Creating an Instrument to Measure Holistic Ethical Leadership
[Thesis]
Gemechu, Tariku Fufa
Winston, Bruce E.
Regent University
2019
202 p.
Ph.D.
Regent University
2019
This dissertation aimed to develop a scientifically validated instrument to measure the holistic ethical leadership. There is a lack of a statistically validated instrument to measure the concept of holistic ethical leadership as a single construct (Johnson, 2018; Scouller, 2014). This study operationalized the concept of holistic ethical leadership and provided an accurate and valid instrument for measuring the construct. The holistic ethical leadership model in the current study comprises the holistic leadership (Best, 2011; Dhiman, 2017; Kiruhi, 2013; Winston & Patterson, 2006) and the ethical leadership concepts (M. E. Brown, Treviño, & Harrison, 2005; Ciulla, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014; Johnson, 2018; Treviño, Hartman, & Brown, 2000). The steps that were taken to develop the holistic ethical leadership instrument follows DeVellis' (2017) eight steps for scale development. During the literature review, 224 items characterizing the holistic ethical leadership traits emerged. After a panel of subject matter experts reviews, the items were reduced to 81, and an online survey with a 7-point semantic differential scale testing employees' perception of leader's holistic ethical leadership traits was created and administered through SurveyMonkey™ to a wide variety of 628 participants from 13 regions of the world who work in 10 organizations under the umbrella of Campus Crusade for Christ International across the globe. DeVellis suggested a minimum of 300 samples for scale development works, and the 628 sample size is far greater than the requirement. Factor analysis (principal component analysis) was performed, and a seven-factor model was observed, accounting for almost 69% of the variance. However, factor optimization resulted in a final five-factor instrument that accounted for 70% of the variance. The five factors were labeled holistic service, ethical influence, integrated competence, financial stewardship, and healthy life. The five factors had high reliability. The final 23-item, five-factor instrument is labelled the Holistic Ethical Leadership Questionnaire (HELQ) with an average Cronbach's alpha of .87 for each factor. The HELQ provides scholars and practitioners with a brand new, valid, and reliable instrument for future research and application related to the holistic ethical leadership.