Development and validation of the adaptive leadership behavior scale (ALBS)

Abstract

Due to the rapid changes in today’s business world, leaders need to, more than ever, adequately and flexibly react to new and changing demands in the workplace. An instrument that captures adaptive leadership behavior is still missing, however. This study describes the development and validation of a concise and timely new leadership instrument, the Adaptive Leadership Behavior Scale (ALBS). Based on a thorough literature review, we developed 27 items as an initial item pool. We tested this set of items with leaders and followers in a pilot study to assess its relevancy and comprehensibility. In Study 1, a field study with 201 employees, we explored the internal structure of the initial item pool with a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Based on the factor loadings resulting from a second PCA, we reduced the item pool, resulting in a 15-item scale for which we then assessed convergent and divergent validity. In Study 2, a field study with 311 employees, we replicated the findings of Study 1 and assessed additional convergent and divergent validity as well as the model fit with a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). In Study 3, a multi-source field study with 155 leader-follower dyads we replicated the CFA and additionally assessed criterion-related validity. Results show that the ALBS is a concise and valid instrument for assessing adaptive leadership behavior, thereby building the grounds to extend our understanding of antecedents, mechanisms and consequences of leadership in dynamic environments.