Business Managers/Executives/Administrators
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between two respected and popular measures used to assist change and transformation efforts.
METHODOLOGY The total sample consisted of data from 179 participants across a diverse population of companies and groups. Sixty-two percent of the sample were men, and the average age of the respondents was 38 years. Respondents completed both the Leadership Practices Inventory and the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory (KAI; Kirton, 1999). Internal reliabilities reported for this sample ranged between .62 for Modeling to .81 for Encouraging.
KEY FINDINGS Statistically significant positive correlations (p < .001) between two leadership practices (Challenging the Process and Inspiring a Shared Vision) and the KAI. The authors report that the “observed relationships between an innovative preference on the KAI and a higher score on challenging the Process would be expected as a result of their conceptual overlap....Likewise, the relationship observed between an innovative cognitive style and inspiring a share vision is also conceptually consistent.” The leadership practices of Enabling Others to Act, Modeling the Way and Encouraging the Heart are unrelated to the KAI and clearly measure something unrelated to cognitive style of creativity.