Psychometric properties of the Multifactorial Leadership Questionnaire

This paper shows the results of the confirmatory analysis of the Multifactorial Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ short form 5X) in the Colombian population. The general sample consisted of 1791 participants, distributed in 891 in the followers’ version and 900 in the leaders’ version. The study was empirical of an instrumental nature, where it was proposed to establish the metric properties of the test. The results obtained in the confirmatory analysis of the two versions of the test showed evidence regarding the possibility that in the analyzed population, it evaluates two dimensions of leadership and not the nine variables that are mentioned in the theory.

Leadership is one of the most important topics in human resources and its understanding and measurement contribute to the achievement of strategic objectives based on people. Leadership styles have an impact on job satisfaction and organizational performance. This study shows the results of two studies that correspond to the exploratory and confirmatory analyzes of the Multifactorial Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ short form 5X) in the Colombian population. This test has been used extensively to measure transactional and transformational leadership. The general sample consisted of 1791 participants, distributed in 891 in the followers’ version and 900 in the leaders’ version. The study was empirical of an instrumental nature, where it investigated the metric properties of the test. The results of this study contribute to evaluating the psychometric appropriateness of an international test in a different context and language in which it was created. At the same time, it broadens the understanding of relevant variables in human resources in a Latin American country.