The relationship between transformational leadership and spirituality in business leaders

The purpose of the present study is to answer the general research question: Is there a relationship between spirituality and transformational leadership? To answer the question, business leaders were asked to participate in a multi-part survey. The survey included the Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire short form 5X, which measures transformational leadership. Additionally, two spirituality instruments, the Spiritual Well-Being Scale and the Spiritual Transcendence Scale, were used to test for the level of spirituality. Lastly, the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale was used to control for self-reporting bias. The sample for this study involved individuals who were in leadership positions in business inside of the hi-tech environment in a large southwestern city of the United States. The participants came from three different domains but all shared the common denominator of leadership roles in business within the metropolitan area. The data collected from each participant was entered into the SPSS software program where several statistical analyses were performed. These analyses provided support for previously reported correlations between transformational leadership and spirituality. Additionally, Cronbach alphas were computed for the measures of interest as well as Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficients, factor analysis, and control for social desirability. A positive correlation between transformational leadership and spirituality was predicted and confirmed. Implications for the practice of spirituality at the workplace and future research on leadership and spirituality are discussed.