| Abstract: | This study analyzes the effects of a conductor's power‐based leadership on orchestra quality. The structure of power‐based leadership and the hypotheses were tested with a sample of musicians from German orchestras. Confirmatory factor analyses verify four types of power‐based leadership of the conductor vis‐à‐vis the musicians: (1) expert/referent power, (2) informational power, (3) legitimate power through position, and (4) impersonal and personal reward and coercive power. The relative importance of the four forms of power‐based leadership on artistic quality was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results supported the hypotheses that expert power and referent power have the strongest positive impact on artistic quality than all other forms of power‐based leadership under study. Contributions to theories of leadership and power, research methods, and practice are discussed. |
