Remote transformational leadership

We present two studies of remote transformational leadership. In the first, 175 students read a vignette depicting either a laissez‐faire, management by exception, contingent reward, or transformational leadership style communicated by electronic mail (e‐mail). Results showed that students could distinguish between the various leadership styles, and both interpersonal justice and supervision satisfaction were perceived to be higher when a transformational style was presented. In the second study, 105 undergraduates completed individual and group problem solving tasks after reading an e‐mail containing either an intellectually stimulating or charismatic message in a 2×2 design. Participants properly identified the leadership style intended by the e‐mail. Motivation was higher, and both individual and group performance greater, in the leadership conditions.