Transformational leadership and organizational commitment in Korean police station
| Date | 01 June 2018 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1461355718774582 |
| Author | Hyunin Baek,Gennaro F Vito,Edward H Byers |
| Published date | 01 June 2018 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Transformational leadership
and organizational commitment
in Korean police station: Test
of second-order MLQ-6 S and OCQ
Hyunin Baek
University of Louisville, USA
Edward H Byers
University of Louisville, USA
Gennaro F Vito
University of Louisville, USA
Abstract
In comparison with research on the private sector, organizational commitment within the police has been rarely
examined. Moreover, the leadership styles of police officials are not equal in all police studies across the world. Using
data collected in 2009 from 236 Korean police officers, the purpose of this study is twofold: (a) to determine if the scale
(multifactor leadership questionnaire, form 6-S [MLQ-6 S]) is applicable to police agencies internationally; and (b) to
examine if leadership influences organizational commitment in law enforcement agencies. Results indicate that
transformational leadership is positively linked to organizational commitment in Korean police agencies. However, the
applicability of MLQ-6 S is controversial. Future research is required to examine comprehensively whether MLQ-6 S is a
valid instrument for various types of organizations across the world.
Keywords
Organizational commitment, Korea, policing, OCQ, MLQ-6 S, team manager, transformational leadership, transactional
leadership, laissez-faire leadership
Submitted 08 Mar 2017, Revise received 04 Dec 2017, accepted 26 Feb 2018
Introduction
Organizational commitment is an employee’s psychologi-
cal attachment to the achievement of the organization’s
goals (Caught et al., 2000). Research has determined
that it influences various employee behaviors, such as job
satisfaction and performance, and reduces turnover and
tardiness (Meyer et al., 2002). There has been growing
recognition over the past two decades that human resources
are key to organizational success (Grant, 1996; Hitt et al.,
2001; Kehoe and Wright, 2010), and numerous studies
have examined the organizational commitment of individ-
ual employees within the industrial sector (Brunetto and
Farr-Wharton, 2003; Mowday, 1998; Mowday et al.,
1982; Pollock et al., 2000). Mowday and colleagues
(1982) found that organizational commitment received
attention because it could predict organizational behaviors
(such as turnover and absenteeism), and improve work
atmosphere and culture. In comparison with private sector
research, organizational commitment within the police has
Corresponding author:
Hyunin Baek, University of Louisville, 2311 S. 3rd St. Brigman Hall Room
1006, Louisville,KY 40292, USA.
Email: h0baek01@louisville.edu
International Journalof
Police Science & Management
2018, Vol. 20(2) 155–170
ªThe Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/1461355718774582
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been studied relatively rarely and is under-examined (Baek
and Hwang, 2011; Beck and Wilson, 1997; Crow et al.,
2011; Johnson, 2012; Metcalfe and Dick, 200 2; Pollock
et al., 2000).
However, several studies on policing around the world
have shown that law enforcement agencies with a higher
level of organizational commitment have lower turnover
and misconduct rates, less work stress, and improved job
performance (Brunetto and Farr-Wharton, 2003; Harr,
1997; Jaramillo et al., 2005; Koslowsky, 1991; Metcalfe
and Dick, 2002; Moon and Jonson, 2012; Shim et al.,
2015). In addition, studies on organizational commitment
in law enforcement agencies have demonstrated that orga-
nizational support, in particular supervisory support, is a
crucial predictor of organizational commitment (Crow
et al., 2011; Currie and Dollery, 2006; Deluga and Souza,
1991; Dick, 2011; Johnson, 2012; Metcalfe and Dick,
2002; Shim et al., 2015).
Since the introduction of Burns’ (1978) definition of
transformational leadership, many studies have examined
its influence on the emotion and behavior of subordinates
(Bass, 1985a, 1985b, 1989, 1990; Bennis and Nanus, 1985;
Cherrington, 1994; Deluga, 1988; Harter and Bass, 1988;
Kuhnert and Lewis, 1987; Podsakoff et al., 1982; Tracy and
Hinkin, 1998). Studies on transformational leadership have
been conducted among various private sectors in different
countries (Boer et al., 2016; Borman and Rowold, 2016;
Fischer, 2016; Mittal and Dhar, 2016; Mullen et al., 2017).
Several studies have examined the growing application of
transformational leadership in policing (Cockcroft, 2014;
Dean and Gottschalk, 2013; Deluga, 1988; Deluga and
Souza, 1991; Mazerolle et al., 2013; Shim et al., 2015);
however, not all of Bass’s (1985a) leadership styles
(transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and
laissez-faire leadership) have been included (Swid, 2013).
Research has confirmed the positive influence of transfor-
mational leadership in contemporary policing, in areas
such as job performance, effectiveness, and organiza-
tional commitment (A
´lvarez et al., 2014; Hawkins and
Dulewicz, 2009; Johnson, 2012; Masal, 2014; Sarver and
Miller, 2014; Shim et al., 2015; Swid, 2013). For instance,
Pillai and Williams (2004) found that transformational
leadership significantly increased organizational commit-
ment in officers.
Although several studies have shown benefits in law
enforcement agencies that use transformational leadership,
there is no examination of whether scales of leadership
style (Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, Form 6-S
[MLQ-6 S]; Bass and Avolio, 1992) are appropriate to
those agencies. Abundant studies in the industrial sector
have discussed measurement issues concerning the MLQ
(Muenjohn and Armstrong, 2008; Tejeda et al., 2001;
Vinger and Cilliers, 2006) and the Organizational
Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ) developed by Allen
and Meyer (1990) (Caught et al., 2000; Jaros, 2007; Meyer
et al., 2002). For instance, using exploratory factor analysis
(EFA), Carless (1998) demonstrated that the MLQ has
three dimensions of transformational leadership: charis-
matic leadership, individual consideration, and intellectual
stimulation. By contrast, Densten and Sarros (1997) stated
that transformational leadership was composed of four
second-order factors (idealized influence, inspirational
motivation, individualized consideration, and intellectual
stimulation). Thus, the actual number of MLQ components
is needed to reduce this uncertainty. Using confirmatory
factor analysis (CFA) as well as EFA, this study attempts
to explore this issue. In addition, there are few English
language publications about leadership styles and organi-
zational commitment that use Korean police samples
(Crow et al., 2011; Shim et al., 2015). In response to these
issues, this study examines whether leadership styles
influence organizational commitment in Korean law
enforcement agencies and whether application of the
MLQ-6 S is appropriate for those agencies.
Literature review
Since the 1950s, organizationalcommitmenthasbeen
defined and examined in numerous studies (Allen and
Meyer, 1990; Caught et al., 2000; Cohen, 2003). Although
organizational commitment has been used in different
research areas, most studies have used its general concep-
tion, which is a psychological attachment to an organiza-
tion (Baek and Hwang, 2011; Caught et al., 2000; Peng
et al., 2016). By contrast, disagreement about appropriate
research models remains (Bergman, 2006; Cohen, 20 07;
Markovits et al., 2014; Meyer and Herscovich, 2001).
Despite these disagreements, Allen and Meyer’s (1990)
three-component model (OCQ) has bee n widely used in
support of the organizational commitment model (Cohen,
2007; Herrbach, 2006). Allen and Meyer (1990) tested
aspects of a three-component model examining organiza-
tional commitment using affective, continuance, and nor-
mative factors. They defined the affective component as
emotional attachment to and identification with an organi-
zation by an employee or member. The continuance com-
ponent represented the perceived costs that employees or
members associate with leaving an organization. The nor-
mative component referred to employee’s or member’s
feelings of obligation to remain with an organization. In
addition, scales examined the interactive relationships
between these three components (Allen and Meyer,
1990). The results of these studies revealed that the affec-
tive and continuance components are detectable constructs
with different correlates, whereas the affective and norma-
tive components are distinguishable but appear only mildly
156 International Journal of Police Science & Management 20(2)
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