Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
8-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
J. Scott Self
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Mark Weatherly
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Leah Wickersham-Fish
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which perceived leadership behaviors predicted workplace motivation among construction workers across generational cohorts in the Greater Houston, Texas area. Grounded in self-determination theory, the research explored how transformational, transactional, and passive-avoidant leadership behaviors predicted the satisfaction and frustration of psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The analysis also considered whether leadership behaviors and generational cohort served as significant predictors of workplace motivation outcomes. The study followed a quantitative, predictive, cross-sectional design using survey methodology. Data were collected using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale–Work Domain (BPNSFS-Work). The sample included 89 construction workers stratified across four generational cohorts: baby boomers, Generation X, millennials, and Generation Z. Participants were recruited using third-party research services to ensure generational balance. Multiple regression analyses were conducted for six outcome variables to test the predictive strength of perceived leadership behaviors and generational cohort on psychological need satisfaction and frustration. Results indicated that generational cohort was the strongest predictor across nearly all models, particularly for relatedness and competence outcomes, while leadership behavior showed conditional predictive value. Passive-avoidant leadership showed limited predictive value for psychological needs. Findings suggest that, within this sample, motivational outcomes varied more by generational identity than by leadership style.. The study offers insight into how generational context shapes motivation in the construction workforce and provides practical implications for leadership development and workforce strategy.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Klinegardner, Leslie D., "Perceived Leadership Behaviors and Workplace Motivation: The Predictive Role of Generational Cohorts in the U.S. Construction Industry" (2025). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 935.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/935
Included in
Business and Corporate Communications Commons, Leadership Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Organizational Communication Commons, Organization Development Commons, Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons