Leader Style, Leader Consistency, and Participant Personality Effects on Learning in Small Groups

Abstract

Twelve small experiential learning groups were conducted in which leader style and leader consistency were experimentally manipulated. The leaders were predominantly meaning attributive or predominantly caring in style, and either consistent or inconsistent in their behavior from session to session. Each group was composed of two high, two medium, and two low scorers on the change subscale of the PRF-E. Seventy-one participants provided self-report data concerning several aspects of learning. Evaluations of participant learning were also provided by the three leaders. Leader style that was characterized by a predominance of meaning attributive interventions relative to caring interventions was associated with greater learning. Consistent leader behavior as opposed to inconsistent leader behavior was also associated with greater learning. Evidence for the additive effect of meaning attributive style and consistency on participant learning was discussed. Relationships among participant perceptions of leader style and reports of learning were consistent with previous research findings. The personality trait, change, was associated with few significant findings. Contributions and limitations associated with the present investigation were considered.