| This research project explored the dynamic relationship between leadership style and organizational achievement in an ecclesiastical setting. The correlation between transformational leadership and growth within an organization has been proven in various industries, including government, education, and manufacturing, and it impacts constituent satisfaction, work effort, and performance. The correlation has not been explored in ecclesiastical communities above the individual congregational level. The ecclesiastical organization chosen for the research was the Church of the Nazarene, and the study specifically focused on the midlevel leaders that oversee the 80 geographical districts that encompass North America. Sixty-four district superintendents completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Form 5X-Short (MLQ) that determined their perceived leadership styles; their scores were then compared to the growth statistics for their individual districts. The design of the research included using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) and controlling for both time and population so that any correlation between leadership style and district growth could be elucidated. The resulting data showed that there was a positive correlation between perceived transformational leadership style and organizational growth. This correlation can inform the executive leadership of the organization under study concerning the recruitment, placement, and development of district leaders. While these findings have not yet been proven to be causal, they should be informative to all enterprises that are interested in developing a participatory leadership style. |
