Validation Study
Shea et al.
The Positively Energizing Leadership Scale (PELS) represents the first validated psychometric measure of positively energizing leadership. While the theoretical foundations of positively energizing leadership have been well-established by Cameron and others, the field lacked a rigorous, validated instrument for measuring this construct. The PELS fills this critical gap, providing researchers and practitioners with a reliable tool for assessing how leaders generate relational energy through virtuous behaviors.
The PELS was developed through a multi-phase validation process following best practices in psychometric scale development. The study involved 603 participants across two independent samples, ensuring robust cross-validation of the instrument's factor structure and psychometric properties. The development process included item generation, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and criterion validity testing.
The PELS demonstrates exceptional psychometric properties across all validation criteria:
α = .97–.98
Cronbach's Alpha
ω = .98
McDonald's Omega
CFA Confirmed
Factor Structure
The PELS demonstrates strong criterion validity, significantly predicting key organizational outcomes:
β = .56
Predicts Employee Engagement
β = .57
Predicts Employee Well-Being
A particularly important finding is that the PELS predicts outcomes above and beyond existing measures of transformational leadership, authentic leadership, and virtuous leadership. This establishes positively energizing leadership as a distinct construct that captures unique variance in employee engagement and well-being not accounted for by other established leadership frameworks.
The PELS provides researchers and practitioners with a rigorous, validated tool for measuring and developing positively energizing leadership. Organizations can use the instrument to identify leaders who excel at generating relational energy, to benchmark leadership development interventions, and to track the impact of positive leadership on key outcomes over time.
Building on This Work
In ProgressDonaldson and Shea are currently conducting a longitudinal study examining relational energy, PERMA+4 well-being, and an IRT-based refinement of the PELS scale. This ongoing research aims to establish the longitudinal predictive validity of positively energizing leadership on employee flourishing over time.
Citation
[Full citation — Shea et al. — to be added]