Multidimensional Model of Leadership

An Analysis of Leadership Preference in the Film “A League of Their Own”

By: Rhemi Abrams-Fuller

Leadership and Satisfaction in Tennis: Examination of Congruence, Gender, and Ability

(Riemer & Toon, 2001)• Study focuses on 2 statements made by the MML model:

1. Congruence Hypothesis: Team member satisfaction is a function of the congruence between preferred leadership behavior and actual leadership behavior

2. Member Characteristics Hypothesis: Member preferences for leadership behaviors are a function of ability, athlete gender, and coach gender

• Methods: 148 athletes from the NCAA D-I and D-II national tennis championships were tested using Chelladurai’s Leadership Scale for Sports

Study Results

1. Results did not support MML’s Congruence Hypothesis (i.e. athlete satisfaction is not dependent on the congruence between their preferred and actual leadership behavior)

1. Individual leadership style preferences were quite different based on ability, player gender, and coach gender:

• Athletes of lesser ability (DII) preferred coaches to provide more positive feedback than did higher ability (DI) athletes

• Athletes with a male coach preferred more social support behavior than those with female coaches (only female athletes had female coaches)

• Female athletes preferred more positive feedback behavior than did male athletes

• Male athletes preferred more autocratic behavior than did female athletes

• Gender of coach seemed to account for more differences in leadership preference than did gender of athletes

Peaches’ Preferred Leader Behavior

5 subscales of the LSS:

1. Training and Instruction2. Democratic Behavior3. Autocratic Behavior4. Social Support 5. Positive Feedback

Training and Instruction

• LSS preferred score: 4

• The Peaches are eager for game tips and advice from a leader, regardless of who that leader is (player or coach) (38:22, 56:25)

Democratic & Autocratic Behavior

• Democratic Behavior LSS preferred score: 2.89• Autocratic Behavior LSS preferred score: 2• Team seeks democratic input/autocratic guidance

when Jimmy fails to provide a lineup (38:22)• Democracy/autocracy struggle between Kit and Dottie

(1:13:20)

Social Support

• LSS preferred score: 3.75• Jimmy consoles Dottie about her lack of recent

communication with her husband (1:10:50)• Jimmy consoles Betty after the news of her

husband’s death (1:26:18)

Positive Feedback

• LSS preferred score: 3.8• Dottie seeks out positive reassurance from

Jimmy about her baseball ability (1:12:12)• Evelyn misses the cut… twice… (1:00:50,

1:40:10)

Reimer & Toon (2001) Revisited• Reimer & Toon’s research refuted the Congruence

Hypothesis; their assertions hold true for the Peaches (i.e. player satisfaction was not dependent on the congruence between preferred and actual leadership behavior, even though the two did align towards the end of the film).

Reimer & Toon (2001) Revisited (cont.)

• Reimer & Toon’s research showed that variance in individual leadership style preferences was based on player ability, player gender, and coach gender. This assertion seems to be true in the movie as well, as Jimmy’s idea of what a leader should be is quite different from the ideas of his players. (1:01:15)