HR & organizational behavior
Transformational leadership scale: definition and measure
- Concept
- Transformational leadership
- Field
- HR & organizational behavior
- Scales in the library
- 1
- Items
- 7
Transformational leadership is a leadership style that inspires through vision, cares for each employee's development, encourages new thinking, and leads by example through its values. The best-known measure is the MLQ, but it requires a paid license; the GTL of Carless, Wearing, and Mann (2000) is a short 7-item measure, one behavior per item, published in the journal article. In Vietnam, the concept often appears in studies on how managers affect employee engagement, satisfaction, creativity, and job performance.
Comparing the scales
| Scale | Author (year) | Items | Response format | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transformational Leadership (TL) Transformational leadership (GTL) | Carless, Wearing & Mann (2000) | 7 | 5-point | Choose when you need a short, freely published measure of transformational leadership as one overall construct; 7 items. |
Items of each scale
Original English wording from the published source. Replace placeholders such as [system] or
[brand] with what your study is about, and pilot the questionnaire with 20 to 30 respondents first.
Transformational Leadership (TL) · Transformational leadership (GTL)
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| TL1 | My manager communicates a clear and positive vision of the future |
| TL2 | My manager treats staff as individuals, supports and encourages their development |
| TL3 | My manager gives encouragement and recognition to staff |
| TL4 | My manager fosters trust, involvement and cooperation among team members |
| TL5 | My manager encourages thinking about problems in new ways and questions assumptions |
| TL6 | My manager is clear about his/her values and practices what he/she preaches |
| TL7 | My leader instills pride and respect in others and inspires me by being highly competent |
Source: Carless, Wearing & Mann (2000). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Transformational leadership (GTL).
Tips
- The GTL measures transformational leadership as a single factor; if your committee asks you to separate components (idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, etc.), 7 items are not enough for each component.
- Choose one way to refer to the direct manager ('my manager') and use it consistently across all 7 items.
- When several employees rate the same manager, report the number of managers rated and consider checking within-group agreement.
- If employees self-rate both leadership and their own outcomes, check for common method bias (Harman's single factor or a marker variable).
Once you have a scale, put the concept in the research model drawer to state your hypotheses, work out the minimum sample size, and after data collection check reliability with the Cronbach's alpha calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Why not use the MLQ?
The MLQ is a copyrighted instrument that must be purchased. The GTL is published in the article by Carless et al. (2000), is shorter, and is widely used as an alternative.
Is there Vietnamese research on transformational leadership and engagement?
Yes, for example Thanh, Quang, and Anh (2022, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications) surveyed 378 public sector staff with the MLQ and UWES-9. That paper used the MLQ rather than the GTL, so use it only as a model reference.
What response scale does the GTL use?
The reference version uses a 5-point frequency scale (1 = Not at all ... 5 = Frequently, if not always); many other studies use a 5-point agreement scale. Choose one form and state it in the methods chapter.
References
- Thanh, N. H., Quang, N. V., & Anh, N. N. (2022). The relationship between leadership style and staff work engagement: An empirical analysis of the public sector in Vietnam. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 9(1), 340. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01354-7