The study presented in this article investigates how the personality of subordinates is related to leadership, an area largely neglected in prior research. Subordinates (n = 289) rated their immediate superior on transformational, transactional, and passive-avoidant leadership measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and completed the NEO-FFI, with the five traits neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. The results revealed that subordinates' personality (n = 289) was only moderately associated with leadership ratings. Links were found between ratings of transformational leadership and subordinates' level of neuroticism and agreeableness. Furthermore, ratings of passive-avoidant leadership were associated with subordinates' level of agreeableness and openness.
Amos
(2002). Amos graphics computer program for Windows (Version 4.01) [Computer software] . Chicago: SmallWaters Corporation .
2.
Atwater, L.E.
, & Yammarino, F.J. (1993). Personal attributes as predictors of superiors' and subordinates' perceptions of military academy leadership. Human Relations, 46, 645-668.
3.
Avolio, B.J.
, Bass, B.M., & Jung, D.I. (1999). Re-examining the components of transformational and transactional leadership using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire . Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 72, 441-462.
Bass, B.M.
, & Avolio, B.J. (2000). Platoon readiness as a function of leadership, platoon and company cultures. Binghamton, NY: Research Foundation of the State University of New York, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.
8.
Bentler, P.M.
(1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 238-246.
9.
Bentler, P.M.
, & Bonett, D.G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin , 88, 588-606.
10.
Browne, M.W.
, & Cudeck, R. (1993). Testing structural equation models. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Alternative ways of assessing model fit (pp. 445-455). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
11.
Burns, J.M.
(1978). Leadership. New York: Harper & Row.
12.
Byrne, B.M.
(2001). Structural equation modeling with AMOS. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
13.
Byrne, B.M.
, & Shavelson, R.J. (1996). On the structure of social self-concept for pre-, early, and late adolescents: A test of the Shavelson, Hubner, and Stanton (1976) model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 599-613.
14.
Byrne, D.
(1971). The attraction paradigm. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
15.
Carless, S.A.
(1998). Assessing the discriminant validity of transformational leader behavior as measured by the MLQ. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 71, 353-358.
16.
Chen, P.Y.
, & Spector, P. (1991). Negative affectivity as the underlying cause of correlations between stressors and strains. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76, 398-407.
Costa, P.T.
, McCrae, R.R., & Dye, D.A. (1991). Facet scales for agreeableness and conscientiousness: A revision of the NEO Personality Inventory. Personality and Individual Differences, 12, 887-898.
21.
Costa, P.T.
, McCrae, R.R., Jr., & Kay, G.G. (1995). Persons, places, and personality: Career assessment using the revised NEO Personality Inventory . Journal of Career Assessment, 3, 123-139.
22.
Den Hartog, D.N.
, Van Muijen, J.J., & Koopman, P.L. (1997). Transactional versus transformational leadership: An analysis of the MLQ. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 70, 19-34.
23.
Dryer, D.C.
, & Horowitz, L.M. (1997). When do opposites attract? Interpersonal complementarity versus similarity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 592-603.
24.
Dvir, T.
, & Shamir, B. (2003). Follower developmental characteristics as predicting transformational leadership: A longitudinal field study. Leadership Quarterly, 14, 327-344.
25.
Ehrhart, M.G.
, & Klein, K.J. (2001). Predicting followers' preferences for charismatic leadership: The influence of follower values and personality. Leadership Quarterly, 12, 153-179.
26.
Ferguson, E.
, & Patterson, F. (1998). The five-factor model of personality: Openness a distinct but related construct. Personality and Individual Differences, 24, 789-796.
27.
Furnham, A.
(1992). The psychology of behaviour at work. Hove, UK: Taylor and Francis.
28.
Glasø, L.
(2006). Affects and emotional regulation in leader-subordinate relationships. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Bergen, Norway.
29.
Goldberg, L.R.
(1992). The development of markers for the Big-Five factor structure. Psychological Assessment, 4, 26-42.
30.
Hater, J.J.
, & Bass, B.M. (1988). Superiors' evaluations and subordinates' perceptions of transformational and transactional leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 73, 695-702.
31.
Hautala, T.
(2005). The effects of subordinates' personality on appraisals of transformational leadership. Journal of Leadership and Organizational studies, 11, 84-92.
32.
Hetland, H.
, & Sandal, G.M. (2003). Transformational leadership in Norway: Outcomes and personality correlates. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 12, 147-170.
33.
Hetland, H.
, Sandal, G.M., & Johnsen, T.B. (2007). Burnout in the information technology sector: Does leadership matter? European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 16, 58-75.
34.
John, O.P.
(1990). The "Big Five" taxonomy: Dimensions of personality in the natural language and in questionnaires. In L. A. Pervin (Ed.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (pp. 66-100). New York: Guilford.
35.
Judge, T.A.
, & Bono, J. (2001). Five-factor model of personality and transformational leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 751-756.
36.
Judge, T.A.
, Heller, D., & Mount, M.K. (2002). Five-factor model of personality and job satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 530-541.
37.
Klein, K.J.
, & House, R.J. (1995). On fire: Charismatic leadership and levels of analysis. Leadership Quarterly, 6, 183-198.
38.
London, M.
(2001). How people evaluate others in organizations. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
39.
Lord, R.G.
, Brown, D.J., & Freiberg, S.J. (1999). Understanding the dynamics of leadership: The role of follower self-concepts in the leader/follower relationship . Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 78, 167-203.
40.
Lord, R.G.
, & Maher, K.J. (1991). Leadership and information processing. Boston: Routledge.
41.
Meindl, J.R.
(1995). The romance of leadership as a follower-centric theory: A social constructionist approach. Leadership Quarterly , 6, 329-341.
42.
Mount, M.K.
, Barrick, M.R., & Stewart, G.L. (1998). Five-Factor model of personality and performance in jobs involving interpersonal interactions. Human Performance , 11, 145-165.
43.
Mount, M.K.
, & Scullen, S. (2001). Multisource feedback ratings: What do they really measure. In M. London (Ed.), How people evaluate others in organizations (pp. 155-181). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
44.
Munz, D.C.
, Huelsman, T.J., Konold, T.R., & McKinney, J.J. (1996). Are there methodological and substantive roles for affectivity in job diagnostic survey relationships ? Journal of Applied Psychology, 81, 795-805.
45.
Musson, D.
, Sandal, G.M., & Helmreich, R. (2004). Personality characteristics and trait clusters in final stage astronaut selection. Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, 75, 342-349.
46.
Ross, S.M.
, & Offerman, L.R. (1997). Transformational leaders: Measurement of personality attributes and work group performance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23, 1078-1086.
47.
Roush, P.E.
(1992). The Myers-Briggs type indicator, subordinate feedback, and perceptions of leadership effectiveness. In K. E. Clark, M. B. Clark, & D. P. Campbell (Eds.), Impact of leadership (pp. 529-543). Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership.
48.
Salgado, J.F.
(1998). Big Five personality dimensions and job performance in Army and civil occupations: AEuropean perspective. Human Performance, 11, 271-288.
49.
Schaubroeck, J.
, Ganster, D., & Fox, M. (1992). Dispositional affect and work-related stress. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77, 322-335.
50.
Shamir, B.
, & Howell, J.M. (1999). Organizational and contextual influences on the emergence and effectiveness of charismatic leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 10, 257-283.
51.
Spss
(2002). SPSS for windows computer program (Version 11.0) [Computer software]. Chicago: Author.
52.
Tejeda, M.J.
, Scandura, T.A., & Pillai, R. (2001). The MLQ revisited-Psychometric properties and recommendations. Leadership Quarterly, 12, 31-52.
53.
Tett, R.P.
(1991). Personality measures as predictors of job performance: A meta-analytic review. Personnel Psychology, 44, 703-742.
54.
Watson, D.
, & Pennebaker, J.W. (1989). Health complaints, stress, and distress: Exploring the central role of negative affectivity. Psychological Review, 96, 234-254.
55.
Williams, L.J.
, Gavin, M.B., & Williams, M. (1996). Measurement and nonmeasurement processes with negative affectivity and employee attitudes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 8, 88-101.
56.
Yukl, G.
(1998). Leadership in organizations (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
57.
Yukl, G.
(1999). An evaluation of conceptual weaknesses in transformational and charismatic leadership theories. Leadership Quarterly , 10, 285-305.
58.
Zellars, K.L.
, & Perrewe, P.L. (2001). Affective personality and the content of emotional social support: Coping in organizations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 459-467.
