Linking transformational leadership and team performance : a conflict management approach

Xinan ZHANG, Qing CAO, Dean William TJOSVOLD

Research output: Journal PublicationsJournal Article (refereed)peer-review

150 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study develops a model in which transformational leadership affects team coordination and performance through the conflict management approaches adopted by team members. Data were collected from three different sources in a lagged design from 108 teams in a large enterprise in China. Results support the reasoning that transformational leadership promotes team coordination and thereby team performance by encouraging teams to adopt a cooperative, as opposed to competitive, approach to conflict management. These results suggest that transformational leadership may help team members manage conflicts for their mutual benefit. This is an important mechanism through which transformational leadership enhances team coordination and, in turn, achieves higher team performance.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1586-1611
Number of pages26
JournalJournal of Management Studies
Volume48
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2011

Funding

This study is supported by a research grant (70872075) from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, a research grant from the Chinese Ministry of Education (07JC630033), and a research grant from the Shanghai Planning Office of Philosophical and Social Science (2009BSH001). The research is also sponsored by the Shanghai Pujiang Program. The first author wants to thank the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University for hosting him as a postdoctoral fellow when this paper was written.

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Linking transformational leadership and team performance : a conflict management approach'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this