Managing Leader and Member Influence in Organizations: The Impact of Exploring a Team Influence Experience Scale (TIES)

Abstract

Based on results of previous studies surfacing an expanded view of influence as encapsulating two domains rather than the traditional view of one distinct domain originating with leaders, a scale to measure influence is systematically developed and evaluated quantitatively. The scale is developed based on previous qualitative data from team members' experience of influence in the team environment that surfaced characteristics of influence experienced and distributed between leader and members. The scales impact is measured with job satisfaction (JS), psychological job control (PJC) and satisfaction with life (SWL).  Based on analysis from a sample of 524 respondents, results demonstrate that the impact on dependent variables is strongest when both leader and member influence constructs are combined. The significance of this study from a managerial perspective is that incorporating assessment of leader, member, and combined influence could be effective as an intervention tool for coaching both leaders and members of teams to improve their effectiveness and experience of working in teams.