Data Reduction Considerations ..................................................................................... 93
Factor Analysis .............................................................................................................. 96
Ranking and Indexing of Domains and Significant Skills ............................................ 99
Analyzing Domains and Skills Using Rank-Index Two-Dimensional Plane ............. 100
Summary ......................................................................................................................... 104

CHAPTER V: FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........... 107
Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................................... 107
Research Questions ......................................................................................................... 107
Research Design and Instrument .................................................................................... 107
Population, Sample, and Completed Responses ............................................................. 108
Major Findings ................................................................................................................ 108
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