The relationship of transformational leadership to organizational outcomes in municipal government settings in Nova Scotia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of Transformational Leadership attributes and behaviours exhibited by managers in public works departments in municipalities in the Province of Nova Scotia as perceived by their supervisors, followers, and themselves. A survey was issued that employed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) developed by Bernard Bass and Bruce Avolio to measure Transformational Leadership aspects of approximately 30 municipal public works managers in Nova Scotia. Organizational outcome factors that related Transformational Leadership to perceptions of the level of municipal service delivery, attitudes toward organizational reforms and innovation and the overall level of collaboration with higher authority levels were also to be measured. Unfortunately, there was an insufficient response to the survey to draw any meaningful conclusions related to these research factors. There was a particular lack of interest in survey participation at the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) level of municipalities. This deserves further study. It is recommended that additional survey be carried out to explore the reasons for this lack of interest, which may involve lack of recognition that leadership is a valuable organizational competency, executive burnout or role conflict with political leaders. It is also recommended that municipalities adopt a suitable training regime to increase the general awareness of the value of Transformational Leadership attributes and behaviours across all levels of their organizations, but in particular at the CAO level.