MANUAL FOR LEADER BEHAVIOR DESCRIPTION
QUESTIONNAIRE
The
Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ) provides a technique whereby group
members may describe the leader behavior of designated leaders in formal
organizations.The LBDQ contains items, each of which describes a specific way
in which a leader may behave.The respondent indicates the frequency with which
he perceives the leader to engage in each type of behavior by marking one of
five adverbs: Always, often, occasionally, seldom, never. These responses are
obtained from the members of the leader’s immediate work-group, and are scored
on two dimensions of leader behavior. For each dimension, the scores from the
several group members are ten averaged to yield an index of the leaders
behavior. For each dimension, the scores from the several group members are
then averaged to yield an index of the leader’s behavior in respect to that
dimension.
The
LBDQ was developed by the staff of the Personnel Research Board, The Ohio State
University, as one project of the Ohio State Leadership Studies, directed by
Dr. Carroll L. Shartle. Hemphill and Coons (14) constructed the original form
of the questionnaire; and Halpin and Winer (11), in reporting the development
of an Air Force adaptation of the instrument, identified Initiating Structure
and Consideration as two fundamental dimensions of leader behavior. These
dimensions were identified on the basis of a factor analysis of the responses
of 300 B-29 crew members who described the leader behavior of their 52 aircraft
commanders. Initiating Structure and Consideration accounted for approximately
34 to 50 per cent respectively of the common variance. In a subsequent study
based upon a sample of 249 aircraft commanders, the correlation between the
scores on the two dimensions was found to be .38.
Initiating
Structure refers to the leader’s behavior in delineating the relationship
between himself and the members of his group, and in endeavoring to establish
well-defined patterns of
organization, channels of communication,
and ways of getting the job done. Consideration refers to behavior indicative
of friendship, mutual trust, respect, and warmth in relationship between the
leader and members of the group.
The
score for each dimension is the sum of the scores assigned to responses marked
on each of the 15 items in the dimension. The possible range of scores on each
dimension is 0 to 60. The estimated reliability by the split-half method is .83
for the Initiating Structure scores, and .92 for the Consideration scores, when
corrected for attenuation. In several studies (5, 6, 7, 9, 10) where the
agreement among respondents in describing their respective leaders has been checked
by a “between-vs. within-group” analysis of variance, the F ratios all have
been found significant at the .01 level. Followers tend to agree in describing the
same leader, and the descriptions of different leaders differ significantly.
The
LBDQ has been used for research purpose in industrial, military, and
educational settings. Fleishman (2, 3, 4) and Fleishman, Harris and Burtt (5)
have used the LBDQ for use in their studies of factory foreman and have found
the two leader behavior dimensions useful in evaluating the results of the supervisory
training program. Halpin (7) has reported the relationship between the aircraft
commander’s behavior on these dimensions and evaluations of his performance
made both by his superiors and his crew members; and has presented evidence (6)
which indicated that the most “effective” commanders are those who score high
on both dimensions of leader behavior. Similarly, Hemphill (12) in a study of
22 departments in a liberal arts college, found that the departments with the
best campus “reputation” for being well administered were those whose leaders
were described as above the average on both dimensions of leader behavior.
Halpin has reported the LBDQ descriptions of a sample of 50 school superintendents
(10), and elsewhere has compared the leader behavior of aircraft commanders and
school administrators (8). A list of pertinent studies in which the LBDQ has
been used is given on the last page of this manual. These studies are summarized
in a monograph edited by Stogdill and Coons (14).
Items
in the Consideration Scale
Item No. Item
1 He
does personal favors for group members.
3 He
does little things to make it pleasant to be a member of the group.
6 He
is easy to understand.
8 He
finds time to listen to group members.
12 He
keeps to himself. *
13 He
looks out for the personal welfare of individual group members.
18 He
refuses to explain his actions. *
20 He
acts without consulting the group. *
21 He
backs up the members in their actions.
23 He
treats all group members as his equals.
26 He
is willing to make changes.
28 He
is friendly and approachable.
31 He
makes group members feel at ease when talking with them.
34 He
puts suggestions made by the group into operation.
38 He
gets group approval on important matters before going ahead.
Items 5, 10, 15, 19, 25, 30, 33, 36,
37 and 40 are not scored on either dimension.
* These items are scored in reverse.
Items in the Initiating Structure Scale
Item No Item
2. He
makes his attitudes clear to the group
4. He
tries out his new ideas with the group.
7. He
rules with an iron hand.
9. He
criticizes poor work.
11. He
speaks in a manner not to be questioned.
14. He
assigns group members to particular tasks.
16. He
schedules the work to be done.
17. He
maintains definite standards of performance.
22. He
emphasizes the meeting of deadlines
24. He
encourages the use of uniform procedures.
27. He
makes sure that is part in the organization is understood by all group members.
29. He
asks that group members follow standard rules and regulations.
32. He
lets group members know what is expected of them.
35. He
sees to it that group members are working up to capacity.
39. He
sees to it that the work of group members is coordinated.
LEADER BEHAVIOR DESCRIPTION
QUESTIONNAIRE (LBDQ)
DIRECTIONS:
a. READ each item carefully.
b. THINK about how frequently the
leader engages in the behavior described by the
item.
c. DECIDE whether he/she (A) Always
(B) Often, (C) Occasionaly, (D) Seldom or (E)
Never act as described by the item.
d. DRAW A CIRCLE around one of the
five letters ( A B C D E) following the item to
show the answer you selected.
A = Always
B = Often
C = Occasionaly
D = Seldom
E = Never
1. Does personal favors for group
members. A
B C D E
2. Makes his/her attitudes clear to
the group A
B C D E
3. Does little things to make it
pleasant to be a member of the group. A
B C D E
4. Tries out his/her new ideas with
the group. A
B C D E
5. Acts as the real leader of the
group. A
B C D E
6. Is easy to understand. A
B C D E
7. Rules with an iron hand. A
B C D E
8. Finds time to listen to group
members. A
B C D E
9. Criticizes poor work. A
B C D E
10. Gives advance notice of changes.
A
B C D E
11. Speaks in a manner not to be
questioned. A
B C D E
12. Keeps to himself/herself. A
B C D E
13. Looks out for the personal
welfare of individual group members. A
B C D E
14. Assigns group members to
particular tasks. A
B C D E
15. Is the spokesperson of the
group. A
B C D E
16. Schedules the work to be done. A
B C D E
17. Maintains definite standards of
performance. A
B C D E
18. Refuses to explain his/her
action. A
B C D E
19. Keeps the group informed. A
B C D E
20. Acts without consulting the
group. A
B C D E
21. Backs up the members in their
actions. A
B C D E
22. Emphasizes the meeting of
deadlines. A
B C D E
23. Treats all group members as
his/her equals A
B C D E
24. Encourages the use of uniform
procedures. A
B C D E
25. Gets what he/she asks for from
his/her superiors. A
B C D E
26. Is willing to make changes. A
B C D E
27. Makes sure that his/her part in
the organization is understood
by group members. A
B C D E
28. Is friendly and approachable. A
B C D E
29. Asks that group members follow
standard rules and regulations. A
B C D E
30. Fails to take necessary action. A
B C D E
31. Makes group members feel at ease
when talking with them. A B
C D E
32. Lets group members know what is
expected of them. A
B C D E
33. Speaks as the representative of
the group. A
B C D E
34. Puts suggestions made by the
group into operation. A
B C D E
35. Sees to it that group members
are working up to capacity.
A B C D E
36. Lets other people take away
his/her leadership in the group A
B C D E
37. Gets his/her superiors to act
for the welfare of the group members. A
B C D E
38. Gets group approval in important
matters before going ahead. A B
C D E
39. Sees to it that the work of
group members is coordinated. A
B C D E
40. Keeps the group working together as a
team. A
B C D E
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