Date of Award

8-2013

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Executive Leadership

First Supervisor

Michael Robinson

Second Supervisor

Frank Auriemma

Abstract

Entrepreneurs within the United States are plagued with high incidences of failure in the early years of business. What seems to be lacking in these organizations is leadership and the type of leadership style that leads to greater levels of success. This quantitative study answered the following research question: Is there a significant relationship between the various degrees of success of selected national franchises and the assessed leadership styles of their leaders? The leadership styles assessed were transformational and transactional. A random sample of 50 franchise leaders throughout the United States was selected and the data was collected from a Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Mind Garden, Inc.) to determine if there was a significant difference between the two leadership styles. The relationship between the two leadership styles was tested using a T-test analysis at a .05 alpha level. The findings showed that there was a significant difference in styles, indicating that transformational leadership delivers greater levels of success at the franchisee level. The study validates the literature on the importance of leadership in large and small organizations and adds franchise entrepreneur leadership to the base of the research knowledge—data that is limited and has not been extensively researched to date. The dissertation study was structured to show that some franchising organizations have the latitude for entrepreneurship, and they are plagued with the same problems all small businesses face in the wake of competition and troubled economies. Understanding leadership at the franchisee level has its merit, and like many small and large companies, franchises need effective leadership at every level for success to exist and perpetuate.

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