Transformational and Transactional Leader Behavior

This research investigated the relationship between leaders' behavior and their support for emerging technology, particularly e-commerce. Branch office leaders, and their personnel, employed by a financial services company, provided the data for the study. Transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leader behaviors were measured using Bass and Avolio's (1995) Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. In addition, leaders were questioned as to their perception of the impact of emerging technology on their leadership style and their belief in the importance of e-commerce to the future of the firm. Data analyses indicated that the behaviors associated with transformational leadership were significantly related to support for emerging technology. In addition, an independent samples T test confirmed that leaders who support e-commerce and emerging technology exhibited transformational leader behavior to a greater degree than did those leaders who did not support ecommerce.