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Transformational Leadership and Volunteer Firefighter Engagement
Author(s) -
Mayr Marcel Lee
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
nonprofit management and leadership
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.844
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1542-7854
pISSN - 1048-6682
DOI - 10.1002/nml.21279
Subject(s) - transformational leadership , volunteer , prosocial behavior , psychology , volunteer work , structural equation modeling , work engagement , social psychology , public relations , applied psychology , work (physics) , political science , engineering , agronomy , biology , mechanical engineering , statistics , mathematics
This study explores the relationship between transformational leadership and volunteer firefighter engagement. Using responses from 213 volunteer firefighters, structural equation modeling reveals a positive relationship between transformational leadership and volunteer engagement, which is mediated by both group identification and perceived social impact. In addition, higher volunteer engagement is positively related to a firefighter's intention to continue volunteering and to recruit others. Taken together, the results indicate that transformational leaders achieve positive volunteer outcomes by strengthening the organizational ties of volunteers and by connecting volunteers with the prosocial impact of their work. Theoretical implications for transformational leadership research in volunteer settings as well as practical recommendations for a sustainable volunteer management are provided.