The content of the items is not, however, unrelated to the MLQ:
item ML1 combines MLQ items 9 and 26 into a more concise form;
ML2 relates to MLQ item 13
ML3 relates closely to MLQ item 36^4
In this way, the four Inspirational Motivation items in the MLQ are reflected, but
not reproduced, in this survey instrument. In addition to ML1, ML2 and ML3, the
Motivational Leadership construct for this survey includes – somewhat
speculatively - two items (ML4 and ML5) that arise from published descriptions of
motivational leadership, but are not included in the Inspirational Motivation
dimension of the MLQ.
ML4 relates to positive reinforcement / positive feedback from leaders and taps
various work motivation research theories (goal-setting, equity, work design e.g.
Hackman and Oldham’s (1975) JCM – see Section 4.1 above) which specify
positive feedback as an antecedent of employee motivation (see also Jex and Britt
2008: 247).
Recognition of achievement as a positive force in motivating employees is also
described throughout the transformational leadership literature (see e.g. Bass and
Riggio 2006: 30) albeit often in the context of the Individualised Consideration
(IC) dimension (Bass and Riggio 2006: 84; Bass 1990: 20; and Bass and Avolio
1990: 22).
ML5 is related to the MLQ item 18, which belongs to the Idealized Influence
(Attributes) (IIA) dimension and relates to leaders’ ‘positive role model’
attributes. It is not unfeasible that positive role model behaviour will contribute
to employee motivation and ML5 reflects this contention. The motivating nature
of the leader as role model is also discussed by Avolio and Bass (2002: viii) and
the positive impact of the leader as role model appears as a frequent leitmotif in
(Bass and Riggio 2006).
4
the MLQ items are numbered and described in Avolio and Bass 2004: 106- 107. The
actual wordings for the MLQ items is not repeated here for licensing reasons.