Psychometric Validation of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Form 6-S in Indian Context

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure and reliability of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Form 6S (MLQ-6S) for use with Indian corporate leaders. Data was collected from 321 leaders employed across public (n = 165) and private (n = 156) sector organizations via convenience sampling. Before conducting exploratory factor analysis (EFA), tests of normality, sphericity, and sampling adequacy were performed to check statistical assumptions. EFA revealed a 3-factor structure consistent with the MLQ-6S factors of transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership as measured by the 21 items. All factor loadings exceeded 0.5, supporting retention of the original item set. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and split-half coefficients. The overall MLQ-6S scale achieved good reliability (α = 0.719; split-half = 0.664), meeting common psychometric standards. These findings provide evidence that the MLQ-6S demonstrates satisfactory factor structure and reliability for use in assessing leadership behaviors among Indian organizational leaders.