the relationship of goldberg's big five personality trait measures of mid-level leaders at midwest

102 Pages·2012·0.64 MB·English

by  Michelle Eppler

THE RELATIONSHIP OF GOLDBERG’S BIG FIVE PERSONALITY TRAIT
MEASURES OF MID-LEVEL LEADERS AT MIDWEST STATE-SUPPORTED
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO THE CAMERON AND QUINN COMPETING
VALUES MODEL

A Dissertation
Presented to
The Faculty of the Graduate School
University of Missouri

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Education

by
MICHELLE R. KEMPKE EPPLER, BA, MS
Dr. Phillip Messner, Dissertation Supervisor
DECEMBER 2012
The undersigned, appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School, have examined the
dissertation entitled
THE RELATIONSHIP OF GOLDBERG’S BIG FIVE PERSONALITY TRAIT
MEASURES OF MID-LEVEL LEADERS AT MIDWEST STATE-SUPPORTED
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO THE CAMERON AND QUINN COMPETING
VALUES MODEL
Presented by Michelle Kempke Eppler
A candidate for the degree of Doctor of Education
And hereby certify that in their opinion it is worthy of acceptance.

___________________________________________________
Professor Philip Messner

_____________________________________________________
Professor Carole Edmonds

____________________________________________________
Professor Max Fridell

____________________________________________________
Professor David Oehler
DEDICATION
This completed work is dedicated to my family. Thank you for your understanding
and patience as I researched, wrote, and read during our vacations, your games, and the
holidays. To my husband, thank you for your support and patience. This dissertation
wouldn’t have been completed without the support of my mentor, Dr. Mary Hawkins.
Thank you for ensuring I had the bandwidth to maintain my sanity as well as the moral
support I needed when I became frustrated or impatient. Finally, to my Bellevue
University colleagues, who encouraged, assisted, cheered, and supported me during my
entire doctoral program.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you to all who assisted with this study. To my faculty advisor, Dr. Phillip
Messner, thank you for your guidance and willingness to advise me from afar. To Dr.
William Cameron and Dr. Robert Quinn, thank you for your support and permission to
utilize the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) in this study. Thank
you to the eight college deans who agreed to participate, followed through, and rallied
their college staff and faculty over the May through June, 2012 timeframe to participate
in this study. Your support and efforts will not be forgotten and I hope to pass on this
approach to others.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………….ii
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES…………….…………...………………......…….….v
ABSTRACT……………………………………………………..……………………..…vi
CHAPTER
1. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY……………………………..……………………1
Background………………………………………………………………………..1
Purpose of the Study…………..……………………………………….………….2
Statement of the Problem……………………………………………….…………2
Research Questions…………………………………………..….……..………….3
Null Hypotheses………………………………………….………………………..4
Conceptual Framework……………………………………………………………4
Limitations, Assumptions, and Design Controls……………….…………………7
Definition of Key Terms…………………………………….…………………...10
Significance of the Study…………………..…………………………………….12
Summary…………………………………………………………………………13

2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ……………………….…………..……....14
Introduction………………………………………………………………………14
Organizational Culture…………………………………………………………...14
Higher Educational Culture and Leadership……………………………..…....…16
How Leader Link to Organizational Culture…………..…………….…………..17
Middle-Up-Down Management Theory…………………………………19
Conceptual Framework…………………………………………………………..20
Competing Values Model…..…………………………………..………..20
Organizational Cultural Assessment Instrument….……….…….23
The Big Five……….…………………………………………..………...24
The Big Five Inventory………………………………………….28
Summary………………………………………………………………………...28

3. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY …………………………….……...29
Introduction……………………………………………………………….……...29
Research Questions……………….……………………………………….……..29
Null Hypotheses…………………………………………………….……30
Research Design…………………………………………………………….……31
Research Methods………………………………………………………….…….32
Study Group………………………………………………………………….…..33
Instrumentation……………………………………………………………….….35
Personality Traits…………………………………………………….…..35
Cultural Values……………………………………………………….….36
Data Collection and Analysis………………………………………………….....37
Survey Variables and Items Identified…………………………………...38
Human Subjects Protection……………………………………………....39
Risk Analysis…………………………………………………….39
Protections………………………………………………………..39
Statistical Tests to be Applied……………………………………………...…….40
Summary of Analysis for Research Questions…………………………..41
Summary…………………………………………………………………………45

4. DATA ANALYSIS…………………………………………………………………....47
Introduction………………………………………………………………………47
Data Analysis Organization……………………………………………………...47
Research Questions………………………………………………………………47
Study Group……………………………………………………………………...49
Analysis of Data………………………………………………………………….49
Research Question 1……………………………………………………..50
Research Question 2……………………………………………………..52
Research Question 3……………………………………………………..54
Research Question 4……………………………………………………..57
Research Question 5……………………………………………………..58
Research Question 6……………………………………………………..60
Research Question 7 – Research Question 13…………………………...62
Data Exploration…………………………………………………………………63
Summary…………………………………………………………………………66

5. DISCUSSION…………………………………………………………………………72
Introduction………………………………………………………………………72
Study Summary…………………………………………………………………..72
Purpose of the Study……………………………………………………..72
Limitations……………………………………………………………….72
Delimitations……………………………………………………………..73
Conclusions………………………..……………………………………………..74
Overall Study Findings…………………………………………………..74
Cultural Values…………………………………………………………..75
Leader Traits……………………………………………………………..75
Market Cultural Values…………………………………………………..75
Recommendations………………………………………………………………..76
Future Research Recommendations……………………………………...76
Recommendations for Practice…………………………………………..77

APPENDIX….…………………………………………………………………………...78
REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………..79
VITA……………………………………………………………………………………..94
iv
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
CHAPTER ONE
Figure
1. Linkages Between Leadership Traits and Cultural Values……............2
CHAPTER THREE
Tables
1. Summary of Variables……………………………………………….39
2. Summary of Analysis for Research Questions………………………44
CHAPTER FOUR
Figures
2. Overall OCAI Chartered Values……………………………………..60
Tables
3. Reliability Statistics………………………………………………….50
4. OCAI Intraclass Correlation Coefficient…..………………………...52
5. OCAI Descriptive Statistics as sorted by Mean Score
from High to Low…………………………………......……………..53
6. Big Five Descriptive Statistics as sorted by Mean Score
from High to Low…………...……………………………………….54
7. OCAI Intercorrelations Matrix….…………………………………...56
8. Big Five Intercorrelations Matrix…..………………………………...57
9. Overall Big Five Traits from High to Low Percentages…...………...58
10. Overall OCAI Values from High to Low…………………..………..59
11. Correlation Among OCAI and Big Five…………………………….62
12. ANOVA of Big Five and OCAI Variables…………………………..63
13. Market Regression Model Summary………………………………...65
14. Market Regression ANOVA…………………………………………66
ABSTRACT
This dissertation expands previous work of Giberson, Resick, Dickson,
Mitchelson, Randall, and Clark (2009), Zhang, Tsui, Song, & Jia (2008), and Tsui,
Zhang, Wang, Xin, and Wu (2006) by examining higher education organizational culture
and leadership. There is a paucity of research in examining the relationships between
university mid-level leader (Deans) personality traits and cultural values. The study focus
was designed to address this lack of research by examining university cultural values and
evaluating linkages with mid-level leaders’ traits. Linkages between leadership traits and
cultural values were examined through utilization of the following frameworks: the
competing values model by Cameron, Quinn, DeGraff, and Thakor (2006) and the Big
Five by Goldberg (1992). Specific hypotheses were developed and tested regarding
relationships between mid-level leader personality traits and cultural values shared
among organization members.
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY
Background
Organizational culture and educational leadership research inform us how
understanding micro-level leader traits relate to macro-level organizational culture is
valuable knowledge when faced with or creating change (Allame, Nouri, Tavakoli, &
Shokrani, 2011; Calo, 2008; Giberson, Resick, Dickson, Mitchelson, Randall, & Clark,
2009; Schein, 2010). In 2006, Tsui, Zhang, Wang, Xin, and Wu, published research
regarding Chief Executive Officers’ (CEO) leadership behavior and organizational
culture. This research examined relationships between leader traits and organizational
culture. In 2008, Zhang, Tsui, Song, Li, and Jia, researched relationships between trust,
middle management, and supervisory support within Chinese employee-organizations. In
2009, Giberson et al., furthered research by examining links between CEO characteristics
and cultural values by utilizing the competing values model (Cameron & Quinn, 2006),
and the Big Five (John, 2009) inventory.
This study expands previous work of Giberson et al. (2009), Zhang et al. (2008),
and Tsui, Zhang, Wang, Xin, andWu (2006) by examining organizational culture and
leadership within a higher education setting. The study focus was to examine university
cultural values and evaluate linkages with mid-level leader traits. Linkages between
leadership traits and cultural values were examined through utilization of the following
frameworks: the Competing values model by Cameron et al. (2007) and the Big Five by
Goldberg (1992). Specific hypotheses were developed and tested regarding relationships
between mid-level leader personality traits and cultural values shared among organization
members.

Figure 1. Unknown linkages between traits and values.
Purpose of the Study
There is a paucity of research in examining the relationships between university
mid-level leader (Leader) personality traits and cultural values. Understanding linkages
between Leader traits and university cultural values will advance theory and practice as it
relates to organizational change and development within higher education. This study
was designed to begin to address the aforementioned gaps of information.
Statement of the Problem
Current research has not yet evaluated how Leaders traits link to university
culture values. With the research of Giberson et al. (2009), Zhang et al. (2008), and Tsui
et al. (2006) in mind, this study began to address the dearth of research regarding the
relationship between Leader personality traits and university cultural values. This study
examined organizational culture and leadership theoretical assertions. Primary
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