Abstract

This study investigated the relationship among the constructs measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaires and the Wonderlic Personnel Test. It provided a correlation among general cognitive ability and the 12 characteristics of transformational and transactional leadership behaviors and leadership effectiveness outcome. The sample of participants came from Shell Oil employees located in Houston, TX and interested individuals that meet the minimum qualifications of high school diploma or equivalent education and two years of work experience. The purpose of this study was to answer two questions. One, is there a correlation between cognitive ability and transformational leadership? Two, is there a correlation between cognitive ability and transactional leadership? The results showed that there was a correlation between cognitive ability and transformational and transactional leadership and effective leadership outcome of .16, .09, and .14 respectively. The study also found a correlation of .69 between the constructs of transformational and transactional leadership behaviors. This high correlation suggests that the constructs may not be independent as theorized by Bass and Avolio . In addition, the study verified previous findings that exercising transformational leadership was associated with greater outcomes than was transactional leadership behavior