LEADERSHIP AND TEAM EFFECTIVENESS IN COMMUNITY COALITIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUG-ABUSE

Comprehensive community coalitions or partnerships are increasingly being developed in this country to coordinate and expand alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse prevention services. While case study evidence suggests that some coalitions are effective, there is very little theory development or empirical research on factors contributing to successful coalitions. This paper presents a theoretical model of coalition team effectiveness hypothesizing that an empowering style of leadership increases member satisfaction and perceptions of team efficacy which ultimately increases team effectiveness. This theoretical model was pilot tested in an exploratory study using preliminary, small sample data (N = 65) from the first year evaluation of an AOD prevention coalition. The exploratory research strategy employed factor analysis and multiple regression analysis to test the relationship of coalition members' process data (i.e. perceptions of team leader's style, team efficacy and member satisfaction) to outcome data (i.e. team members' AOD knowledge and use and team effectiveness in developing fundable plans). The results supported the proposed model and suggest that further model testing employing larger samples, more diverse community teams, and more sophisticated data analyses (structural equation modeling or path analysis) could lead to information useful in training team leaders and developing more effective coalitions.