Which types of leadership styles do followers prefer? A decision tree approach

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose a new method to find the appropriate leadership styles based on the followers’ preferences using the decision tree technique. Design/methodology/approach: Statistical population includes the students of the University of Isfahan. In total, 750 questionnaires were distributed; out of which, 680 accurate questionnaires were used for data analysis. This research in five steps proposes a framework to extract the information about the leadership styles that followers like and this method is examined for situational leadership theory’s styles among the university students. Findings: Based on the results of the decision tree model, 27 rules were discovered. Also, the findings imply that, most undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD students prefer directing, coaching, and supporting styles, respectively. Originality/value: The results of this research help leaders to find a better understanding about the followers’ preferences. © 2017, © Emerald Publishing Limited.