8 (2006): 777-794.

The purpose of this study was twofold: first, to determine whether or not there are specific factors of individual personality that correspond to transformational leadership; and second, to determine whether or not transformational leaders and their followers characterized the personalities of transformational leaders similarly. The study relates directly to the understanding of organizational management in that transformational leadership is one leadership style that is common in many types of business and other professional organizations. The implications of the study apply to the appropriate selection of managers and leaders in specific organizations as well as to management training programs.

The study appears to have been sound methodologically. It relied on the quantitative analysis of interviews and self-ratings of 439 leaders and of interviews of 380 subordinates on the topic of transformational leader ratings and issues of personality in leaders. The results of the study were that transformational leaders do tend to share certain personality characteristics; most particularly, transformational leaders tend to be extroverted individuals. The study also revealed that transformational leaders do not necessarily view or appraise their personalities and behavior the same way that their subordinates do. Specifically, extroverted individuals and those who consider themselves to focus more on their intuition consistently rated themselves higher on the transformation scale that their subordinates rated them. Meanwhile, subordinates rated leaders who were more introverted and who focused more on sensing (rather than on intuiting) as the most transformational as leaders.

Komaki, J.L. "Toward Effective Supervision: An Operant Analysis and Comparison of Managers at Work." Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 71

No. 2 (1985): 270-9.

The purpose of the study was to identify the operational elements comprised by the concept of "effective supervision." The importance of the study to contemporary business management was that the quality of supervision is often discussed and considered important but there was an absence of research capable of providing an objective definition of effective...

The results of the study partially confirmed the first hypothesis (the part relating to the significance of managerial attention to monitoring performance); and the results confirmed the second and third hypotheses.
The methodology used in the study consisted of experimenters observing 24 different managers at work of whom half were (independently) chosen because they were considered effective managers and the other half considered ineffective managers. The observers observed and recorded each manager's performance between 11 and 20 times. The observational methodology does not appear to have had any weaknesses. An objective managerial tasking scale was used; the observers were unaware of which managers were (independently) considered good or bad; and the study attempted to control for interobsever reliability by conducting 11% of the observations jointly by two observers who compared their observations to identify any biases and assumptions that could have skewed the objective validity of their data.