Validation of the Wise Leadership Questionnaire (WLQ)

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study was to validate the psychometric properties of the Wise Leadership Questionnaire (WLQ). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from three independent samples from Canada, China and Morocco (n = 616). Factor analysis, first- and second-order confirmatory factor analyses, structural equation modeling and Bayesian approach were used. Findings Study 1 confirmed that the WLQ higher-order factor structure is the most adequate theoretical model to capture the four-factor structure of the wise leadership scale, namely, intellectual shrewdness, spurring action, moral conduct and cultivating humility which are essential for a leader to qualify as wise. Study 2 assessed and supported the criterion-related validity by approving that the higher-order wise leadership construct constituted a predictor of work outcomes such as followers’ subordinates’ performance and job satisfaction. Confirmatory factor analysis results yielded a second-order factor of the wise leadership construct with four first-order factors, namely, the four wise leadership dimensions. The correlations between the four first-order factors (i.e. dimensions) and the second-order factor of the wise leadership are positive and statistically significant in both the China and Morocco samples. They are, respectively, as follows: intellectual shrewdness (β = 0.74; 0.62, p < 0.01), spurring action (β = 0.52; 0.76, p < 0.01), moral conduct (β = 0.76; 0.62, p < 0.01) and cultivating humility (β = 0.78; 0.69, p < 0.01). Originality/value Results suggest that the new wise leadership construct is positively associated with followers’ subordinates’ job performance and job satisfaction directly and indirectly through supervisory support, emphasizing the added value and relevance of the WLQ.