Dimensionality of an adapted Authentic Leadership Questionnaire: Three independent South African studies

Abstract

Orientation: Authentic leadership (AL) is a well-defined construct and measured by instruments mostly developed and validated in the United States and Europe.

Research purpose: To validate an adapted version of the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ) within the South African context.

Motivation for the study: Instruments are often used without the necessary research on validity, thus disregarding the context in which it is utilised. It is emphasised by many scholars that inferences derived from the scores obtained from instruments need to be validated and instruments be adapted accordingly for a specific context, in this case, South Africa.

Research approach/design and method: This article is based on the results of three separate studies conducted over 3 years. The research was approached from a quantitative positivist paradigm, utilising a cross-sectional design and survey method. The sample consisted of 5515 participants, with 60 respondents from 93 organisations across both the private and public sectors. The analysis includes item screening, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, determination of convergent validity and invariance analysis across the two sectors.

Main findings: The results yielded a one-factor solution (compared to the original four-factor model), with all 16 items loading on the unidimensional factor. This one-factor model was reliable, valid and invariant regarding the private and public sectors used in this study.

Practical/managerial implications: The practical value is an AL questionnaire adapted and validated for the South African context.

Contribution/value-add: The validated ALQ can be used with confidence by organisations regardless of sector, researchers and academics.