Implications of leadership for the next generation of sport employees: Investigating team effectiveness, group dynamics, and leadership preferences

A primary objective of organizational behavior research is dedicated to the perception of how individuals behave on the job and understanding how to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of employees. Prior organizational behavior research has discovered the significance and impact of leadership behaviors (e.g., transactional leadership, transformational leadership, management by objectives) in enabling subordinates to perform more effectively and efficiently (Bass, Avolio, Jung, & Berson, 2003; MacKenzie, Podsakoff, & Rich, 2001; Waldman, Ramirez, House, & Puranam, 2001; Walumbwa, Wu, & Orwa, 2008). This dissertation investigated a corollary branch of this research by examining leadership characteristic implications on team performance and the preferred leadership style for individuals preparing for a career in the sport industry.;The purpose of study one was to determine the implications of generational behaviors on perceived leadership preference for individuals belonging to Generation "Y", specifically those looking for a career in sport. This study employed survey methodology that examined individuals' preferred leadership styles of direct managers. This study also investigated generational behaviors to determine the expected manners of individuals who belong to Generation "Y" which is currently the primary age demographic of those beginning sport careers and quickly becoming the largest age group employed in the United States. The purpose of study two explored how group composition would impact group performance. Secondly, this study investigated how individuals of this generation lead. Finally, to organizational behavior components shown to have impacted performance were examined to determine the effects these concepts had on performance.;Study one utilized survey methodology and individuals were recruited from sport management courses at a major Midwestern university. The convenience sample (N = 210) consisted solely of individuals that belonged to Generation "Y" and those who intend to pursue sport careers. This study also developed a generational behavior scale to identify work place behaviors exhibited by this generation of sport employees. This study provided insight into the, "how to lead," the next generation of sport employees. Study two employed mixed methods, including an experimental design and survey methodology. It incorporated validated measures that have been used in organizational behavior research. Finally, this study also utilized convenience sampling of sport management students at a major Midwestern university.;Study one sought to achieve two primary purposes; first the development of the Generational Behavior Index (GBI), and second to investigate the structural model of leadership preferences among those preparing for a career in sport. Study one identified six factors in the development of the GBI, defining values, job changing, performance feedback, training, value rewards, and value balance. Research suggests these factors are exhibited by specific generations (Zemke, Raines, & Filipczak, 1999). The GBI attained acceptable measures of fit; S-B χ2/df ratio (i.e., 192.38/120 = 1.60, p < .001), CFI = .94; RMSEA = .05; SRMR = .05 (Hair, Black, Babin, Anderson, & Tatham, 2005). Further, study one examined the preferred leadership styles of individuals through behaviors exhibited by the next generation of sport employees. Structural equation modeling results indicate with significance that individuals prefer a transformational leader. Further analysis was conducted on the individual components of leadership theories. While transformational leadership was the preferred leadership style, the data suggest a positive relationship between GBI and contingent rewards a component of transactional leadership.;Similar to study one, study two served two primary purposes, first the development of the Leadership Characterization Index (LCI) and second implications of team dynamics on team performance. A pretest was conducted to develop the LCI. The pretest concluding with the development of a 30-item scale and through exploratory factor analysis the data identified four leadership characterizations upon which individuals could be classified into: Collaborator, Structural, Facilitator, and Theorist. The LCI was employed in the final phase of study two as individual were placed in teams based on their leadership characterizations. Data examined whether heterogeneous teams would perform better than homogeneous leadership teams. The findings suggest that diversified leadership teams perform better than leadership teams consisting of individuals with similar leadership styles. Further, within study two organizational behavior components (Organizational Citizenship Behaviors, Team Cohesion, Impression Management) were examined to determine if these elements influenced performance and the relationship each had with the different leadership characterizations. Results did not indicate that OCBs, cohesion, or impression management impacted performance; however, the results provided further support for the conceptualization of the leadership characterizations presented in this study.