Using hierarchical item clustering to establish the dimensionality of the multifactor leadership questionnaire

This paper illustrates some benefits of using hierarchical item clustering (ICLUST) as an alternative analytical procedure for establishing the dimensionality and homogeneity of the multifactor leadership questionnaire, a scale widely used for measuring leadership behaviours. We used ICLUST analysis to analyse data from 177 local councils’ employees. Our findings suggest that ICLUST analysis established first-order clusters of the leadership research construct that had equivalent comparisons to factors found through confirmatory factor analysis and reported in extant literature. Theoretical and practical implications for using ICLUST are discussed.