Benefits of Effective Leadership in 21st Century Organization-HR - Dissertation Example

?Chapter 3 Methodology 3 Introduction This study aims to examine the benefits of effective leadership to 21st century organisations. To allow for an appreciation of the methodological considerations and techniques which have been made in the research, the present chapter discusses the pertinent components of the methodology, namely, the research approach, design and strategy. The other methodological components discussed here include the sample selection, the statistical procedures that were used, not to mention the ethical considerations and methodological limitations that were considered. The overall intent is to deepen the insight and understanding of the reader as to this study’s internal and external validity. 3.2 Research Approach It is necessary to discuss the research approach, to understand the rationale behind its choice. In particular, the present study aims to use a purely quantitative study in determining the benefits of leadership to 21st century enterprises. Quantitative studies are positive in nature, and so aim to further understand a phenomenon of interest by taking it and then separating it into smaller, simpler parts for greater structure and ease of measurement (Bernard 2006). These separate parts are analyzed on their own, hopefully promoting general understanding of the bigger picture with the help of universal laws. This particular study focuses on the benefits of effective leadership to contemporary organisations. Such quantitative methods are arguably the best choice for researchers hampered by time and resource limitations, due to their remarkable clarity, as well as their straightforward and well-structured nature. Given a scientifically valid survey, research objectives can easily be met, and a large amount of data can be culled from a vast sample with only minimal effort (Gall, Borg & Gall 2003). These data, gathered from the respondents – in this case, the HR representatives of contemporary organisations – serve as the primary data. Moreover, it was important for the researcher to ensure the questionnaire’s validity and reliability prior to its deployment, to ensure correspondingly valid research outcomes (Bryman 2001). Quantitative methods often boast of a plethora of advantages compared to qualitative ones, but also have a number of flaws as well. For one thing, quantitative methods are not usually known for being flexible, nor are they generally capable of gathering detailed data on their own. On the other hand, qualitative research methods can generally be adequate even with just a single case being investigated, assuming that said investigation was in-depth (Sekaran 2000). Regardless, though, quantitative methods are still the more advisable choice for researchers who lack manpower and resources (Johnson & Turner 2002) for data gathering and analyses. 3.3 Research Strategy The purpose of this study is to examine the perceived benefits of effective leadership to various organisations, all by using purely quantitative methods. Specifically, the survey that was used for this study is the Multi-Factor Leadership Questionnaire. The point of a survey is that specific information is collected on a given population, and their effectiveness and efficiency help to explain why researchers the world over have used them to great effect. For instance, researchers found such methods well-suited for denoting the specific traits of their population, and for gathering huge amounts of data while expending only minimal time, effort and resources (Gall et al 2003). The general idea behind a survey is to gather data with the intent of deepening familiarity with the phenomenon of interest, and with its related constructs – in this case, the perceived benefits of effective leadership to modern-day organisations. Such a method also has the best results when one’s sample size is larger, and when one desires to tackle the constructs of interest systematically and in a structured manner (Bryman 2001). Questionnaires are typically pencil-and-paper instruments, either mailed to one’s respondents or administered to them up close. The data collection focuses on their responses, attitudes, opinions and values with regard to the phenomenon of interest (Leary 1995). Taking time and resource constraint into account, it was determined that a purely quantitative research approach, specifically through a valid survey, would be the best way to achieve the research objectives. 3.4 Research Design The target population for this study is comprised of HR practitioners from various industries. The research was done at a particular point in time, which is why this study can be called classified as cross-sectional in nature (Neuman 1997). Their perceptions on the benefits of effective leadership within their respective organisations are described through averages and standard deviations, suggesting its descriptive nature. There were no interventions introduced, thus, the researcher gathered data on the phenomenon as they naturally transpired. Moreover, the descriptive aspect of the research, meanwhile, justifies the use of descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations (Bryman 2001). Finally, the research design is also said to be correlational since there was intent to determine the relationships between the type of leadership on one hand, and leadership outcomes on the other. 3.5.1 Specification of Variables Depicted in Table 1 are the independent variables, namely, transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leadership. The dependent variables are also shown in Table 1, particularly extra effort, effectiveness, and satisfaction. Table 2 contains the codes for the demographic variables. Table 1 Dependent and independent variables Level of Measurement Dependent variable Independent variable Interval/ ratio I. Outcomes of leadership A. Extra Effort B. Effectiveness C. Satisfaction I. Transformational Leadership II. Transactional Leadership III. Laissez-faire Leadership Table 2 Demographic characteristics Level of Measurement Variable Categories / Levels Code Nominal Gender Male Female 1 2 Industry None – open ended Ordinal Age 60 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tenure 1- Read More