Dialectical Leadership Behavior Scale

Abstract

The Dialectical Leadership Behavior Scale (Wang et al., 2023) was developed to assess behaviors rooted in a leader’s dialectical thinking, which includes three basic principles: contradiction, connection, and change (e.g., Meng, 1988). Scale construction followed the procedures suggested by Hinkin (1995). The resulting 22-item instrument was evaluated in Chinese and American samples comprised of EMBA students as well as middle- and top-level managers recruited online. Factor analysis, reliability, and validity results were reported for these items.

Keywords

Dialectical Leadership Behavior, Timely Adjusting, Weighing Contradiction, Balancing between Kindness and Strictness, Holistically Managing, Promoting Coordination, Individualized Mentoring.

Authors

Wang, Hui; Wang, Ying; Ji, Xiaode; Ji, Ming

Purpose

The purpose of this scale is to measure a construct that can be defined as a strategic leader’s behavior of adjusting organizational strategy and management style according to changes in the environment, accepting and effectively balancing contradictions, and coordinating organizations and departments holistically and synergistically (Huang & Wang, 2017).

Validity

Construct Validity: The 6-factor structure met model fit requirements (Lance et al., 2006), indicating that dialectical leadership behavior has good construct validity.

Discriminant Validity: The authors found that the fit index of a 3-factor model and a single-factor model was worse than the 6-factor baseline model, indicating that the six dimensions of dialectical leadership behavior have better discriminant validity (Anderson & Gerbing, 1988).

Reliability

Internal Consistency: The Cronbach’s α of the scale in the American and Chinese samples was 0.88 (US) and 0.93 (China), respectively.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory Factor Analysis: The authors used the principal axis factor analysis method with an oblique rotation to load each item to different dimensions, resulting in six dimensions. After the explorative factor analysis, 14 items were deleted, resulting in 22 items with six factors explaining 71.91% of the variance. The item loadings ranged from 0.70 and 0.95, and there was no item with excessive cross-loading.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis: In examining the 6-factor structure, the authors found that each item had a high loading, with the maximum loading being 0.85 and the minimum loading being 0.54. The fitting indices were as follows: (Chi-squared = 262.09, df=194, RMSEA = 0.04, CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.96, SRMR = 0.05).

Measurement Invariance: The results indicated that the fitting indexes of the configuration invariant model and the metric invariant model showed no significant difference in the Chinese and United States samples.

Instrument

Test Type: Original Inventory/Questionnaire

Format: Participants are required to evaluate the degree to which the description of each item is consistent with the behavior of their direct leaders on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from “1-Strongly disagree” to “7-Strongly agree”.

Language Available: Chinese; English

Population Group: Human; Male; Female

Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older)

Population Details: Respondents include EMBA Students and Middle- and Top-Level Managers from China and the United States.

Test Methodology: Test Validity; Construct Validity; Discriminant Validity; Test Reliability; Internal Consistency; Factor Analysis; Confirmatory Factor Analysis; Exploratory Factor Analysis; Measurement Invariance.

Keywords

Leadership Qualities; Leadership Style; Management Methods; Management Personnel; Organizational Behavior; Organizational and Occupational Measures.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier:
No data is Available

Affiliation:
Wang, Hui: Peking University, Guanghua School of Management
Wang, Ying: University of International Business and Economics, Business School
Ji, Xiaode: Peking University, Guanghua School of Management
Ji, Ming: Peking University, Guanghua School of Management

Email Addresses:
[email protected]

Correspondence Address:
Ji, Xiaode: Peking University, Guanghua School of Management, Beijing, China, 100871, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author

Commercial: No

Fee: No

Test Year: 2023

References

Wang, H., Wang, Y., Ji, X., & Ji, M. (2023). Dialectical leadership behavior and its impact on firm innovation and performance: An exploration based on the Chinese culture. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 55(3), 374–389. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1041.2023.00374

Items of the Dialectical Leadership Behavior Scale

Number of items: This is a 22-item scale.

Subscales: Timely Adjusting; Balancing between Kindness and Strictness; Weighing Contradiction; Individualized Mentoring; Promoting Coordination; Holistically Managing.

Test Items Available: No