Thesis (MComm (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The work force has evolved immensely over the last decade. In a quest to remain competitive in the provision of consumer goods and services at the lowest possible economic cost, organisations have been compelled to adopt and adapt to the winds of change that have literally taken centre stage in the global market. The increased use of teams as production vehicles in today‟s workplace is one of the notable developments that deserve and justify further investigation. A study of the literature on teams revealed that leadership plays a crucial role in a team‟s dynamics, its survival and ultimate success. Therefore the overarching aim of the present study was to determine the manner in which leadership, specifically servant leadership, affects team effectiveness. In an attempt to answer this question, an explanatory structural model that purports to explicate the manner in which leadership affects team effectiveness was subsequently developed and tested. The study was conducted using primary and secondary school teachers from schools in and around Stellenbosch, in the Western Cape (South Africa). Each school was regarded as a team. Out of the 400 questionnaires distributed to the members of the teams, 201 (n=201) completed questionnaires were received comprising 29 teams. The respondents who participated in the study completed four questionnaires – joined together in one composite questionnaire. The four questionnaires constituting the composite questionnaire were: the rater version of the Servant Leadership Questionnaire (SLQ) of Barbuto and Wheeler (2006) - an SLQ self-report version also exists; the Team Commitment Survey of Bennett (1997); the slightly modified version of the Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Scale (OCBS) developed by Podsakoff and Mackenzie (1994) and the Team Effectiveness Questionnaire (TEQ) developed by Larson and LaFasto (1989). Item analyses were performed on each of the subscales using SPSS version 17. Thereafter, confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the measurement model. However, some of the subscales, specifically for team citizenship behaviour and team commitment appeared to be problematic. The proposed model was tested using structural equation modelling (SEM) via LISREL version 8.54. Overall, it was found that both the measurement and structural model fitted the data reasonably well. From the results obtained in this study it can be concluded that there is a very weak negative relationship between servant leadership and team effectiveness, while there is a significant positive relationships between servant leadership and team commitment, team commitment and team citizenship behaviour, and team commitment and team effectiveness. Team citizenship behaviour has a slightly strong inverse effect on team effectiveness. Furthermore, team commitment has been found to be a strong moderator in the relationship between servant leadership and team effectiveness. With the unique combined variables included in this study, the study can be seen as making a contribution to the existing theory and literature by explicating the findings with regard to the interrelationships between servant leadership, team commitment, team citizenship behaviour, and team effectiveness. However, referring back to the literature, this study was an attempt to help further some of these “emerging” organisational behaviour constructs. It should therefore be seen as investigative in nature and much more follow-up research in this domain is deemed necessary. This study stated its limitations but also made recommendations for possible future research avenues to be explored. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die wêreld-van-werk het heelwat verander oor die afgelope dekade. Om dus in die vraag na verbruikersgoedere en -dienste te voorsien en steeds mededingend te bly voortbestaan, teen die laagste ekonomiese koste, word organisasies genoodsaak om aan te pas en te verander soos wat internasionale markte voortdurend verander en voor uitgaan. Die toenemende aanwending van spanne as produksie-medium in vandag se werksplek is een van die ooglopende ontwikkelinge wat verdere ondersoek verdien en regverdig. Bestudering van die literatuur oor spanne het aan die lig gebring dat leierskap „n sleutelrol speel in spandinamika, „n span se oorlewing en uiteindelike suksesbereiking. Dus was die oorkoepelende doelwit van hierdie studie om die wyse te bepaal waarop leierskap – spesifiek dan, diensbare-leierskap – spaneffektiwiteit beïnvloed. In „n poging om hierdie vraagstuk aan te spreek, is daar gevolglik „n verklarende strukturele (vergelykings) model ontwikkel en getoets met die doel om meer lig te werp op die wyse waarop leierskap spaneffektiwiteit beïnvloed. „n Studie is uitgevoer deur van laerskool- en hoërskool-onderwysers van skole in en om Stellenbosch in die Wes-Kaap (Suid-Afrika) gebruik te maak. Elke skool is as ʼn spanbeskou. Uit die totaal van 400 vraelyste wat uitgestuur is, is 201 (n=201) voltooide vraelyste terug ontvang – wat 29 volledige spanne omvat het. Respondente wat aan hierdie studie deelgeneem het, moes vier vraelyste – wat deel uitgemaak het van een saamgestelde vraelys – voltooi. Die vier vraelyste wat deel uitgemaak het van die saamgestelde vraelys en gedien het om die 201 onderwysers se menings te verkry, het bestaan uit die beoordelaarsvorm van die Servant Leadership Questionnaire (SLQ) van Barbuto en Wheeler (2006) – daar is ook „n SLQ self beoordelingsvorm wat deur Barbuto en Wheeler ontwikkel is; die Team Commitment Survey van Bennett (1997); die effens aangepaste weergawe van die Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Scale (OCBS) wat ontwikkel is deur Podsakoff en Mackenzie (1994); en die Team Effectiveness Questionnaire (TEQ) van Larson en LaFasto (1989). Itemontledings is op elk van die subskale uitgevoer deur gebruik te maak van LISREL weergawe 17. Daarna is bevestigende faktorontleding op die metingsmodel uitgevoer. Sekere van die subskale het egter problematies voorgekom – spesifiek die subskale vir spangemeenskapsgedrag en spanbetrokkenheid. Die voorgestelde model is getoets deur middel van struktuurvergelykingsmodellering (SVM) aan die hand van LISREL weergawe 8.54. Oor die algeheel is bevredigende passings van beide die metingsmodel en die strukturele (vergelykings) model op die data verkry. Die resultate van die verskillende ontledings het getoon dat daar ‟n baie swak negatiewe verwantskap tussen diensbare leierskap en spaneffektiwiteit bestaan, terwyl beduidende positiewe verwantskappe gevind is tussen diensbare leierskap en spanbetrokkenheid, spanbetrokkenheid en spangemeenskapsgedrag, en, spanbetrokkenheid en spaneffektiwiteit. Spangemeenskapsgedrag het ‟n redelike sterk negatiewe verwantskap met spaneffektiwiteit getoon. Verder is daar bevind dat spanbetrokkenheid ʼn sterk modererende rol speel in die verwantskap tussen diensbare leierskap en spaneffektiwiteit. Gegewe die unieke kombinasie van konstrukte wat in hierdie studie ingesluit is, kan daar gesê word dat hierdie studie „n bydrae lewer ten opsigte van die bestaande teorie deur lig te werp op die verwantskappe tussen diensbare leierskap, spanbetrokkenheid, spangemeenskapsgedrag en spaneffektiwiteit. Tog, deur weer na die literatuur te verwys is dit belangrik om te benadruk dat hierdie studie beskou moet word as ʼn poging om hierdie “nuwe” ontluikende organisasiegedrag konstrukte verder te help uitbou. Juis om hierdie rede behoort hierdie studie as ondersoekend van aard geïnterpreteer te word en is opvolgnavorsing oor hierdie gebied nodig. Die studie stel sy beperkinge, maar maak ook aanbevelings vir verdere navorsingsgebiede wat potensieel ondersoek kan word.