Relationships1 Among Applications of Tacit Knowledge and Transformational/Transactional Leader Styles: An Exploratory Comparison of the MLQ and TKML

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to examine intercorrelational relations among the selfreport behavioral construct Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) 5X transformational and transactional subscales and the Tacit Knowledge for Military Leaders Inventory (TKML) leader-level specific situational judgment test scenarios. Design/methodology/approach: Two leadership measures, the behavioral construct Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and the cognitive construct Tacit Knowledge for Military Leaders Inventory (TKML) assess different aspects of how a leader functions and were administered to 125 active U.S. Army officers representing three leader levels: platoon, company, and battalion. We examine the intercorrelational relationship between these two measures. Findings: Results show a correlational pattern that contours the evolution of a leader’s skills (from novice platoon leader to expert battalion leader), with the strongest correlation at the higher leader levels. Research limitations: The decision to restrict the number of TKML scenarios provided to respondents and to administer the MLQ and TKML to the same sample. Practical implications: Pairing the MLQ and TKML makes use of self-reported leader behaviors with maximal assessment scales that directly assess respondents’ understanding of what the best approaches to good leadership are. Social implications: Response patterns from both measures permits direct counseling on the misconceptions about leadership to create better leaders. Originality/value: No previous research has examined correlative relations among the scales/subscales of the MLQ and TKML.