Transformational Leadership and Volunteer Firefighter Engagement

• Date: 01 December 2017
• Author: Marcel Lee Mayr
• Published date: 01 December 2017
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21279

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N M  L, vol. 28, no. 2, Winter 2017 © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/nml.21279

Journal sponsored by the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University.

Correspondence to: Marcel Lee Mayr, Otto Group Consulting (Otto GmbH & Co KG), Werner-Otto-Straße 1-7,

Hamburg, 22179 Germany. E-mail: marcel.mayr@ottogroup.com.

Research Note

Transformational Leadership and

Volunteer Firefi ghter Engagement

THE MEDIATING ROLE OF GROUP IDENTIFICATION

AND PERCEIVED SOCIAL IMPACT

Marcel Lee Mayr

University of Hamburg

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 organi-

zational ties of volunteers and by connecting volunteers with the prosocial impact of their

work. Theoretical implications for transformational leadership research in volunteer set-

tings as well as practical recommendations for a sustainable volunteer management are

provided.

Keywords: group identification , perceived social impact , referral intention ,

transformational leadership , volunteer engagement , volunteer firefighter

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS SUBSTANTIALLY rely on volunteers to pursue their organi-

zational goals (Bidee et al. 2013 ). Given that organizations must be proactive in creating

strong bonds with their volunteers to sustain their commitment, the role of leadership is

crucial (Dwyer et al. 2013 ). In this regard, scholars have begun exploring how transforma-

tional leadership promotes retention and the willingness to recruit volunteers (Dwyer et al.

2013 ; Rowold, Borgmann, and Bormann 2014 ). Transformational leaders encourage the

identifi cation of their followers with the organizational mission and goals (Bass et al. 2003 ).

As a result, followers transcend their own self-interests for a higher collective purpose (Bass

et al. 2003 ). In a volunteer context, transformational leadership is particularly vital because

such organizations naturally pursue strong service-oriented missions (Wright, Moynihan, and

Pandey 2012 ) and seek to deploy volunteers who generally strive to identify with their values

and goals (Hustinx and Handy 2009 ).  is is particularly true for volunteer organizations