Relationship between Leadership and Characteristics of Learning Organizations in Deployed Military Units: An Exploratory Study

Raffaella Di Schiena, Geert Letens, Eileen Van Aken and Jennifer Farris
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Raffaella Di Schiena: Royal Military Academy, Rue Hobbema 8, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Geert Letens: Royal Military Academy, Rue Hobbema 8, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Eileen Van Aken: Virginia Tech, 250 Durham Hall, MC 0118, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
Jennifer Farris: Texas Tech, Lubbock, TX 79409-3061, USA

Administrative Sciences, 2013, vol. 3, issue 3, 1-23

Abstract: Previous research has shown that military units operating in the context of risky missions display the characteristics of a Learning Organization. The present work provides preliminary exploratory evidence about the association between Learning Organization characteristics and leadership styles used by military leaders in the field. Based on the literature, we hypothesized that higher Learning Organization characteristics would be associated with a more transformational style of leadership that inspires followers. With this purpose, the five characteristics of a Learning Organization as defined by Peter Senge (Systems Thinking, Team Learning, Shared Vision, Mental Models, and Personal Mastery) and leadership styles as defined by the multifactor leadership model of Bass and Avolio (Transformational, Transactional, and Passive-Avoidant), were measured among commanding officers who had recently served in a mission abroad. Associations with organizational outcomes (Extra-Effort, Effectiveness, and Satisfaction) were also investigated for both Learning Organization characteristics and leadership styles. The correlations showed that Learning Organization characteristics were highly related to Transformational leadership dimensions, and also with Transactional leadership based on Contingent Rewards; meanwhile no association was found with a Passive-Avoidant leadership. Organizational outcomes were also related to Transformational leadership, Contingent Rewards and to various characteristics of a Learning Organization. Implications of these results, as well as avenues for future research, are also discussed.

Keywords: leadership; military; learning organization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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