The Relationship between Leadership Style and Group Effectiveness: An Example of Quality Control Circles of Hospitals in Taipei Area

[[abstract]]Objectives: The aim of the study was to examine the association between the leadership styles and group effectiveness of quality control circles (QCCs) of hospitals accredited at the level beyond regional teaching in the Taipei area. Methods: Based on the predictive corelational design, data were collected from target members of QCCs by using structured questionnaires modified from Stogdill's LBDQ-Ⅱ and Hwang's group effectiveness questionnaires from May 2002 to June 2002. At a group response rate of 86.8%, 263 QCC groups including 1994 cases from 16 hospitals in the Taipei area were enrolled for analysis using individual circle members as the study targets. Results: The result of logistic regression analysis revealed significantly positive association between combined task and consideration-oriented leadership and group effectiveness (OR=1.47, p＜.001). Multiple regression analysis also showed considerably positive association between combined task and consideration-oriented leadership and group effectiveness (β=.052, p＜.001). The results were consistent with the leadership of combined product center and people center as the best one to promote the group effectiveness reported by O'Donnell & O'Donnell and the characteristics of democratic leadership style in the managing grid theory proposed by Blake and Mouton. Conclusions: This study discovers the leadership style of combined task and consideration-orientation is a basic aspect in the training course of enhancing hospital QCC effectiveness, can promote human relations and group interactions, and, moreover, achieves persistently high group effectiveness