Transformational Leadership in the Estonian Defence Forces

Abstract

Purpose-The study is a contribution to the validation of the 15 items and 5 subscales Transformational Leadership Scale (TLS) proposed by Rafferty and Griffin (2004). Design/methodology/approach-The sample includes participants from different levels of the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) military hierarchy (N=2570). The structure of the TLS was examined by using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Additionally ANOVA was used to compare the results between different subsamples. Findings-TLS showed satisfactory reliability. Confirmatory factor analyses found TLS as valid five dimensions instrument to measure transformational leadership in the Estonian military context. Different management levels showed different emphases among the dimensions of transformational leadership. Research and practical limitations/implications-TLS will be an important tool to use in transformational leadership research in the Estonian military context and beyond. Additionally, the current research contributes to the development of alternative measurement tools besides the most commonly used MLQ. The limitation of the work will be the rather homogenous sample from the Estonian military, however it will open the door for the subsequent research using different samplings. Originality/value-The current research found TLS to be a reliable and valid instrument, very short and therefore easy to administrate, having the possibility to use it with five dimensional and as one general transformational instrument as well.

Leadership competencies of first-level military leaders

“…In the past decade, only a couple of studies in the field of leadership have been conducted in the EDF À mainly adapting and validating different transformational and transactional leadership measures in the Estonian military context (Kasemaa, 2015;Kasemaa et al, 2016). However, the research into mission command leadership by Sibul et al (2016) among firstlevel commanders highlights trust between commanders and their subordinates as a crucial element of success for EDF commanders, and authentic leadership behaviour as a source of trust has not been studied yet.…”