Presentation Schedule
The Daoist Big Five Leadership Scale: Evaluating Its Construct Validity Using a Convenient Online Sample of East Asian Americans (103183)
Tuesday, 24 March 2026 16:00
Session: Poster Session 3
Room: Orion Hall (5F)
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
Review research has highlighted the role of culture in leadership (Den Hartog & De Hoogh,2024;Hanges et al.,2016). This study examined the construct validity of the 20-item Daoist Big Five Leadership Scale (DBFLS;Lee et al.,2013). Grounded in Daoist philosophy––which remains influential in East Asian Americans (EAAs; Li & Wong, 2020) ––the DBFLS conceptualizes leadership as a balance of Daoist-perseverance, Daoist-modesty, Daoist-altruism, Daoist-flexibility, and Daoist-honesty. A convenient sample of 338 EAAs (Mage=34.6;50% men;52% Chinese;10% Japanese) completed an online survey. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a revised (17-item), correlated five-factor structure, which demonstrated measurement invariance across ethnicity, generational status, and gender. The revised-DBFLS showed strong convergent validity, correlating positively with theoretically aligned traits including perseverance (Perseverance subscale of VIA Inventory of Strengths-Revised; McGrath,2019;r=.60,p<.001), modesty (Honesty-Humility subscale of the BFI-2;Soto & John,2017;r=.83;p<.001), altruism (Self-Report Altruism Scale;Manzur & Olavarrieta,2021;r=.45;p<.001), flexibility (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II;Bond et al.,2011;r=.36;p<.001), and honesty (Honesty subscale of the Moral Character Questionnaire;Furr et al.,2022;r=.36;p<.001). Criterion-related validity was mixed, with some subscales correlating negatively (e.g., Daoist-modesty; r=–.14,p.05) with relevant outcomes (relational harmony; assessed by Harmony in Life Scale;Kjell & Diener, 2021). Incremental validity analyses yielded similar patterns (e.g.,Daoist-modesty: B=–.34,SE=.15,ꞵ=–.22,p.05). Overall, these findings indicate that while Daoist dimensions retain cultural salience, the DBFLS may require further refinement to improve its validity for assessing Daoist leadership among EAAs. Our findings highlight the complexity of developing cultural leadership measures. Study limitations and practical implications for cultural leadership relevant to educators and policymakers are discussed. Best practices in cultural leadership scale development research are outlined.
Authors:
Jonah Li, University of Washington Tacoma, United States
Jenny Xiao, University of Washington Tacoma, United States
Shu-Yi Wang, University of Florida, United States
Munyi Shea, Yale University, United States
About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Jonah Li is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington Tacoma, USA.
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