Can leadership training improve organizational effectiveness? Evidence from a randomized field experiment on transformational and transactional leadership

Based on evidence from a large‐scale leadership training field experiment, this article advances our knowledge about the possibilities for training leaders toward more active and effective leadership. In the field experiment, public and private leaders were randomly assigned to a control group or one of three leadership training programs: Transformational, transactional, or a combined program. Employee responses from 463 organizations show that the training can affect leadership behavior positively in very different organizations (primary and secondary schools, daycare centers, tax centers, and bank units). Furthermore, for the subsample of school principals, we find some evidence of training effects on performance in standardized tests in elementary schools and final exams in lower secondary schools. We discuss these findings in relation to training content and performance criteria.