Examining Leadership Styles and Financial Performance within Rural Electric Cooperatives

Rural electric cooperatives, formed because of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, are consumer-owned, nonprofit distributors of electricity to the rural United States. The purpose of this correlational study, framed by the behavioral theory of leadership, was to examine the relationship between...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author Jones, Ronald C
Format Dissertation
LanguageEnglish
Published ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2013
Subjects
Business administration
Consumers
Decision making
Electric rates
Leadership
Management
Nonprofit organizations
Organizational behavior
Profits
Research methodology
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Summary:Rural electric cooperatives, formed because of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, are consumer-owned, nonprofit distributors of electricity to the rural United States. The purpose of this correlational study, framed by the behavioral theory of leadership, was to examine the relationship between leadership style and financial performance within rural electric cooperatives. The research question examined how leadership style related to financial performance within rural electric cooperatives. The geographic region of the study was the southern United States; 102 general managers of rural electric cooperatives participated in the study by completing a mailed, validated survey. Predictive Analytics Software facilitated data analysis. Findings indicated a significant, positive relationship between leadership style and financial performance. The results of correlational testing of the identified leadership styles indicated: (a) a significant, positive correlation between transactional leadership and financial performance; (b) a significant, negative correlation between laissez-faire leadership and financial performance; and (c) no significant relationship between transformational leadership and financial performance. The availability of reliable, affordable electricity affects the lifestyles of consumers and influences operational and strategic decisions of business leaders. Because leadership style correlated with financial performance, consumers, businesses, institutions, and society benefit if cooperative leaders embrace performance-enhancing leadership styles and also effective, consumer-conscience leadership behaviors.
ISBN:9781303087165
1303087162