The impact of leadership style and anonymity on performance, creative output, and satisfaction in GDSS-supported groups

As organizations increasingly use computer technology to support group-based work structures, there is a growing need to examine how behavioral interactions of leaders and followers impact group and organizational work outcomes. The lack of leadership effects reported in previous group decision support system (GDSS) studies may have been due to low incidence of or inconsistent leader behaviors. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine direct and indirect impact of leadership style/behavior on work outcomes (perceived and objective performance, extra effort, creative output, and satisfaction) under presence and absence of source anonymity of group member GDSS input. Follower beliefs and motivational states (collective efficacy, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation) were examined as mediating variables in assessing the impact on leadership style on work outcomes.; This dissertation employed a 3 leadership style (transactional, transformational, no leader) x 2 source anonymity (non-anonymous, anonymous) experimental design. Leadership style was manipulated by introducing confederate leaders who acted and typed comments into the GDSS according to transactional and transformational scripts. Source anonymity was manipulated by specifically configuring the GDSS. 184 undergraduate students participated in the experiment by performing electronic brainstorming, idea organizing, and group writing tasks in two sessions held one week apart.; Results indicated that (1) leadership within GDSS-supported groups can either help or hinder work outcomes depending on leadership style exhibited and setting of GDSS source anonymity; (2) followers' perceptions of leadership styles while interacting in a GDSS environment affects followers' work outcomes both directly and indirectly through follower beliefs and motivational states; (3) GDSS source anonymity moderates the impact of (a) leadership style on follower beliefs and motivational states, and (b) followers' beliefs and motivational states on work outcomes.; Contributions of this dissertation include implications for both researchers and practitioners. Research implications include a realization that GDSS features may substitute for leadership, and results provide support for self-concept based motivational theories of leadership and adaptive structuration theory. Implications for practice include the conclusion that GDSS facilitators can maximize group effectiveness by selectively exhibiting transactional or transformational leadership behaviors. Additionally, facilitators should consider using the source anonymity feature for electronic brainstorming and idea organization.