EFFECTS OF LEADERSHIP-STYLE AND ANONYMITY ON GROUP POTENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS IN A GROUP DECISION-SUPPORT SYSTEM ENVIRONMENT

A longitudinal laboratory experiment was conducted to evaluate the eff ects of leadership style (transactional vs. transformational) and anon ymity level (identified vs. anonymous) on group potency and effectiven ess of 36 undergraduate student work groups performing a creativity ta sk using a Group Decision Support System (GDSS). GDSS are interactive networks of computers for generating solutions to unstructured problem s. Results indicated that GDSS anonymity amplified the positive effect of transformational leadership on group potency relative to transacti onal leadership in the group writing session of the task. GDSS anonymi ty also increased the effect of transformational leadership relative t o transactional leadership on group effectiveness. Implications for pr actice and future research are discussed.