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A Systematic Literature Review of Servant Leadership Theory in Organizational Contexts

Denise Linda Parris • Jon Welty Peachey

Received: 20 February 2012 / Accepted: 8 April 2012 / Published online: 22 April 2012

� Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012

Abstract A new research area linked to ethics, virtues,

and morality is servant leadership. Scholars are currently

seeking publication outlets as critics debate whether this

new leadership theory is significantly distinct, viable, and

valuable for organizational success. The aim of this study

was to identify empirical studies that explored servant

leadership theory by engaging a sample population in order

to assess and synthesize the mechanisms, outcomes, and

impacts of servant leadership. Thus, we sought to provide

an evidence-informed answer to how does servant leader-

ship work, and how can we apply it? We conducted a sys-

tematic literature review (SLR), a methodology adopted

from the medical sciences to synthesize research in a sys-

tematic, transparent, and reproducible manner. A disci-

plined screening process resulted in a final sample

population of 39 appropriate studies. The synthesis of these

empirical studies revealed: (a) there is no consensus on the

definition of servant leadership; (b) servant leadership

theory is being investigated across a variety of contexts,

cultures, and themes; (c) researchers are using multiple

measures to explore servant leadership; and (d) servant

leadership is a viable leadership theory that helps organi-

zations and improves the well-being of followers. This

study contributes to the development of servant leadership

theory and practice. In addition, this study contributes to the

methodology for conducting SLRs in the field of manage-

ment, highlighting an effective method for mapping out

thematically, and viewing holistically, new research topics.

We conclude by offering suggestions for future research.

Keywords Leadership � Leadership theory � Servant leadership � Systematic literature review

Introduction

Leadership is one of the most comprehensively researched

social influence processes in the behavioral sciences. This is

because the success of all economic, political, and organi-

zational systems depends on the effective and efficient

guidance of the leaders of these systems (Barrow 1977). A

critical factor to understanding the success of an organiza-

tion, then, is to study its leaders. Leadership is a skill used to

influence followers in an organization to work enthusiasti-

cally towards goals specifically identified for the common

good (Barrow 1977; Cyert 2006; Plsek and Wilson 2001).

Great leaders create a vision for an organization, articulate

the vision to the followers, build a shared vision, craft a path

to achieve the vision, and guide their organizations into new

directions (Banutu-Gomez and Banutu-Gomez 2007; Kotter

2001). According to Schneider (1987), the most important

part in building an organization with a legacy of success is

the people in it, which includes the followers (i.e., employees

and volunteers) as well as the leaders. Leadership theories

attempt to explain and organize the complexity of the nature

of leadership and its consequences (Bass and Bass 2008).

Over the years, some leadership scholars have called atten-

tion to the implicit connection between ethics and leadership.

A burgeoning new research area and leadership theory that

D. L. Parris (&) Barney Barnett School of Business & Free Enterprise, Florida

Southern College, 111 Lake Hollingsworth Drive,

Lakeland, FL 33801-5698, USA

e-mail: [email protected]

J. W. Peachey

Division of Sport Management, Department of Health and

Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, 4243 TAMU,

College Station, TX 77843, USA

e-mail: [email protected]

123

J Bus Ethics (2013) 113:377–393

DOI 10.1007/s10551-012-1322-6

has been linked to ethics, virtues, and morality is servant

leadership (Graham 1991; Lanctot and Irving 2010; Parolini

et al. 2009; Russell 2001; Whetstone 2002).

Servant leadership theory’s emphasis on service to others

and recognition that the role of organizations is to create

people who can build a better tomorrow resonates with

scholars and practitioners who are responding to the growing

perceptions that corporate leaders have become selfish and

who are seeking a viable leadership theory to help resolve the

challenges of the twenty-first century. Despite servant

leadership being coined by Robert K. Greenleaf over three

decades ago in 1970, it remains understudied yet still

prominently practiced in boardrooms and organizations

(Bass and Bass 2008; Spears 2005). It has received signifi-

cant attention in the popular press (e.g., Fortune magazine

and Dateline) (Spears Center 2011) and leading organiza-

tional management authors have discussed the positive

effects of servant leadership on organizational profits and

employee satisfaction; see Max DePree (Leadership is an

Art 1989), Stephen Covey (Principle Centered Leadership

1990), Peter Senge (The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Styles

of the Learning Organization 1990), Peter Block (Steward-

ship: Choosing Service over Self Interest 1993), and Mar-

garet Wheatley (Finding Our Way: Leadership in an

Uncertain Time 2005). However, Greenleaf’s (1970, 1977)

conceptualization of servant leadership as a way of life rather

than as a management technique perhaps has slowed the

acceptance of this leadership theory in academia as scholars

ask the question: If it is a way life—a philosophy, how can it

be empirically tested? Even Greenleaf admitted servant

leadership is unorthodox and would be difficult to opera-

tionalize and apply, as ‘‘it is meant to be neither a scholarly

treatise nor a how-to-do-it manual’’ (Greenleaf 1977, p. 49).

The majority of research to date on servant leadership con-

sists of developing theoretical frameworks and establishing

measurement tools with the intention that future scholars can

apply these tools to explore servant leadership in practice

and as a tenable theory. Only a limited amount of research

has empirically examined this construct.

As an aid in advancing servant leadership theory, we

sought to identify these empirical studies that investigated

servant leadership by engaging a sample population in order

to assess and synthesize its mechanisms, outcomes, and

impacts. Currently, there does not exist a comprehensive

summary of empirical studies exploring servant leadership

theory in organizational settings (e.g., a systematic litera-

ture review (SLR)), which is a gap in the extant literature.

Through exploring empirical studies investigating servant

leadership theory in organizational contexts, we provide

evidence that servant leadership is a tenable theory.

As a promising new field of research, servant leadership

faces the challenges once addressed by the early services

marketing and sport management scholars whose new ideas

and concepts were accepted slowly within the conservative

culture of academia (Shannon 1999). Similarly, servant

leadership scholars have sought a variety of publication

outlets for their work while they confront a debate on the

distinctiveness and significance of this leadership theory for

organizations as well as employees. In addition, the accel-

eration of knowledge production in the management field

has resulted in a body of knowledge that is increasingly

transdisciplinary, fragmented, and interdependent from

advancement in social sciences. In management research the

literature review is a key tool used to manage the diversity of

knowledge for an academic inquiry; however, a critique of

these reviews is that they are typically descriptive accounts

of contributions of selected writers often arbitrarily chosen

for inclusion by the researcher, and that these reviews may

lack a critical assessment of included studies (Tranfield et al.

2003). In contrast, a SLR is different from traditional nar-

rative reviews in that it adopts a replicable, scientific and

transparent process that aims to mitigate bias through

exhaustive literature searches and by providing an audit trail

of the conclusions. A current gap in management research is

a discussion of how to conduct a SLR, how to critically

assess studies, and how to integrate the conclusions. In this

SLR, we not only ascertain the current state of the field in

servant leadership research and synthesize divergent studies,

but also advance a rigorous methodology for conducting a

SRL in management research.

Thus, the purpose of this study was to systematically

examine and organize the current body of research litera-

ture that either quantitatively or qualitatively explored

servant leadership theory in a given organizational setting.

In this SRL we only included empirical studies that

investigated servant leadership in an organizational context

and excluded studies with a primary focus on model

development or testing measurement instruments. Earlier

reviews on the concept of servant leadership focused on:

identifying key characteristics (Russell and Stone 2002),

measurement development (Barbuto and Wheeler 2006),

and proposing a theoretical framework (Van Dierendonck

2011). Although these reviews help provide insight into

how researchers have attempted to operationalize servant

leadership, none of them was done in a systematic manner

(i.e., no methodology to select articles or limit bias), and

none of them specifically explored empirical research.

The following research questions guided this SLR:

(a) How was servant leadership defined? (b) In what contexts

was servant leadership theory empirically investigated?

(c) How was servant leadership examined (i.e., the meth-

odology)? and (d) What were the results of the examination?

We begin this paper by summarizing the origin of servant

leadership and follow with a short discussion of the devel-

opment of servant leadership as a theory and a new research

area. Next, a summary of the method used for selecting and

378 D. L. Parris, J. W. Peachey

123

reviewing the literature is explained, with details on search

strategy, analysis, and assessment of the quality of the

reviewed studies. Then, we present our findings of the SLR

on empirical studies that have explored servant leadership

theory. In addition, we discuss the methodological contri-

bution of conducting SLRs in the field of management as an

effective method for mapping out thematically, and viewing

holistically, new research topics. We conclude by offering

suggestions for future research and practice.

Origin of Servant Leadership by Robert K. Greenleaf

Servant leadership was introduced into an organizational

context through Greenleaf’s three foundational essays—

The Servant as Leader (1970), The Institution as Servant

(1972a), and Trustees as Servants (1972b)—all of which he

published after retiring from 40 years of management work

at AT&T. Greenleaf (1977) defined servant leadership as

not just a management technique but a way of life which

begins with ‘‘the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to

serve first’’ (p. 7). Greenleaf (1977) conceptualized the

servant as leader from his impressions of Journey to the

East by Hesse (1956) and used the character Leo to

describe a true servant: ‘‘Leadership was bestowed upon a

man who was by nature a servant… His servant nature was the real man, not bestowed, not assumed, and not to be

taken away’’ (p. 21). Servant leaders are distinguished by

both their primary motivation to serve (what they do) and

their self-construction (who they are), and from this con-

scious choice of ‘doing’ and ‘being’ they aspire to lead

(Sendjaya and Sarros 2002). Greenleaf (1977) believed

servant leadership was an inward lifelong journey.

Upon retirement in 1964, Greenleaf launched a second

career, which spanned 25 years, in which he articulated his

new leadership paradigm—servant leadership. He pro-

moted servant leadership in many publications and pre-

sentations, including lectures at Massachusetts Institute of

Technology’s (M.I.T.) Sloan School of Management,

Harvard Business School, Dartmouth College, and the

University of Virginia; and served as leadership consultant

to institutions such as Ford Foundation, Lilly Endowment,

M.I.T., R.K. Mellon Foundation, and the American Foun-

dation for Management. In 1964 he founded the Center for

Applied Ethics, renamed the Robert K. Greenleaf Center

for Servant Leadership in 1985, which helps people

understand the principles and practices of servant leader-

ship (Greenleaf Center 2011). Over 20 % of Fortune

magazine top 100 companies have sought guidance from

the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, such as

Starbucks, Vanguard Investment Group, Southwest Air-

lines, and ID Industries (Greenleaf Center).

Although the contemporary study of servant leadership

evolved largely from Greenleaf (1970, 1977), the practice of

servant leadership is not a new concept, with roots dating

back to ancient teachings of the world’s great religions, as

well as to statements of numerous great leaders and thinkers

(Sendjaya and Sarros 2002). The concept of servant leader-

ship echoes the messages of Mother Theresa, Moses, Harriet

Tubman, Lao-tzu, Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King,

Jr., Confucius, and many other religious, historic, and current

leaders (Keith 2008). Many scholars model Jesus Christ’s

teachings to his disciples as the ultimate example of servant

leadership (Ebener and O’Connell 2010; Lanctot and Irving

2010; Winston 2004). Whereas other leadership theories are

traditionally defined only by what the leader does, servant

leaders are defined by their character and by demonstrating

their complete commitment to serve others. This creates

one of the core challenges for theorists; how to construct

models that encompass Greenleaf’s theoretical message of

‘‘servanthood-through-leadership-through-practice’’ (Pros-

ser 2010, p. 28) that operates not only on a surface-level but

deep within a person’s being. Although scholars have agreed

theories, frameworks, and models will increase our under-

standing of the meaning, implications, and applications of

servant leadership, it is important to remain aware of the

more abstract, underlying principles and concepts of a ser-

vant as a leader (Spears 1998; Keith 2008; Prosser 2010).

Servant Leadership as a Theory

Although servant leadership is a growing trend being prac-

ticed by private and non-profit organizations alike, there is

still a lack of research in this area (Farling et al. 1999). The

majority of research in servant leadership has streamed from

Greenleaf’s (1977) foundational texts and the Greenleaf

Center (see Akuchie 1993; Bordas 1995; Brody 1995;

Buchen 1998; Chamberlain 1995; Frick 1995; Gaston 1987;

Kelley 1995; Kiechel 1995; Kuhnert and Lewis 1987; Lee

and Zemke 1995; Lloyd 1996; Lopez 1995; McCollum 1995;

McGee-Cooper and Trammell 1995; Rasmussen 1995;

Rieser 1995; Senge 1995; Smith 1995; Snodgrass 1993;

Spears 1995, 1996; Tatum 1995; Vanourek 1995). Many of

these writers present narrative examples of how servant

leadership is being used in organizational settings; however,

this is also the primary limitation of much of the servant

leadership literature, which is anecdotal in nature instead of

empirical (Bowman 1997; Northouse 1997; Sendjaya and

Sarros 2002). Bass (2000) acknowledged that servant lead-

ership requires extensive research, emphasizing that ‘‘the

strength of the servant leadership movement and its many

links to encouraging follower learning, growth, and auton-

omy, suggests that the untested theory will play a role in the

future leadership of the learning organization’’ (p. 33). The

Servant Leadership Theory in Organizational Contexts 379

123

promise of servant leadership has since motivated scholars

and practitioners to explore the possibilities of the servant-

first paradigm.

Since Farling et al.’s (1999) call for empirical studies,

there have emerged three streams of research (Van Diere-

ndonck and Patterson 2011): (a) a conceptual stream (Spears

1998; Laub 1999; Patterson 2003); (b) a measurement stream

(Page and Wong 2000; Wong and Page 2003; Ehrhart 2004;

Barbuto and Wheeler 2006; Dennis and Bocarnea 2005;

Liden et al. 2008; Sendjaya et al. 2008; Van Dierendonck and

Nuijte 2011); and (c) model development (Russell and Stone

2002; Van Dierendonck 2011). Notably absent from the

above streams are empirical studies that explore servant

leadership theory in a given organizational setting. In addi-

tion, in spite of the growing amount of research on servant

leadership, the theory is still under-defined, with various

authors grappling with definitions (Anderson 2009). This is

as Greenleaf (1977) predicted, when he warned that servant

leadership would be difficult to apply and operationalize. He

did not provide a management how-to-do-it-manual; instead,

he challenged readers to reflect, ponder, and grow (Frick

2004; Spears 1995).

To date, three reviews of servant leadership have been

conducted, which help provide insight into how researchers

have organized the complexity of Greenleaf’s concepts on

servant leadership into a theoretical framework. Russell

and Stone’s (2002) review revealed the following nine

functional attributes, or operative qualities and distinctive

characteristics of servant leaders; vision, honesty, integrity,

trust, service, modeling, pioneering, appreciation of others,

and empowerment. In addition, Russell and Stone deter-

mined 11 accompanying attributes, which are interrelated

and supportive of the nine core attributes listed above:

communication, credibility, competence, stewardship, vis-

ibility, influence, persuasion, listening, encouragement,

teaching, and delegation. From this assimilation of attri-

butes, Russell and Stone developed a model of servant

leadership to spark future application and research. While

their review provides a conceptual overview of servant

leadership, it lacks a methodology. Barbuto and Wheeler

(2006) developed an integrated model of servant leadership

after conducting a literature review, which synthesized the

attributes of servant leadership into five factors; altruistic

calling, emotional healing, persuasive mapping, wisdom,

and organizational stewardship. The third review by Van

Dierendonck (2011) also concludes with another concep-

tual model, which identifies six key characteristics of ser-

vant leadership: empowering and developing people,

humility, authenticity, interpersonal acceptance, providing

direction, and stewardship. All of these reviews exemplify

different interpretations of Greenleaf’s writings employing

different terminologies; however, all include the funda-

mental dimension of servanthood or the willingness to

serve others. These reviews highlight the plurality of ser-

vant leadership theory, leaving the researcher, student, or

practitioner to ponder exactly what servant leadership

theory is. As DiMaggio (1995) pointed out ‘‘there is more

than one kind of good theory’’ (p. 391).

Given that previous reviews have examined the devel-

opment of conceptual frameworks and measurement tools

for servant leadership, the present review focuses only on

empirical studies that have explored servant leadership

theory in an organizational context. As such, the current

study is the first review to provide a synthesis, based upon

evidence in published peer-reviewed journals, of empirical

studies conducted on servant leadership theory in organi-

zational settings.

Methodology

The SLR is often contrasted with traditional literature

reviews because systematic reviews are objective, repli-

cable, systematic, comprehensive, and the process is

reported in the same manner as for reporting empirical

research (Weed 2005). The origin of SLRs is in the med-

ical, health care, and policy fields, where they have been

used to assemble the best evidence to make clinical and

policy decisions (Cook et al. 1997; Tranfield et al. 2003).

SLRs in management are used to provide transparency,

clarity, accessibility, and impartial inclusive coverage on a

particular area (Thorpe et al. 2006). Klassen et al (1998)

define SLR as ‘‘a review in which there is a comprehensive

search for relevant studies on a specific topic, and those

identified are then appraised and synthesized according to a

pre-determined explicit method’’ (p. 700). This SRL spe-

cifically explored research studies that have examined

servant leadership theory in a given organizational setting.

Since our focus was gaining insight on the empirical

investigation of servant leadership theory, we excluded

studies with a primary focus on model development or

testing measurement instruments. The approach of this

review entailed extensive searches of relevant databases

with the intention of ensuring, as far as possible, that all

literature on servant leadership was identified while

maintaining the focus on literature of greatest pertinence to

the research questions (i.e., empirical studies that have

investigated servant leadership theory in organizational

settings). Next, we discuss our search methods, inclusion

and exclusion criteria, sample, and data analysis.

Search Methods

Published studies were identified through searches of

electronic databases accessible through the authors’ uni-

versity library system. Databases included in this review

380 D. L. Parris, J. W. Peachey

123

were: PsycInfo, Eric, Sociological Abstracts, PAIS Inter-

national, Social Services, Communication Abstracts,

International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS),

Physical Education Index, World Wide Political Abstracts

from the vendor CSA, Academic Search Complete, Busi-

ness Source Complete, Communication and Mass Media

Complete, Education and Administration Abstracts, Gen-

der Studies, CINAHL, Health Source: Nursing/Academic

Edition, Human Resources Abstracts, and Medline through

the vendor EBSCO. All results were limited to English-

only peer-reviewed journal articles. The searches for pub-

lished studies were conducted in a systematic manner,

following the order of the databases listed above.

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

The initial search required that articles included in the

review were studies that must: (a) be published in a peer-

reviewed journal; (b) be in the English language; and

(c) use the keyword ‘‘servant leadership.’’ No restriction

was placed on year of publication. The number of articles

containing the keyword ‘‘servant leadership’’ retrieved

from each database was recorded. Next, we examined if

there were any external duplicates from the current data-

base being searched and the previous databases that had

already been searched. We recorded the number of external

duplicates, and then deleted the duplicated journal articles

from the last database searched while keeping a running

total of new articles found.

Once all possible studies had been identified, we con-

ducted a second screening to assess eligibility against

inclusion criteria and then full text articles were retrieved

for those that met the inclusion criteria. The inclusion

criteria for the second screening required that the published

peer-reviewed article meet all of the following four spec-

ifications: (a) be in the English language; (b) be an

empirical study (i.e., not an essay, book review, letter,

literature review, editorial, opinion, journalistic or antidotal

article); (c) discuss servant leadership as the main topical

theme; and (d) examine servant leadership theory either

quantitatively or qualitatively. Articles were excluded if

any of these four components was not addressed in the

abstract, results, or discussion sections of the respective

study. Finally, additional articles meeting the inclusion

criteria were found by examining the bibliographies of

resources identified through the secondary screening.

Sample

Peer-reviewed publications were identified using the key

terms outlined in the inclusion and exclusion criteria sec-

tion above. In all, a total of 381 articles where retrieved;

however, after duplicates were deleted there remained 255

articles meeting the initial inclusion criteria. After the

secondary search process was conducted, a final sample of

44 appropriate studies was obtained. Upon retrieving full

text articles, an additional five articles were excluded after

further examination because they did not satisfy the

screening criteria. The final sample of articles constituted

39 empirical studies. Peer-reviewed articles meeting the

outlined criteria were published between 2004 and 2011.

The 39 published articles were drawn from a variety of

peer-reviewed journals (n = 27). Table 1 depicts the list of

journals included in the study, the number of articles

included from each journal, and the database they were

accessed through.

We grouped the journals by their area of focus, which

showed a concentration of research taking place in leader-

ship (n = 9), education (n = 7), business (n = 6), and

psychology (n = 6), with the fields of nursing (n = 3),

management (n = 2), personal selling and sales manage-

ment (n = 2), ethics (n = 1), parks and recreation admin-

istration (n = 1), services marketing (n = 1), and sports

(n = 1) representing a smaller number of empirical studies.

Data Analysis

The Matrix Method (Garrard 1999) was utilized as the

strategy for organizing and abstracting pertinent informa-

tion from these publications. For this study, the following

information was abstracted from each article: (a) How was

servant leadership defined? (b) In what contexts was ser-

vant leadership theory empirically investigated? (c) How

was servant leadership examined? and (d) What were the

results of the examination? Last, for each publication, the

methodology used to examine servant leadership was

evaluated. For qualitative studies, we used a critical

appraisal tool designed by Letts et al. (2007), and for

quantitative studies we used a critical appraisal tool

designed by the Institute for Public Health Sciences (2002).

In addition to these two appraisal assessments we used

Stoltz et al.’s (2004) critical appraisal tool, which assessed

both quantitative and qualitative studies. We adopted these

three critical appraisal tools to create a three-point scale to

reflect the quality of studies: high (I); medium (II)—used if

studies did not meet criteria for high (I) or low quality; and

low (III). Table 2 describes our classification for high to

low quality studies, which was based on the three critical

appraisal tools mentioned above.

The findings from these studies were summarized and

placed into matrixes (i.e., tables). Our SLR findings consist

of a synthesis of the results from all 39 empirical studies

along with the assessment of quality for each study. Fur-

ther, we assess the level of supporting evidence for the-

matic conclusions drawn from combining the results of

multiple studies.

Servant Leadership Theory in Organizational Contexts 381

123

Findings

Overall, this review highlights that servant leadership theory

is being researched and tested across a variety of contexts,

cultures, disciplines, and themes. Our sample included 11

qualitative studies, 27 quantitative studies, and one mixed

method study, all empirically assessing servant leadership

theory. Thus, this review illustrates that servant leadership is

Table 1 Database and journals included in systematic literature

review

Database Journal Count

Eric Alberta Journal of Educational Research 1

PsycInfo Business Ethics: A European Review 1

Eric Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry & Practice 1

Eric Educational Management Administration & Leadership 2

PsycInfo European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology 1

Scopus Global Virtue Ethics Review 1

CINAHL Health Care Management Review 1

PsycInfo Home Health Care Management & Practice 1

Business Source Complete International Journal of Business Research 1

Eric International Journal of Leadership in Education 2

Scopus International Journal of Leadership Studies 2

PsycInfo International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching 1

PsycInfo Journal of Applied Psychology 3

Business Source Complete Journal of Business & Economics Research 1

Academic Search Complete Journal of Interprofessional Care 1

PsycInfo Journal of Management Development 1

Academic Search Complete Journal of Park & Recreation Administration 1

PsycInfo Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management 2

Business Source Complete Journal of the Academy of Business & Economics 1

Eric Journal of Women in Educational Leadership 1

PsycInfo Leadership 1

PsycInfo Leadership & Organization Development Journal 6

PsycInfo Nonprofit Management and Leadership 1

PsycInfo Personnel Psychology 1

Business Source Complete Review of Business Research 2

Business Source Complete Services Marketing Quarterly 1

PsycInfo The International Journal of Human Resource Management 1

Table 2 Classification and quality assessment of studies

I = High II = Medium III = Low

QNT Study using quantitative analysis of data. Clearly focused

study, sufficient background provided, well planned,

method appropriate, measures validated, applicable and

adequate number of participants, data analysis

sufficiently rigorous with adequate statistical methods,

findings clearly stated

– Not focused study, insufficient background provided,

poorly planned, inappropriate method, invalidated

measures, inapplicable and inadequate number of

participants, data analysis insufficiently rigorous, with

inadequate statistical methods, unclear findings

QAL Study using qualitative analysis of data. Purpose stated

clearly, relevant background literature reviewed, design

appropriate, identified researcher’s theoretical or

philosophical perspective, relevant and well described

selection of participants and context, procedural rigor in

data collection strategies and analysis, evidence of the

four components of trustworthiness (credibility,

transferability, dependability, and confirmability) results

are comprehensive and well described

– Vaguely formulated purpose, insufficient background, few

or unsatisfactory descriptions of participants and context,

trustworthiness inadequately addressed, lacks in

description of data collection, data analysis, and results

QNT quantitative study, QAL qualitative study, I high quality, II medium quality, III low quality

382 D. L. Parris, J. W. Peachey

123

being explored both quantitatively and qualitatively, and the

topic has an international appeal with studies being con-

ducted in 11 countries. In the quality assessment, 22 studies

were classified as high, 12 as medium, and five as low

quality. Conclusive statements were made based upon the

synthesis of findings from each article. The conclusions (see

Table 3) were classified as A (strong evidence) or B (mod-

erate evidence) based on scientific strength.

If two or more studies of high quality supported a

conclusion or one study of high quality in addition to two

or more studies of medium quality supported the conclu-

sion, we assigned it an (A) rating. On the other hand,

conclusions with one study of high quality and one study of

medium quality or two studies of medium quality were

assigned a (B) rating. If a conclusion(s) did not fall under

(A) strong evidence in favor of conclusion or (B) moderate

evidence in favor of conclusion, we classified it as insuf-

ficiently supported and labeled insufficient evidence. The

following discussion of our findings is organized around

the four central research questions.

How was Servant Leadership Defined?

Servant leadership theory was introduced to readers by

authors of empirical studies by citing one or all three of the

following: Greenleaf (1977), Spears (1995, 1998, 2004), and

Laub (1999). Generally, authors described servant leader-

ship by quoting one of these three authors in addition to citing

multiple other authors, including, but not limited to: Barbuto

and Wheeler (2006), Graham (1991), Ehrhart (2004), Liden

et al. (2008), Page and Wong (2000), and Patterson (2003).

Here, we discuss the three most cited authors on servant

leadership that have provided definitions.

Greenleaf (1970, 1972a, b, 1977), the grandfather of

servant leadership, was cited by 37 of the 39 empirical

studies. The majority of authors used part or all of

Greenleaf’s description from his original essay, The Ser-

vant as Leader (1970):

It begins with the natural feeling one wants to serve,

to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to

aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from

one who is leader first.

… The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s

highest priority needs are being served. The best test,

and difficult to administer, is this: Do those served

grow as persons? Do they, while being served,

become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous,

more likely themselves to become servants? And,

what is the effect on the least privileged in society?

Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?

(Greenleaf 1970 as cited in Greenleaf 1977, p. 27).

The majority of authors in our sample, like Greenleaf

himself, defined servant leadership theory in a descriptive

manner. These descriptions usually cited multiple scholarly

works in the conceptual and measurement research

streams, in addition to citing leading organizational

management authors.

The second most referenced author defining servant

leadership theory was Larry Spears. Like Greenleaf, Spears

gained his knowledge from practice with most of his works

being non-empirical. He served for 17 years as the head of

the Greenleaf Center, has authored more than 10 books on

servant leadership, and in 2008 established the Larry C.

Spears Center for Servant Leadership, Inc. (Spears Center

2011). Spears (1995, 1998, 2004) identified 10 character-

istics of servant leaders from Greenleaf’s writings: listen-

ing, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, philosophy,

conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to

the growth of people, and building community. These

attributes are described in Table 4.

Four of the qualitative studies in our sample used

Spear’s 10 characteristics to inform their analysis (Crippen

2004; Crippen and Wallin 2008a, b; Sturm 2009).

The third most cited author in defining servant leader-

ship theory is Laub (1999). His Organizational Leadership

Assessment (OLA) was an outcome of his dissertation. The

OLA assesses an organization’s health based upon the six

key areas of an effective servant-minded organization by

exploring the perceptions of top leaders, managers and

supervisors, and the workforce; however, it does not assess

the servant leadership of individual leaders (OLA Group

2011). Authors in our sample used Laub’s definition, which

terms the practice of servant leadership as placing ‘‘the

good of those led over the self-interest of the leader’’

(1999, p. 81). In addition, authors would list and describe

Laub’s six key variables of an effective servant-led orga-

nization: (a) values people—believing, serving, and non-

judgmentally listening to others; (b) develops people—

providing learning, growth, encouragement and affirma-

tion; (c) builds community—developing strong collabora-

tive and personal relationships; (d) displays authenticity—

being open, accountable, and willing to learn from others;

(e) provides leadership—foreseeing the future, taking ini-

tiative, and establishing goals; and (f) shares leadership—

facilitating and sharing power. The OLA has been widely

used in health organizations (OLA Group), and was used in

six quantitative studies in our sample (Herman 2010; Black

2010; Cerit 2010; Cerit 2009; Irving and Longbotham

2007; Joseph and Winston 2005).

In summary, our results confirm Anderson’s (2009) and

Van Dierendonck’s (2011) assessments that servant lead-

ership theory remains under-defined with no consensus on

its definition or theoretical framework. Scholars are still

seeking to articulate Greenleaf’s conceptualization of

Servant Leadership Theory in Organizational Contexts 383

123

T a

b le

3 O

v e rv

ie w

o f

c o

n c lu

si o

n s

R e su

lt th

e m

e s

C o

n c lu

si o

n E

v id

e n

c e

R e fe

re n

c e s

C ro

ss -c

u lt

u ra

l

a p

p li

c a b

il it

y

S L

is a c c e p

te d

a n

d p

ra c ti

c e d

in

v a ri

o u

s c u

lt u

re s;

h o

w e v

e r,

c o

m p

o n

e n

ts o

f S

L h

a v

e d

if fe

re n

t

w e ig

h ts

S tr

o n

g e v

id e n

c e

in fa

v o

r o

f st

a te

m e n

t (A

) C

e ri

t (2

0 0

9 ,

2 0

1 0

) (Q

N T

I, Q

N T

I) ;

H a m

il to

n a n

d B

e a n

(2 0

0 5 )

(Q A

L II

I) ;

H a le

a n

d F

ie ld

s (2

0 0

7 )

(Q N

T I)

; H

a n

e t

a l.

(2 0

1 0 )

(Q A

L II

); P

e k

e rt

i a n

d S

e n

d ja

y a

(2 0

1 0

) (Q

N T

I)

S L

a tt

ri b

u te

s S

p e a rs

’ (1

9 9

8 )

1 0

c h

a ra

c te

ri st

ic s

a re

re p

re se

n ta

ti v

e o

f a

se rv

a n

t

le a d

e r

a p

p li

e d

in d

if fe

re n

t

c o

n te

x t

S tr

o n

g e v

id e n

c e

in fa

v o

r o

f st

a te

m e n

t (A

) B

o ro

sk i

a n

d G

re if

(2 0

0 9

) (Q

A L

II I)

; C

ri p

p e n

(2 0

0 4 )

(Q A

L II

);

C ri

p p

e n

a n

d W

a ll

in (2

0 0

8 a )

(Q A

L II

); C

ri p

p e n

a n

d W

a ll

in

(2 0

0 8

b )

(Q A

L II

); S

tu rm

(2 0

0 9

) (Q

A L

I)

P a tt

e rs

o n

(2 0

0 3

) a n

d W

in st

o n

(2 0

0 3

) m

o d

e ls

o f

S L

a re

su p

p o

rt e d

S tr

o n

g e v

id e n

c e

in fa

v o

r o

f st

a te

m e n

t (A

) W

in st

o n

(2 0

0 4

) (Q

A L

I) ;

D in

g m

a n

a n

d S

to n

e (2

0 0

7 )

(Q A

L II

)

T e a m

le v

e l

e ff

e c ti

v e n

e ss

S L

le a d

s to

in c re

a se

d le

a d

e r

tr u

st

a n

d o

rg a n

iz a ti

o n

a l

tr u

st

S tr

o n

g e v

id e n

c e

in fa

v o

r o

f st

a te

m e n

t (A

) Jo

se p

h a n

d W

in st

o n

(2 0

0 5

) (Q

N T

I) ;

R e in

k e

(2 0

0 4

) (Q

N T

II );

S e n

ja y

a a n

d P

e k

e rt

i (2

0 1

0 )

(Q N

T I)

; W

a sh

in g

to n

e t

a l

(2 0

0 6 )

(Q N

T I)

S L

fo st

e rs

o rg

a n

iz a ti

o n

a l

c it

iz e n

sh ip

b e h

a v

io r

S tr

o n

g e v

id e n

c e

in fa

v o

r o

f st

a te

m e n

t (A

) E

b e n

e r

a n

d O

’C o

n n

e ll

(2 0

1 0

) (Q

A L

I) ;

H u

a n

d L

id e n

(2 0

1 1 )

(Q N

T I)

; E

h rh

a rt

(2 0

0 4

) (Q

N T

I) ;

W a lu

m b

w a

e t

a l

(2 0

1 0

)

(Q N

T I)

P ro

c e d

u ra

l ju

st ic

e is

p o

si ti

v e ly

a ss

o c ia

te d

w it

h S

L

S tr

o n

g e v

id e n

c e

in fa

v o

r o

f st

a te

m e n

t (A

) E

h rh

a rt

(2 0

0 4

) (Q

N T

I) ;

W a lu

m b

w a

e t

a l

(2 0

1 0

) (Q

N T

I) ;

C h

u n

g e t

a l.

(2 0

1 0

) (Q

N T

II )

S L

in c re

a se

s te

a m

e ff

e c ti

v e n

e ss

S tr

o n

g e v

id e n

c e

in fa

v o

r o

f st

a te

m e n

t (A

) Ir

v in

g a n

d L

o n

g b

o th

a m

(2 0

0 7

) (Q

N T

I) ;

S c h

a u

b ro

e c k

e t

a l

(2 0

1 1

) (Q

N T

I) ;

H u

a n

d L

id e n

(2 0

1 1

) (Q

N T

I)

S L

is a ss

o c ia

te d

w it

h g

re a te

r

le a d

e rs

h ip

e ff

e c ti

v e n

e ss

S tr

o n

g e v

id e n

c e

in fa

v o

r o

f st

a te

m e n

t (A

) T

a y

lo r

e t

a l.

(2 0

0 7

) (Q

N T

II );

M a y

e r

e t

a l.

(2 0

0 8

) (Q

N T

I) ;

M c C

u d

d y

a n

d C

a v

in (2

0 0

8 )

(Q N

T II

I)

S L

e n

h a n

c e s

c o

ll a b

o ra

ti o

n M

o d

e ra

te e v

id e n

c e

in fa

v o

r o

f st

a te

m e n

t (B

) G

a rb

e r

e t

a l.

(2 0

0 9

) (Q

N T

II );

S tu

rm (2

0 0

9 )

(Q A

L I)

; Ir

v in

g

a n

d L

o n

g b

o th

a m

(2 0

0 7 )

(Q N

T I)

F o

ll o

w e rs

w e ll

-b e in

g

S L

in c re

a se

s e m

p lo

y e e

jo b

sa ti

sf a c ti

o n

S tr

o n

g e v

id e n

c e

in fa

v o

r o

f st

a te

m e n

t (A

) C

e ri

t (2

0 0

9 )

(Q N

T I)

; Je

n k

in s

a n

d S

te w

a rt

(2 0

1 0

) (Q

N T

I) ;

M a y

e r

e t

a l.

(2 0

0 8

) (Q

N T

I) ;

C h

u n

g e t

a l.

(2 0

1 0

) (Q

N T

II )

S L

c re

a te

s a

p o

si ti

v e

w o

rk c li

m a te

S tr

o n

g e v

id e n

c e

in fa

v o

r o

f st

a te

m e n

t (A

) N

e u

b e rt

e t

a l.

(2 0

0 8

) (Q

N T

I) ;

B la

c k

(2 0

1 0

) (M

ix e d

M e th

o d

:

Q N

T II

a n

d Q

A L

II I)

; Ja

ra m

il lo

e t

a l.

(2 0

0 9

a )

(Q N

T I)

S L

su p

p o

rt s

e m

p lo

y e e

c re

a ti

v it

y

a n

d h

e lp

in g

b e h

a v

io rs

S tr

o n

g e v

id e n

c e

in fa

v o

r o

f st

a te

m e n

t (A

) Ja

ra m

il lo

e t

a l.

(2 0

0 9

b )

(Q N

T I)

; N

e u

b e rt

e t

a l.

(2 0

0 8 )

(Q N

T I)

S L

im p

ro v

e s

fo ll

o w

e rs

w e ll

-b e in

g S

tr o

n g

e v

id e n

c e

in fa

v o

r o

f st

a te

m e n

t (A

) Ja

ra m

il lo

e t

a l.

(2 0

0 9

b )

(Q N

T I)

; R

ie k

e e t

a l.

(2 0

0 8

) (Q

N T

I)

S L

lo w

e rs

e m

p lo

y e e

tu rn

o v

e r

S tr

o n

g e v

id e n

c e

in fa

v o

r o

f st

a te

m e n

t (A

) Ja

ra m

il lo

e t

a l.

(2 0

0 9

a )

(Q N

T I)

; B

a b

a k

u s

e t

a l.

(2 0

1 1

) (Q

N T

I)

S L

in c re

a se

s c o

m m

it m

e n

t S

tr o

n g

e v

id e n

c e

in fa

v o

r o

f st

a te

m e n

t (A

) C

e ri

t (2

0 1

0 )

(Q N

T I)

; H

a m

il to

n a n

d B

e a n

(2 0

0 5

) (Q

A L

II I)

;

H a le

a n

d F

ie ld

s (2

0 0

7 )

(Q N

T I)

; H

a n

e t

a l.

(2 0

1 0

) (Q

A L

II );

P e k

e rt

i a n

d S

e n

d ja

y a

(2 0

1 0 )

(Q N

T I)

Ja ra

m il

lo e t

a l.

(2 0

0 9

a )

(Q N

T I)

; Ja

ra m

il lo

e t

a l.

(2 0

0 9

b )

(Q N

T I)

S p

ir it

u a li

ty S

L is

a ss

o c ia

te d

w it

h w

o rk

p la

c e

sp ir

it u

a li

ty

In su

ffi c ie

n t

e v

id e n

c e

H e rm

a n

(2 0

1 0

) (Q

N T

II )

384 D. L. Parris, J. W. Peachey

123

servant leadership by using a variety of definitions sourced

from multiple works.

In What Contexts was Servant Leadership Theory

Empirically Investigated?

Our sample illustrates servant leadership theory is being

studied across cultures, contexts, and across a diversity of

research foci. Overall, the sample consisted of studies in 11

countries, which included four cross-cultures studies.

These findings demonstrate that servant leadership is being

practiced in various cultures, specifically: U.S. (n = 23),

Canada (n = 4), China (n = 2), Turkey (n = 2), Indonesia

(n = 1), New Zealand (n = 1), Kenya (n = 1), and the

Republic of Trinidad (n = 1), with five cross-culture

studies comparing U.S. and Ghana, U.S. and UK, U.S. and

China (n = 2), and Indonesia and Australia.

A contextual analysis of the sample revealed that servant

leadership theory is being applied in the following orga-

nizational settings: education (n = 17), which consisted of

religious schools (n = 6) and secular schools (n = 11);

secular for profit organizations (n = 17), which notably

included financial services (n = 4) and nursing (n = 3);

public organizations (n = 2); religious organizations

(n = 1); non-profit organizations (n = 1); and in a histor-

ical context (n = 1). It is important to note that servant

leadership was examined in a religious context in seven of

the 39 studies, and that the education field represents 44 %

of the contextual environment for the entire sample.

This synthesis also revealed seven key research themes,

with some studies containing more than one area of focus.

The themes and their associated studies are presented in

Table 3. An overall count and description of each theme is

as follows: (a) cross-cultural applicability—acceptance,

practices, and different weights of servant leadership in a

variety of cultures (n = 7); (b) servant leadership attri-

butes—conceptual models characteristics were studied

(n = 7); (c) team level effectiveness—effects of servant

leadership explored at the unit level (n = 20); (d) follow-

ers’ well-being—effects on employees in a servant-

led environment (n = 20); (e) spirituality—connection

between spiritual workplace and servant-led workplace was

investigated (n = 1); (f) demographics (n = 3); and

(g) implementation of servant leadership (n = 3). We

discuss a synthesis of these themes below in the last section

of our findings, where we provide an overview of the

results of studies included in the sample.

How was Servant Leadership Examined

(i.e., the Methodology)?

All of the 27 quantitative studies used surveys as the data

collection method. The two most popular measures ofT a

b le

3 c o

n ti

n u

e d

R e su

lt th

e m

e s

C o

n c lu

si o

n E

v id

e n

c e

R e fe

re n

c e s

D e m

o g

ra p

h ic

s P

ro p

e n

si ty

to w

a rd

e n

g a g

in g

in S

L

is a ss

o c ia

te d

w it

h d

e m

o g

ra p

h ic

v a ri

a b

le s

In su

ffi c ie

n t

e v

id e n

c e

F ri

d e ll

e t

a l.

(2 0

0 9

) (Q

N T

II );

M c C

u d

d y

a n

d C

a v

in (2

0 0

9 )

(Q N

T II

I) ;

T a y

lo r

e t

a l.

(2 0

0 7

) (Q

N T

II )

Im p

le m

e n

ta ti

o n

o f

S L

K n

o w

le d

g e

a n

d fr

a m

in g

o f

S L

c a n

a ff

e c t

a d

o p

ti o

n

In su

ffi c ie

n t

e v

id e n

c e

H a m

il to

n a n

d B

e a n

(2 0

0 5

) (Q

A L

II I)

; S

a v

a g

e -A

u st

in a n

d

H o

n e y

c u

tt (2

0 1

1 )

(Q A

L II

I)

P o

si ti

v e

re la

ti o

n sh

ip b

e tw

e e n

su c c e ss

io n

p la

n n

in g

a n

d S

L

In su

ffi c ie

n t

e v

id e n

c e

D in

g m

a n

a n

d S

to n

e (2

0 0

7 )

(Q A

L II

)

S L

se rv

a n

t le

a d

e rs

h ip

, Q

N T

q u

a n

ti ta

ti v

e st

u d

y ,

Q A

L q

u a li

ta ti

v e

st u

d y

, I

h ig

h q

u a li

ty ,

II m

e d

iu m

q u

a li

ty ,

II I

lo w

q u

a li

ty

Servant Leadership Theory in Organizational Contexts 385

123

servant leadership theory used by these empirical studies

were Laub’s (1999) OLA instrument—used by six studies

(Herman 2010; Black 2010; Cerit 2009, 2010; Irving and

Longbotham 2007; Joseph and Winston 2005) and the

Servant Leadership Scale developed by Ehrhart (2004)—

used by six studies (Ehrhart 2004; Jaramillo et al. 2009a, b;

Mayer et al. 2008; Neubert et al. 2008; Walumbwa et al.

2010). Instruments that were utilized by two studies

included: Barbuto and Wheeler’s (2006) instrument (Jen-

kins and Stewart 2010; Garber et al. 2009); Liden et al.’s

(2008) instrument (Hu and Liden 2011; Schaubroeck et al.

2011); and Sendjaya et al.’s (2008) survey (Pekerti and

Sendjaya 2010; Sendjaya and Pekerti 2010). Taylor et al.

(2007) used Page and Wong’s (1998) self-assessment

measure. Washington et al. (2006) used Dennis and Win-

ston’s (2003) instrument, which was an adopted version of

Page and Wong’s (2000) instrument. Rieke et al. (2008)

used Hammermeister et al.’s (2008) instrument, which was

also an adopted version of Page and Wong’s instrument.

Babakus et al. (2011) and Hale and Fields (2007) used

lesser known scales, those of Lytle et al. (1998) and Dennis

(2004), respectively. One study tapped a survey designed

by the U.S. Office of Personal Management (OPM). Four

studies used surveys developed specifically for the

research: Fridell et al. (2009), Reinke (2004), and

McCuddy and Cavin (2008, 2009). In summary, out of 27

survey studies, there were 14 different measures used. It is

important to note that the majority of authors combined

multiple measurement scales to construct their surveys. In

addition, the majority of these measures explored servant

leadership theory at the unit level of analysis (i.e., group or

team performance) while only a few examined it at the

individual level of analysis (i.e., individual performance).

Similarly, the 11 qualitative studies used a variety of

servant leadership frameworks to inform their analyses,

while three studies did not provide any information on

frameworks. Four of the qualitative studies used Spears

(1998) 10 characteristics to inform their analyses (Crippen

2004; Crippen and Wallin 2008a, b; Sturm 2009). Two

studies used Patterson (2003) and Winsten’s (2003) mod-

els—Dingman and Stone (2007) and Winston (2004). Han

et al. (2010) used multiple dimensions and definitions of

servant leadership in Western literature including but not

limited to: Barbuto and Wheeler (2006); Liden et al.

(2008); Ehrhart (2004); and Sendjaya et al. (2008). The

multiple quantitative and qualitative measures used by the

studies in our sample reinforce our findings for research

question one, where it was found that authors have defined

servant leadership in various ways. Similarly, as this

review demonstrates, there is still not an agreed upon

measurement strategy for servant leadership theory.

What were the Results of the Examination?

Our sample of empirical studies illustrates that servant

leadership is a tenable theory. It is viable and valuable on

an individual and an organization level, which can lead to

increased overall effectiveness of individuals and teams. In

Table 3, a synthesis of the conclusions from our sample of

articles is divided by theme, with a rating of the evidence to

support each individual conclusion. We discuss the results

of these empirical studies by theme below.

Table 4 Spears’ (1998) 10 characteristics of a servant leader

Characteristic Description

Listening Automatically responding to any problem by receptively listening to what is said, which allows them to identify

the will of the group and help clarify that will

Empathy Striving to accept and understand others, never rejecting them, but sometimes refusing to recognize their

performance as good enough

Healing Recognizing as human beings they have the opportunity to make themselves and others ‘whole’

Awareness Strengthened by general awareness and above all self-awareness, which enables them to view situations

holistically

Persuasion Relying primarily on convincement rather than coercion

Conceptualization Seeking to arouse and nurture theirs’ and others’ abilities to ‘dream great dreams’

Foresight Intuitively understanding the lessons from the past, the present realities, and the likely outcome of a decision for

the future

Stewardship Committing first and foremost to serving others needs

Commitment to the growth

of people

Nurtures the personal, professional, and spiritual growth of each individual

Building community Identifies means of building communities among individuals working within their institutions, which can give

the healing love essential for health

386 D. L. Parris, J. W. Peachey

123

Cross-Cultural Applicability

The cross-cultural studies (Hamilton and Bean 2005—U.S.

and UK; Hale and Fields 2007—U.S. and Ghana; Han et al.

2010—U.S. and China; Pekerti and Sendjaya 2010—

Indonesia and Australia; Schaubroeck et al. (2011)—U.S.

and China) all indicate servant leadership’s acceptability

across a variety of cultures. However, these studies also

show that the different attributes perceived to make up

servant leadership are not weighted equally across cultures.

For example: Hale and Fields (2007) found that vision had

a significantly stronger relationship with leader effective-

ness for Ghanaians in comparison to North Americans; Han

et al. (2009) found ‘‘being dutiful’’ to be an extended form

of servant leadership in China; Hamilton and Bean (2005)

discovered that introducing servant leadership within a

Christian context was perceived as obtrusive in the United

Kingdom; and Pekerti and Sendjaya (2010) found that

Australian leaders exhibited more behaviors with authentic

self (leadership flows out of who we are as opposed to what

we do), while Indonesian leaders exhibited more behaviors

with responsible morality (reflective moral reasoning

employed to assess whether or not the process and out-

comes of one’s leadership are ethical) and transforming

influence (articulation and implementation of a shared

vision which provides inspiration, meaning to one’s work,

and creates a positive work environment). In contrast to

these findings, Schaubroeck et al. (2011) found no signif-

icant differences in perceptions of servant leadership

between Hong Kong and the U.S. These cross-cultural

studies, along with studies conducted in different countries,

imply that servant leadership might be practiced across a

variety of cultures, but culture-specific perceptions of ser-

vant leadership exist based on socialization and national

context.

Servant Leader Attributes

Seven studies explored the conceptual definitions of ser-

vant leadership, and found Spears (1998), Patterson’s

(2003), and Winston’s (2003) attributes to be representa-

tive of servant leadership in different contexts. Five studies

(Boroski and Greif 2009; Crippen 2004; Crippen and

Wallin 2008a, b; Sturm 2009) within three different con-

texts (schools, community, and nursing) supported Spears

10 characteristics (see Table 3). Two studies (Winston

2004; Dingman and Stone 2007) provided support for

Patterson’s (2003) leader-to-follower and Winston’s (2003)

follower-to-leader models of servant leadership. Patter-

son’s model of leader–follower interaction starts with the

leaders’ agapaó (love for others) which she conceptualizes

as a collection of the following seven values: being

teachable; showing concern for others; demonstrating

discipline; seeking the greatest good for the organization;

showing mercy in actions and beliefs with all people;

meeting the needs of followers and the organization; and

creating a place where peace grows within the organiza-

tion. These seven values are based upon the biblical con-

cept of the seven beatitudes from Matthew 5 (Patterson

2003; Winston 2003, 2004). Instead of focusing on leader-

follower interaction as Patterson’s model does, Winston’s

model focuses on the follower-to-leader interactions.

Winston’s follower-to-leader model starts with the fol-

lowers’ agapaó and then shows how the followers are

servant leaders themselves by utilizing the same variables

as Patterson’s model. As stated above, studies confirm the

applicability of the variables in both of these models: trust,

empowerment, vision, altruism, intrinsic motivation, com-

mitment, and service (Winston 2004; Dingman and Stone

2007). Thus, the attributes identified by Spears, Patterson,

and Winston were represented within the measurement

instruments discussed above.

Team Level Effectiveness

Sixteen empirical studies explored servant leadership

theory at a unit level. Overall, these studies found that a

servant-led organization enhances leader trust and organi-

zational trust, organizational citizenship behavior, proce-

dural justice, team and leader effectiveness, and the

collaboration between team members. Several studies

found that a servant-led environment provided affirmation

of justice and fair treatment, which is positively associated

with procedural justice, or the perception of how a work

group as a whole is treated (Ehrhart 2004; Walumbwa et al.

2010; Chung et al. 2010). Procedural justice fosters trust in

the servant leader and in the servant-led organization

(Joseph and Winston 2005; Reinke 2004; Sendjaya and

Pekerti 2010; Washington et al. 2006). This creates an open

and trusting environment, which can enhance collaboration

among team members (Garber et al. 2009; Sturm 2009;

Irving and Longbotham 2007). Collaboration in a servant-

led organization creates a helping culture (i.e., a spirit of

willingness), which increases team members’ organiza-

tional citizenship behavior, defined as pro-social and

altruistic behaviors that have been shown to improve

organizational performance (Ebener and O’Connell 2010;

Hu and Liden 2011; Ehrhart 2004; Walumbwa et al. 2010).

Servant leadership also improves overall team effective-

ness (Taylor et al. 2007; Mayer et al. 2008; McCuddy

and Cavin 2008) and can enhance leaders’ effectiveness

(Irving and Longbotham 2007; Schaubroeck et al. 2011;

Hu and Liden 2011). In summary, servant leadership

creates a trusting, fair, collaborative, and helping culture

that can result in greater individual and organizational

effectiveness.

Servant Leadership Theory in Organizational Contexts 387

123

Followers’ Well-Being

Findings from 15 empirical studies illustrate that servant

leadership enhances followers’ well-being. These studies

showed conceptually and empirically how servant leader-

ship influences followers’ well-being by creating a positive

work climate (Neubert et al. 2008; Black 2010; Jaramillo

et al. 2009a), which is related to greater organizational

commitment (Cerit 2010; Hamilton and Bean 2005; Hale

and Fields 2007; Han et al. 2010; Pekerti and Sendjaya

2010). Greater commitment to the organization increases

employee job satisfaction (Cerit 2009; Jenkins and Stewart

2010; Mayer et al. 2008; Chung et al. 2010) and conse-

quently decreases employee turnover (Jaramillo et al.

2009b; Babakus et al. 2011). Servant leaders create these

positive outcomes by developing trust while nurturing

followers, which encourages the creativity, helping

behaviors, and well-being of followers (Jaramillo et al.

2009a; Babakus et al. 2011; Rieke et al. 2008). Overall,

these studies support the notion that servant leadership can

improve followers’ well-being.

Spirituality

One study (Herman 2010) found a positive connection

between workplace spirituality and servant leadership, while

six studies explored servant leadership within religious

intuitions. In addition, many scholars described servant

leadership using the teachings of Jesus Christ as a reference

(Ebener and O’Connell 2010; Hamilton and Bean 2005;

Winston 2004). Although there appears to be a relationship

between spirituality and servant leadership, there was

insufficient evidence to draw conclusions for this review.

Demographics

Three studies (Fridell et al. 2009; McCuddy and Cavin

2009; Taylor et al. 2007) attempted to identify demo-

graphic characteristics conducive to practicing servant

leadership. However, these studies lacked methodological

quality sufficient to support any conclusions. In addition,

many of the findings of these studies contradicted each

other as well as other studies within our sample. For

example, one study found significant differences between

men and women’s servant leadership style usage—female

leaders were more likely to practice daily reflection and

consensus building, foster self worth, and engage in healing

relationships (Fridell et al. 2009), while another study

found no difference (McCuddy and Cavin 2009). Also, one

study found that socio-economic factors were positively

related to servant behaviors (McCuddy and Cavin 2009),

while another study found that no demographic variables

were significantly related to servant leadership (Taylor

et al. 2007) Therefore, it remains to be discovered if there

are in fact demographic characteristics that are related to

servant leadership.

Implementation of Servant Leadership

Three studies examined servant leadership in various

organizational processes (Hamilton and Bean 2005—

leadership development; Savage-Austin and Honeycutt

2011—organizational change; Dingman and Stone 2007—

succession planning). Nevertheless, these studies were not

supported by other empirical studies nor were their meth-

odological quality sufficient to provide any conclusions.

Limitations

Although this SLR was conducted in a disciplined manner,

potential limitations must be acknowledged. We limited

the search process to indexed journals available through the

authors’ university library system that were peer-reviewed

published articles written in the English language. Thus,

this review did not include non-indexed journals or dis-

sertations because they are not peer-reviewed, or peer-

reviewed servant leadership articles published in a lan-

guage other than English. Given the apparent universal

interest in servant leadership, as identified in our review,

perhaps there are more empirical studies being published in

other languages that would complement or contradict some

of the conclusions drawn from this review. The method-

ology and findings of the studies included in the review

were assessed by two independent reviewers aided by a

critical assessment tool, which was utilized to make the

evaluation phase more accurate. However, our attempt to

integrate results conducted with qualitative as well as

quantitative data analysis may have limited the ability to

sufficiently explore all methodological considerations

when fusing the findings of both types of empirical studies

into a coherent text. In order to guide future scholars in

conducting SLRs, more work is needed on how to assess

the quality of qualitative and quantitative research in the

field of management. Given SLRs origins are in the med-

ical field, which conduct controlled trial studies, there are

few critical appraisal tools that are applicable to the

research methods used in other disciplines, such as quali-

tative inquiry and cross-sectional studies.

Conclusion

This SLR demonstrates servant leadership theory is appli-

cable in a variety of cultures, contexts, and organizational

settings. Even though Greenleaf first coined the philosophy

388 D. L. Parris, J. W. Peachey

123

in the 1970s, it has taken until 2004 for servant leadership

to be explored in an empirical manner. This SLR did not

place any limitation on the publication year of peer-

reviewed journal articles; however, no empirical studies

were found across all the databases searched before 2004.

To date, the majority of research in servant leadership is

either attempting to conceptually define and model the

theory or develop measurement tools to empirical test it.

Thus, the greater part of research on servant leadership is

addressing one of the major criticisms of the theoretical

construct, which is the difficulty of operationalizing its

concepts and principles (Brumback 1999; Wong and Davey

2007). Quay is not alone in his sentiments on Greenleaf’s

works: ‘‘For all his good advice and many practical ideas,

he is a Don Quixote trying to convince managers to pursue

good and eschew evil’’ (1997, p. 83). By Greenleaf’s own

admission, his ideas are unorthodox, yet the value of this

review illustrates that servant leadership works and is a

tenable theory.

The first question of this review sought to discover how

servant leadership is being defined. Although our findings

indicated the majority of authors use Greenleaf (1970,

1972a, b, 1997), Spears (1998), and Laub (1999) to help

define servant leadership, there still does not exist an

accepted consensus over its definition. This lack of con-

sensus creates confusion (Van Dierendonck 2011) amongst

researchers, as they create their own variations of defini-

tions and theoretical models. Perhaps one day there will be

a generally accepted theory of servant leadership, but the

empirical cross-cultural studies in this review highlight that

while servant leadership has been researched in a variety of

cultures, it has different meanings based on socialization

and national context. In addition, Greenleaf (1977) argued

that servant leadership is an inward life-long journey,

implying that the meaning of servant leadership could

change throughout one’s life time. Therefore, this review

does not conclude with a model or another definition of

servant leadership; however, it does provide an overview of

multiple definitions of servant leadership currently being

used in empirical studies in order to further our conceptual

understanding.

Second, this review explored the contexts in which

servant leadership is being empirically investigated. Our

review illustrates the diversity of cultures, organizational

settings, and research foci in which servant leadership is

being explored. There seems to be pronounced interest in

investigating servant leadership in the U.S. and throughout

the Asia Pacific region; however, there is a paucity of

studies being conducted in other parts of the world. Cur-

rently, the majority of studies are exploring servant lead-

ership in an educational setting (44 % of our sample).

Organizational settings that have received less attention

from researchers include medical institutions, public

organizations, non-profit organizations, and community-

level organizations. Research on servant leadership is

concentrated in the fields of leadership, education, business

and psychology; whereas, there is only a small number of

studies in the fields of nursing, management, personal

selling and sales, ethics, parks and recreation administra-

tion, services marketing, and sports. The research themes

being explored the least are: spirituality, demographics,

and implementation of servant leadership. Thus, this

review helps researchers identify areas and contexts which

are relatively unexplored in relation to servant leadership

and thus ripe for further investigation.

Third, this review examined the tools that can be used to

measure the existence and outcomes of servant leadership.

The multiple quantitative and qualitative measures used by

the studies point to the fact that there is currently not an

agreed upon measurement instrument of the theoretical

construct. This review can point researchers towards the

current measurement tools available, how they are being

used, and in what contexts they are being applied. Last, this

review synthesized the findings of these empirical studies

(see Table 3). Seven research themes emerged: cross-cul-

tural applicability, servant leadership attributes, team-level

effectiveness, followers’ well-being, spirituality, demo-

graphics, and implementation of servant leadership. This

synthesis can help researchers identify the current findings

in the extant literature and to discover research foci that

remain relatively underexplored.

Several intriguing directions for future research emerged

from our SLR. First, this SLR only identified 39 empirical

studies that explored servant leadership theory in organi-

zational settings, highlighting the need for researchers to

empirically investigate the construct of servant leadership

in a variety of organizational contexts. In the burgeoning

field of entrepreneurship, researchers could explore how to

build a servant-led organization, or in the field of organi-

zational change, studies could explore how to implement

servant leadership in an established organization or during

a merger or acquisition. Second, there is a need to inves-

tigate the antecedents of servant leadership development,

such as personal attributes of the leader, background of the

leader, and organizational history and trajectory. Third,

researchers can examine other outcomes of servant lead-

ership, such as voluntarily organizational turnover, suc-

cession planning, affective organizational commitment,

and employee well-being through generative growth. Last,

there is a need to develop critical appraisal tools for

quantitative and quantitative research used in the field of

management to conduct SLRs. Perhaps our integration of

several appraisal tools can serve as a template, as we

assessed the level of supporting evidence for thematic

conclusions drawn from combining the results of multiple

studies.

Servant Leadership Theory in Organizational Contexts 389

123

This SLR is the first synthesis of empirical studies

exploring servant leadership theory in organizational con-

texts that utilizes a rigorous methodology to mitigate bias

through exhaustive literature searches and by providing an

audit trail of the conclusions. This review enhances our

understanding of the definition(s) of servant leadership,

illustrates the diversity of cultures, organizational settings,

and research foci in which it is being examined, identifies

tools that can be used to measure its existence and out-

comes, and shows that servant leadership is a viable

leadership theory that helps organizations and the well-

being of followers. Our findings synthesize empirical

research on servant leadership theory across the multidis-

ciplinary fields of business, medicine, psychology, religion,

leisure, education, and economics and law. Scholars

exploring servant leadership are using theories from other

disciplines to build upon existing theory and to develop

theory that is uniquely applicable to their field (e.g.,

organizational behavior, sport, gender). Thus, this SLR

validated servant leadership as a viable and valuable the-

ory, and therefore, illustrates how servant leadership theory

can be used to inform future empirical studies. In addition,

and importantly, this SLR contributes to advancing the

methodology of conducting a SLR in the management

context. Here, we showcase how a SRL can provide an

effective method for mapping out thematically the current

body of research literature that empirically explores servant

leadership theory in organizational contexts. However, this

type of systematic review with rigorous methodology can

be applied to other research streams within management as

an aid in holistically synthesizing the state of the field in

various topical areas.

As a viable leadership theory, servant leadership can

perhaps provide the ethical grounding and leadership

framework needed to help address the challenges of the

twenty-first century: technological advancements, eco-

nomic globalization, increased communications, the Inter-

net, rising terrorism, environmental degradation, war and

violence, disease and starvation, threat of global warming,

intensifying gap between the poor and rich worldwide, as

well as many other unsolved issues. Servant leadership

contrasts, traditional leader-first paradigms, which applaud

a Darwinism, individualistic, and capitalist approach to

life, implicating that only the strong will survive. Sadly,

this belief system is operating at the heart of most orga-

nizations and is the consequence of most of our modern

tragedies: Arthur Andersen and Enron, Dennis Kozlowski

and Tyco, and Bernard Ebbers and WorldCom (Forbes

2010). Servant leaders believe ‘‘the world does not have to

be like this’’ (Keith 2008, p. ix) and actively work at

changing society for the better. In short, this review shows

servant leadership can help address these ethical dilemmas.

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The Leadership Quarterly 25 (2014) 63–82

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

The Leadership Quarterly

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/leaqua

Advances in leader and leadership development: A review of 25 years of research and theory

David V. Day a,⁎, John W. Fleenor b, Leanne E. Atwater c, Rachel E. Sturm c, Rob A. McKee c

a University of Western Australia, Australia b Center for Creative Leadership, United States c University of Houston, United States

a r t i c l e i n f o

⁎ Corresponding author at: University of Western A E-mail address: [email protected] (D.V. Day)

1048-9843/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier Inc. A http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.11.004

a b s t r a c t

Article history: Received 1 August 2013 Received in revised form 18 October 2013 Accepted 31 October 2013 Available online 25 November 2013

Editor: Francis J. Yammarino include leader development) has a moderately short history. We examine intrapersonal and

The development of effective leaders and leadership behavior is a prominent concern in organizations of all types. We review the theoretical and empirical literature on leader and leadership development published over the past 25 years, primarily focusing on research published in The Leadership Quarterly. Compared to the relatively long history of leadership research and theory, the systematic study of leadership development (broadly defined to also

interpersonal issues related to the phenomena that develop during the pursuit of effective leadership, describe how development emerges with an emphasis on multi-source or 360-degree feedback processes, review longitudinal studies of leadership development, and investigate methodological and analytical issues in leader and leadership development research. Future research directions to motivate and guide the study of leader and leadership development are also discussed.

© 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Leader development Leadership development 360-degree feedback Self-other agreement Longitudinal research

1. Introduction and overview

Leadership development has emerged as an active field of theory building and research, providing a more scientific and evidence-based foundation to augment the long-standing practitioner interest in the topic. This emergence has transpired primarily over the last 10 to 15 years and The Leadership Quarterly has played a major role as an important outlet for this work. The purpose of this article is to review those advances, highlight their respective contributions, and identify areas in need of future research.

The purpose of this review is to identify advances in scholarly approaches to leader development (intrapersonal, focused on individual leaders), leadership development (interpersonal, focused on enhancing leadership capacity), and related topics that have been featured in this journal over the previous 25 years. The good news is that much has changed. There have been significant contributions to understanding leadership development (broadly defined to also include leader development) as well as multi-source or 360-degree feedback processes. The latter represent important process tools for enhancing leadership development. Although a lot of new knowledge has been generated in the previous 25 years, there is much more that needs to be learned. For that reason we will review the articles and special issues in The Leadership Quarterly since its beginning that have contributed to these scholarly advances. We will also highlight areas where additional focus is needed in terms of building a stronger evidence-based foundation for leadership development and feedback processes.

We begin by elaborating on how and why leadership development is different from the broader field of leadership theory and research. In doing so, we wish to demonstrate that more fully understanding leadership development goes far beyond merely

ustralia Business School (M261), 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, Australia. Tel.: +61 08 6488 3516. .

ll rights reserved.

64 D.V. Day et al. / The Leadership Quarterly 25 (2014) 63–82

choosing a particular leadership theory and training people in behaviors related to that theory. Leadership development is a complex topic that is deserving of scholarly attention with regard to theory and research independent of what has been studied more generally in the field of leadership.

The structure of this review is as follows. First, the content or the “what” of leadership development will be examined to summarize the phenomena that develop and what factors play a role in developing successful leadership skills and potential. This section will include intrapersonal factors (mainly relevant to leader development) as well as interpersonal factors (relating more to leadership development). Second, we consider process issues or the “how” in leadership development. The goal of this section is to describe the ways in which leadership development emerges in organizations and the practices that can be implemented to facilitate effective leadership. Third, we review a series of recent pieces that address aspects of longitudinal studies of leadership development. These are theoretical and empirical contributions that provide valuable insights into the longitudinal nature of leadership development. Fourth, we investigate how leadership development has been assessed or evaluated in the literature, thus promoting a scholarly understanding of evaluation methods in leadership development research. We conclude with an agenda for future research on the topic of leadership development. Whereas many of the pieces we review overlap multiple categories, our hope is that this structural framework provides a clear yet comprehensive understanding of the relevant theory and research pertaining to leadership development.

2. Leader and leadership development: research and theory

There is a relatively long history of leadership theory and research spanning more than a century (Avolio, Reichard, Hannah, Walumbwa, & Chan, 2009); however, in comparison, there is a fairly short history of rigorous scholarly theory and research on the topics of leader and leadership development. As noted by Day (2000), the distinction between developing leaders and developing leadership is potentially an important one. Leader development focuses on developing individual leaders whereas leadership development focuses on a process of development that inherently involves multiple individuals (e.g., leaders and followers or among peers in a self-managed work team). But given the keen attention paid to leadership theory historically, there appears to be a widespread misperception that if that the field could just identify and agree on the “correct” leadership theory then the development piece would inevitably follow. It turns out that this is not so simple. Developing individual leaders and developing effective leadership processes involve more than simply deciding which leadership theory is to be used to motivate effective development. This is so because human development involves a complex set of processes that need to be understood. Given that individual leader development occurs in the context of ongoing adult development (Day, Harrison, & Halpin, 2009), we need to focus on development as much as leadership to shed light on how this process unfolds.

One of the reasons leadership theory and research have contributed little to leadership development is a long-standing focus linking personality with leadership. If personality is conceptualized in terms of traits that summarize relatively enduring dispositional tendencies (House, Shane, & Herold, 1996), then its relevance for studying development (i.e., change) is questionable. Another popular approach in leadership research that is likewise limited in its developmental usefulness is the behavioral approach. Although behaviors can be learned, the primary intervention focus associated with leadership behaviors tends to be based on training rather than on longer-term development initiatives. Training typically involves providing proven approaches to solve known problems but the challenges facing contemporary leaders tend to be too complex and ill-defined to be addressed successfully through such relatively short-term training interventions. As a result of these challenges, the nascent fields of leader and leadership development tend to focus less on leadership theory and more on developmental science. In other words, there has been a change in focus associated with studies of leadership development broadly defined, away from leadership research and toward understanding and enhancing developmental processes.

Another important difference is that the nature of leadership development is inherently multilevel and longitudinal (Day, 2011). Specifically, studying development involves mapping and understanding within- and between-person change patterns – as well as those involving groups, teams, and larger collectives – over time. To contribute to greater understanding of how leaders and leadership processes develop and change, relevant theory and research should reflect both the multilevel and the longitudinal nature of development. This longitudinal, multilevel focus means that intrapersonal and interpersonal processes are central to leadership development over time.

3. Intrapersonal content issues in development

In terms of intrapersonal content (see Table 1 for a summary), a relevant question is what develops as a function of leader development? Additionally, are there individual differences that affect these interventions? Researchers such as Lord and Hall (2005) have noted the importance of individual identity in developing leadership skills and expertise as part of the leader development process. Other researchers have examined issues of cognitive and metacognitive skills at the core of leadership potential (Marshall-Mies et al., 2000), as well as various approaches to understanding the underlying patterns of leadership skills (Mumford, Campion, & Morgeson, 2007; Mumford, Marks, Connelly, Zaccaro, & Reiter-Palmon, 2000; Mumford et al., 2000). Moreover, the role of personality has also been examined as a predictor of leadership styles (deVries, 2012) as well as leader performance (Strang & Kuhnert, 2009). All of these issues involving skills, experience, learning, and personality are central to the notion of developing the expert leader (Day et al., 2009; Lord & Hall, 2005). Research and theory on leader self-development also contribute to our conceptual understanding of intrapersonal content issues.

Table 1 Intrapersonal and interpersonal content issues in leadership development.

Topics Summary Source

Intrapersonal Experience and leaning

Leaders' previous work history as well as the leadership relevance of previous positions held (as opposed to tenure) should be considered in decisions about the kinds of experiences that enhance leader development.

Bettin and Kennedy (1990)

Leadership development occurring in adolescence can be shaped, in part, by parental modeling.

Zacharatos et al. (2000)

A leader's level of experience plays a role in determining how much he or she will learn, but at the same time, not all leaders learn at the same rate or in the same way.

Hirst et al. (2004)

Skills Although certain kinds of experience may encourage skill development at one point in time in a leader's career, others might be more advantageous at a different time.

Mumford, Marks et al.(2000)

Whereas individuals with specific skill types are more inclined to hold senior level leadership positions (such as those who scored high on achievement), there is still a fair amount of diversity in terms of ability, personality, and motivational characteristics across leaders at the same level.

Mumford, Zaccaro et al. (2000)

Six skills relevant for creative problem solving of high-level leaders include general problem solving, planning and implementation, solution construction, solution evaluation, social judgment, and metacognitive processing (i.e., knowledge of one's cognitive processes).

Marshall-Mies et al. (2000)

As leaders assume more senior positions in an organizational, the acquisition of strategic and business skills will be more important for effective performance than the acquisition of interpersonal and cognitive skills.

Mumford et al. (2007)

Effective leadership entails developing and integrating wisdom, intelligence, and creativity.

Sternberg (2008)

Identity, meta-cognitive, and self-regulation processes are crucial to the refinement of knowledge structures and information processing capabilities associated with leadership expertise.

Lord and Hall (2005)

Personality Conscientiousness can be a significant predictor of leader performance. Strang and Kuhnert (2009) Different patterns of personality tend to be more equally representative at junior level leadership positions compared to more senior level positions.

Mumford, Zaccaro et al. (2000)

Self-development Work orientation, mastery orientation, and career-growth orientation facilitate leader self-development activities.

Boyce et al. (2010)

Specific organizational-level (i.e., human resources practices) and group-level (i.e., supervisor style) constructs can promote leader self-development.

Reichard and Johnson (2011)

Interpersonal Social mechanisms

The creation of positive learning environments in which education about other groups occurs, innovation is supported, and cultural communication competence is encouraged, facilitates high quality relationships in diverse leader–member dyads.

Scandura and Lankau (1996)

Leadership development practices can shape social capital development stages (such as networking, mentoring, leadership training, and job assignments) in a variety of ways.

Galli and Müller-Stewens (2012)

Authentic leadership

Authentic leadership development involves “ongoing processes whereby leaders and followers gain self-awareness and establish open, transparent, trusting and genuine relationships, which in part may be shaped and impacted by planned interventions such as training” (p. 322).

Avolio and Gardner (2005)

The positive outcomes of authentic leader–follower relationships include heightened levels of follower trust in the leader, engagement, workplace well-being, and sustainable performance.

Gardner et al. (2005)

Authentic leaders develop authentic followers through positive modeling. Ilies et al. (2005) Positive other-directed emotions (e.g., gratitude, appreciation) will motivate authentic leaders to behave in ways that reflect self-transcendent values (e.g., honesty, loyalty, and equality).

Michie and Gooty (2005)

The attainment of relational authenticity, wherein followers afford leaders the legitimacy to promote a set of values on their behalf, is challenging for many women in positions of authority, and thus, the development of women leaders should focus on the relational aspects of achieving authenticity as a leader.

Eagly (2005)

There is a need for empirical evidence evaluating the underlying principles of authentic leadership theory.

Cooper et al. (2005)

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3.1. Experience and leaning in development

Although there is a long-held assumption on the part of both practitioners and researchers that experience plays an important role in developing effective leadership, research suggests that the empirical evidence for this assumption is far from definitive (Day, 2010). Leadership involves a complex interaction between people and their social and organizational

66 D.V. Day et al. / The Leadership Quarterly 25 (2014) 63–82

environments (Day, 2000). Therefore, simply correlating a leader's performance with the number of months he or she has been in a job or organization is inadequate (i.e., contaminated and deficient) in capturing the full effects of something as nuanced as experience.

Bettin and Kennedy (1990) addressed these conceptualization and measurement concerns by examining several different ways that experience can be measured in organizations. They argued that a limitation in the research on experience and leader development is the use of tenure or length of time in a job or organization as a proxy for experience. They studied biographies of 84 U.S. Army Captains who all had very similar years of experience. Experience was assessed by experts who rated the biographies according to the knowledge, skills, or practice that the Captains gained from their current position and the leadership relevance of previous positions. When measured in this manner, experience was found to be a significant predictor of leadership performance; however, time in service and number of previous positions were unrelated to leadership performance.

The results of the Bettin and Kennedy (1990) study suggested that whereas time and experience are not mutually exclusive – it does take time to gain experience – it is important for scholars to be mindful that using time as a proxy for experience is limited. Moreover, the authors offered leadership scholars an appropriate conceptualization of experience as the relevant skills, knowledge, and practice acquired while holding various jobs that may be relevant to research on the role of experience in leader development. These findings also have practical implications in terms of taking into account individuals' previous work history as well as the leadership relevance of the previous positions held in making decisions about the kinds of experiences that enhance leader development.

Zacharatos, Barling, and Kelloway (2000) extended this focus on individual experience and leader development by studying adolescents' observations of transformational leadership behaviors exhibited by their respective parents and how this experience was associated with their leadership effectiveness within a team context. Transformational leadership (Bass & Riggio, 2006) is conceptualized around four interrelated components: (a) idealized influence, (b) inspirational motivation, (c) intellectual stimulation, and (d) individualized consideration, and is one of the most frequently studied leadership approaches in the leadership literature (Day & Antonakis, 2012). To better understand how transformational leadership behaviors develop in youths, Zacharatos et al. (2000) invoked social learning theory to explain the influence that parental modeling can have on the development of adolescents' leadership. The research focused on a sample of 112 Canadian high school students who were members of different sports teams. Adolescents' perceptions that their parents demonstrated transformational leadership behaviors were associated with a greater likelihood that these adolescents exhibited similar leadership behaviors. Also, those adolescents who displayed transformational behaviors were rated as more satisfying, effective, and effort-evoking leaders by their peers and coaches in their particular team context. In terms of leadership development, this study suggests that development of leadership (particularly transformational leadership) can start in adolescents and is likely shaped, in part, by parental modeling.

In a year-long empirical study of R&D teams, Hirst, Mann, Bain, Pirola-Merlo, and Richter (2004) examined the role of learning and individual differences in the development of facilitative leadership behaviors. Facilitative leadership endorses respect and positive relationships among team members, constructive conflict resolution, and candid expression of thoughts and attitudes. The authors grounded their hypotheses in action learning theory, proposing that leaders “learn from challenging work, from solving complex problems, and from leading a team, and that they use this knowledge to foster team communication and enhance team performance” (p. 321). But not all leaders learn at the same rate or in the same way. The authors supported their contention that leaders who are better able to learn from their experiences tended to engage in greater levels of facilitative leadership. This learning of facilitative leadership behaviors was, in turn, associated with higher levels of team reflexivity and performance.

Hirst et al. (2004) also found support for their hypotheses that a leader's level of experience will determine how much he or she will learn and, further, experience will moderate the relationship between leadership learning and facilitative leadership. Less experienced leaders simply have more to learn and are more likely to encounter novel situations than their more veteran counterparts. The schemas and implicit leadership theories of inexperienced leaders are likely to be less complex or crystallized, and thus are more amenable to change. This is not meant to suggest that experienced leaders are incapable of learning or translating that learning into their leadership behaviors, but rather that they must work harder to integrate new knowledge into their established cognitive frameworks. Another important finding from this research involved the time lag (ranging from 4 to 8 months) between leadership learning and facilitative leadership behavior enactment. The authors surmised that this “may reflect the interval between gaining new insight and grasping an understanding of how best to translate this knowledge into leadership behavior” (p. 322). In other words, it takes time for leaders to progress from a conceptual understanding of their facilitative role to the procedural expression of their leadership competence through specific facilitative behaviors.

3.2. Skills and development

At the turn of the 21st century, leadership scholars began focusing attention on the particular leadership skills that can be acquired through development processes. For instance, Mumford, Marks et al. (2000) and Mumford, Zaccaro et al. (2000) used U.S. military samples to examine the skills acquired over the course of a leader's career and how these skills are acquired. The researchers examined complex problem-solving skills, creative thinking skills, social judgment skills, solution construction skills, and leader knowledge or expertise. In order to describe changes in these skills from lower to higher level leadership positions, Mumford, Marks et al. (2000) illustrated that scores on assessments of these skills increased from junior-level positions (e.g., second

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lieutenant, first lieutenants, and junior captains) to mid-level positions (e.g., senior captains and majors) and from mid-level to upper-level positions (e.g., lieutenant colonels and colonels). They also found that certain skills were more important at certain phases of a leader's career. In particular, technical training was found to be more strongly related to skill increases moving from junior to mid-level positions whereas more advanced professional training was more strongly related to increases in requisite complex problem-solving skills as leaders moved from mid-level to more senior positions.

The findings of Mumford, Marks et al.'s (2000) study of differences in leadership skills across six grade levels of officers in the U.S. Army offer useful theoretical and practical implications for those interested in leadership development. Specifically, their findings supported their proposed organization-based model of leader skill development, which suggests that skill development depends on learning as people interact with their environment. It also explains that skill development can occur over a long period of time and that this process is progressive, moving from simple aspects of development to more complex, integrated components. These findings also suggest that whereas certain kinds of experience may encourage skill development at one point in time in a leader's career, others might be more beneficial at a different time. Thus, they recommended that training assignments should be carefully tailored to current developmental needs, which, of course, is easier said than done.

In a related study, Mumford, Zaccaro et al. (2000) were interested in identifying types or subgroups of individuals entering into the U.S. Army according to ability, personality, and motivational characteristics, as well as determining which of these types were found in more senior positions. They identified seven different types of individual profiles: Concrete Achievers were those high on achievement and planning; Motivated Communicators were extraverted, dominant, responsible, and high in achievement needs; Limited Defensives were introverted, and scored high in areas of sensing, thinking, and judging; Disengaged Introverts were also introverted but scored high on intuition, perception, and planning; Social Adaptors were extraverted, and scored high in feeling, perception, and openness; Thoughtful Innovators were introverted, intuitive, achievement-oriented, and open; and Struggling Misfits were those who did not score high on any of the measures.

Results suggested that all seven of these groups were well represented in junior officers, with at least 10% to at most 20% of the officers being found in each subgroup. Whereas group representation was more uniform at the junior officer level, a different pattern of group membership emerged at the more senior level. Specifically, members of three of the subgroups – Motivated Communicators, Thoughtful Innovators, and Social Adaptors – were represented with greater or equal frequency at the senior officer level compared to the junior officer level, with Motivated Communicators and Thoughtful Innovators being especially pronounced with 40% and 26% of the sample, respectively. These findings suggest that whereas individuals with specific skills types are more apt to hold upper level leadership positions there is still a good deal of diversity in terms of ability, personality, and motivational characteristics among leadership incumbents at the same level. The authors encouraged practitioners and scholars to recognize that the development process is holistic in nature and that different types of people will be needed to fill different types of organizational leadership roles.

In an effort to identify and appropriately measure specific skills related to effective senior-level leaders, Marshall-Mies et al. (2000) created and tested an on-line computer-based cognitive and metacognitive (i.e., knowledge of one's cognitive processes) skill assessment battery called the Military Leadership Exercises. In doing so, they first identified complex cognitive and metacognitive skills relevant for creative problem solving in high-level leaders. The cognitive skills included general problem solving, planning and implementation, solution construction, solution evaluation, and social judgment. Metacognitive processing was measured as individuals' awareness of prior understandings as evidenced by their ability to reevaluate these understandings over time in light of new information. The skills were assessed using complex and domain-specific (i.e., geared towards the military) situational leadership scenarios, which were used to predict performance outcomes. This study contributes to our understanding of leader development by describing skills that are important to senior-level leaders as well as by providing a way in which these skills can be measured.

Other researchers have since investigated different patterns of skills that are important to leaders and leadership development. In particular, Mumford et al. (2007) presented four leadership skill requirements (cognitive, interpersonal, business, and strategic) as a strataplex, conceptualized as layered (strata) across the organization and segmented (plex) into a specified number of parts. Findings from their study on approximately 1000 junior, midlevel, and senior managers supported the proposed strataplex approach and demonstrated that specific skill requirements vary by organizational level. In addition, they proposed that as managers are promoted to more senior roles, the acquisition of strategic and business skills will be more important for effective performance than the acquisition of interpersonal and cognitive skills.

Sternberg (2008) provided a WICS approach to leadership, which refers to Wisdom, Intelligence, and Creativity Synthesized. This approach is grounded in the notion that effective leadership entails developing and integrating these three types of skills (wisdom, intelligence, and creativity) that all play an important role in decision making. Accordingly, leadership is a process that involves generating ideas (creativity), then analyzing whether the ideas are good or not (intelligence), and then, ideally, acting on the ideas in a way to achieve a common good (wisdom). Sternberg recommends that one way that leadership potential can be developed is through identifying and encouraging this kind of synthesis.

Lord and Hall (2005) proposed that leadership development is predicated on progressive skills development. Their approach is based on a general theory of learning and expertise, which suggests that changes in information processing and underlying knowledge structures occur as skills are gradually refined. Thus, through the process of skill development a leader advances through novice, intermediate, and expert skill levels. Each level requires increasingly sophisticated knowledge structures and information processing capabilities within broadly defined task, emotional, social, and self-relevant realms. Compared to Hirst et al. (2004),who examined less experienced leaders against more experienced leaders, Lord and Hall focused on the underlying processes involved in moving from a novice (i.e., inexperienced) to an expert (i.e., highly experienced) leader.

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The development of leadership skills also requires self-motivation. In that regard, identity, meta-cognitive, and self-regulation processes are thought to be crucial to the refinement of knowledge structures and information processing capabilities associated with leadership expertise. Through the course of development, identity progresses from the individual level, in which the self is defined in terms of uniqueness from others, to the relational level, in which the self is defined in terms of roles and relationships, to the collective level, in which the self is defined in terms of group or organizational affiliations (Lord & Hall, 2005). Concomitant development of meta-cognitive skills enables better knowledge access, goal formation, action, and social reactions, which frees up cognitive resources that can be directed toward effective self-regulation. Self-regulation involves the control and communication of emotions to others. As a leader's skills progress into the expert domain over time, the identity and behaviors of a leader are increasingly guided by understanding the situation and collaborating with others.

3.3. Personality and development

Research has found certain personality traits to be predictive of effective leadership. For example, Strang and Kuhnert (2009) found that the Big Five personality factor of conscientiousness significantly predicted of leader performance as measured by the average rating of three sources (subordinate, peer, and supervisor). Moreover, Mumford, Zaccaro et al. (2000) suggested that patterns of personality can have an impact on leader skill development and performance. Nonetheless, if personality changes relatively little compared with other personal characteristics in adulthood, then it makes sense to evaluate their predictive value in terms of leadership performance. Other approaches will be discussed that examine more malleable constructs that are thought to change as part of leader development processes (e.g., self-efficacy).

3.4. Self-development

In terms of understanding leader self-development, Boyce, Zaccaro, and Wisecarver (2010) addressed the relative lack of research on the personal characteristics of individuals who engage in leadership self-development activities. Through an empirical examination of junior military leaders, the authors supported a conceptual model in which dispositional characteristics differentially predict leader development activities. The individual characteristics found to be associated with leader development activities were work orientation (e.g., job involvement and organizational commitment); mastery orientation (greater self-efficacy, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and intellectual maturity); and career-growth orientation (greater career exploration and feedback seeking behaviors). Depending on the strength of their mastery and work orientations, individuals were more or less motivated to engage in self-development activities. Those individuals with a stronger career growth orientation were found to be more skilled at performing self-development activities. Overall, the results indicated that work orientation, mastery orientation, and career-growth orientation play key roles in leader self-development.

Further addressing the scarcity of research in the area of self-development of leadership skills, Reichard and Johnson (2011) proposed a multi-level model of leader self-development that describes how leaders are “transformed into continuous self-developers” (p. 34). In this model organizational-level constructs such as human resources practices and resources are linked with group-level phenomena such as norms, supervisor style, and social networks to promote leaders' motivation to develop their leadership and to engage in continuous self-development behavior. Specifically, HR processes (selection, training, and performance appraisal) create group norms (learning, responsibility, and openness), and support the development of individual leader skills and abilities. These individual-level leader characteristics are moderated by supportive group norms to engender an individual's motivation to develop leadership and to engage in continuous self-development. The authors assert that “leader self-development is a cost-effective way for organizations to develop leaders resulting [potentially] in a competitive edge” (p. 33).

4. Interpersonal content issues in development

Given that leadership development is a dynamic process involving multiple individuals spanning various levels of analyses, the content aspects of this process include a variety of interpersonal factors (see Table 1). One such approach to understanding the content of leadership development includes a focus on the development of leader–member exchange (LMX) quality. Another relevant approach examines how leadership development practices shape the development of social capital in organizations. Relatedly, a special issue on authentic leadership emphasized the interactive leader–follower quality of authentic leadership and provided developmental strategies related to this leadership approach.

4.1. Social mechanisms and development

Leadership development emphasizes the enactment of leadership built on a foundation of mutual trust and respect (Day, 2000). As a result, it is important to understand the development of social interactions that occur within the leadership process. For instance, Boyd and Taylor (1998) conceptually evaluated how the presence of friendship contributes to either effective or ineffective working relationships in the LMX process. Scandura and Lankau (1996) further extended research on LMX by including the potential role that gender and race relations may play in the process of forging effective exchange qualities. More specifically, these authors described how certain social psychological processes (e.g., self-knowledge, interpersonal skills, communication competence, and cultural competence) and contextual influences (e.g., organizational climate/culture, group/organizational composition, economic environment, and organizational support for diversity) moderate the development of high quality relationships in diverse leader–

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member dyads. They highlighted the importance of leaders creating positive learning environments in which learning about other groups occurs, innovation is supported, and cultural communication competence is encouraged. From this, individuals create more integrated self-concepts that include both intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions.

More recently, Galli and Müller-Stewens (2012) demonstrated how leadership development practices shape the development of social capital in organizations. In contrast to human capital, which focuses primarily on individual leader attributes (i.e., knowledge, skills, and abilities), social capital considers connections and interactions among individuals within a social context. In an effort to understand how leadership development potentially impacts organizational performance, the authors adopted a case study approach to examine the development of social capital at more strategic levels of the firm. They found that social capital differs regarding its intensity and progresses through stages characterized by contact (e.g., networks, off-sites, mentoring), assimilation (e.g., leadership training, 360-degree feedback), and identification (e.g., job assignments, action learning). Also, their results suggest that leadership development practices vary in their potential impact on social capital development stages; thus, they should be designed accordingly.

4.2. Authentic leadership development

In a special issue of The Leadership Quarterly on the topic of authentic leadership, Avolio and Gardner (2005) noted that authentic leadership development involves “ongoing processes whereby leaders and followers gain self-awareness and establish open, transparent, trusting and genuine relationships, which in part may be shaped and impacted by planned interventions such as training” (p. 322). Thus, the development of authentic leadership is conceptualized as a more complex process than just the development of authentic leaders. The former involves the development of an authentic relationship (i.e., social capital focus) between leaders and their followers; in contrast, the development of authentic leaders is more intrapersonal in nature (i.e., human capital focus).

Avolio and Gardner (2005) highlighted the environmental and organizational forces that have generated interest in the study of authentic leadership and its development. They described the similarities and defining features of authentic leadership theory in comparison to other perspectives of leadership (e.g., transformational, charismatic, servant, and spiritual leadership). In this vein, a model of the relationships between authentic leadership, follower development, and follower performance was presented (Gardner, Avolio, Luthans, May, & Walumbwa, 2005). The proposed model highlighted the developmental processes of leader and follower self-awareness and self-regulation, as well as the influence of the leaders' and followers' personal histories on authentic leadership and followership. The model also considered the reciprocal effects of an inclusive, ethical, and compassionate organizational climate. Positive modeling was viewed as the primary mechanism through which leaders developed authentic followers and the outcomes of authentic leader–follower relationships included heightened levels of follower trust in the leader, enhanced engagement and workplace well-being, as well as more sustainable performance. Although this approach is commendable for including both leaders and followers in the development process, it is unclear what it offers beyond the well-established effects of leader–member exchange (LMX) theory. Future tests of authentic leadership development will need to control for LMX in demonstrating a unique contribution to the establishment of authentic relationships.

Ilies, Morgeson, and Nahrgang (2005) presented a somewhat different model of authentic leader development that focused on the elements of authenticity and the processes through which authentic leadership contributes to the well-being of both leaders and followers. Authentic leaders are expected to consider multiple sides and multiple perspectives of an issue, and gather related information in a relatively balanced manner. Similar to what was proposed by Gardner et al. (2005), the focus is on positive modeling as the primary means used by authentic leaders to influence followers and to generate well-being as a positive outcome of authenticity.

Researchers have also stressed the importance of values and behaviors to the understanding and development of authentic leadership. In an investigation of the effects of emotions and values on leader authenticity, Michie and Gooty (2005) posited that emotions and values play a fundamental role in the emergence and development of authentic leadership. The authors' central thesis was that positive other-directed emotions (e.g., gratitude, appreciation) motivate authentic leaders to behave in ways that reflect self-transcendent values (e.g., honesty, loyalty, equality). By stressing the importance of emotions in understanding leadership and followership, this approach represented a somewhat different and novel perspective on the development of authentic leadership.

To further explore the boundary conditions of authentic leadership theory, Eagly (2005) presented a relational view of authenticity in arguing that much more is required of leaders than transparently conveying and acting on their values. Achieving relational authenticity is thought to require that followers afford leaders the legitimacy to promote a set of values on their behalf. Leaders are able to elicit the personal and social identification of followers only when these conditions exist. Eagly suggested that eliciting identification is more difficult for female than male leaders, as it is more generally for members of outsider groups (e.g., minorities, non-natives) who have not traditionally had access to leadership roles. Because of the interactive effects of gender role and leader role requirements, achieving relational authenticity is challenging for many women in positions of authority. The development of women leaders should therefore focus on the relational aspects of achieving authenticity as a leader. Trends toward participative decision making and transformational leadership may also increase the probability that women and other outsiders will achieve success as leaders.

In a critique of authentic leadership approaches, Cooper, Scandura, and Schriesheim (2005) advised researchers in this area to learn from the mistakes made in other areas of leadership research. They suggested that the core propositions of this theory must first be tested by studying the developmental processes that encompass authentic leadership. Authentic leadership theory, therefore, must be examined through experimental investigations of the hypothesized relationships between its core development

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processes and essential theoretical constructs. Until the theory has been properly tested (including controlling for the effects of LMX), the authors warned against a rush to push authentic leadership development in practice.

5. Process issues in leadership development

Researchers have also addressed the role of process in leader and leadership development (see Table 2 for a summary of this literature). Specifically, process factors are those that shape the rate or pattern of development over time. In general, these factors can emerge through organizational practices such as mentoring and coaching, 360-degree feedback, leadership training, job assignments, and action learning among others. In particular, research and theory appearing in The Leadership Quarterly has contributed significantly to shaping our scholarly understanding of feedback processes, especially 360-degree feedback. Other process factors related to leadership development that have received attention in this journal include self-other agreement (Fleenor, Smither, Atwater, Braddy, & Sturm, 2010) and the use of narratives and life stories (Ligon, Hunter, & Mumford, 2008; Shamir & Eilam, 2005).

5.1. Feedback as a process of development

Corresponding with the emergence of leadership development as a scholarly field of interest, the use of 360-degree feedback as a developmental process to foster self-awareness and competency development has become a major area of research. 360-degree feedback has become almost ubiquitous in organizations of every type (e.g., corporate, government, non-profit, military, education) and is a prominent process for facilitating development. If used as intended, 360-degree feedback can help people understand systematically the impact of their behavior on others. In general, the approach gathers and reports on ratings of leader behavior and/or effectiveness from multiple sources such as subordinates, peers, bosses, and possibly even external stakeholders such as customers, in addition to self-ratings. These ratings are usually aggregated and therefore remain anonymous,

Table 2 Process issues in leadership development.

Topics Summary Source

360-degree feedback

It is important to consider the pattern of strategic, organizational, and HR-related factors that must be integrated in order to link feedback results to organizational performance. Merely assuming that giving a leader feedback will result in a behavioral change, and ultimately organizational performance improvement, is overly simplistic.

Atwater and Waldman (1998)

Leaders' reactions to 360-degree feedback vary as a function of the feedback content as well as other factors about the raters and the organizational climate, including whether or not recipients felt the organization was supportive of their developmental efforts.

Facteau et al. (1998)

Leaders who are high self-monitors do not receive higher 360-degree feedback ratings, suggesting that the impression management styles of high self-monitors do not significantly influence360-degree ratings.

Warech et al. (1998)

The administration of two feedback interventions has the ability to improve leader effectiveness more so than a single administration of a feedback intervention.

Seifert and Yukl (2010)

In terms of how political leaders respond to criticism, others' supportive reactions are positively related to collaboration and persuasion strategies as a response to criticism, whereas diverting attention and persuasion are related to unsuccessful resolution of the issue.

Eubanks et al. (2010)

While most leadership development programs have improved leader effectiveness as an ultimate goal, the main roles associated with effective leadership differ according to who is being asked (e.g., focal manager, peers, subordinates, or bosses); hence, effectiveness may be in the eye of the beholder (or evaluator).

Hooijberg and Choi (2000)

Self-other agreement

Leaders who rate themselves similarly to how others rate them are likely to be more effective leaders.

Atwater and Yammarino (1992)

Self-other agreement does not appear to be related to leadership effectiveness. Fleenor et al. (1996) There is a link between rating agreement and leader effectiveness. Atwater et al. (1998) Whereas self-other agreement appears to be related to leader effectiveness, its relationship to leadership outcomes is complex. Also, self-other agreement can be an important factor in increasing the self-perception accuracy or self-awareness of individuals participating in leadership development programs using multi-source assessments.

Fleenor et al. (2010)

Self-narrative Authentic leaders can gain self-knowledge, self-concept clarity, and person-role merger, by constructing, developing, and revising the personal narratives they construct about themselves (i.e., life stories).

Shamir and Eilam (2005)

Continuously revising and updating self-narratives as experiences accrue through written journals or other similar techniques can help enhance the effectiveness of programs and interventions that seek to increase self-awareness.

Sparrowe (2005)

Various leader performance dimensions can be linked to certain types of experiences. For example, experiences that create optimistic views of others and empathy for their suffering are strongly related to outstanding leader performance.

Ligon et al. (2008)

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with the exception of ratings provided by the supervisor. A major part of the feedback process is in understanding where the perceptions across different sources converge – as well as diverge – in their perceptions of a focal manager (Hoffman, Lance, Bynum, & Gentry, 2010). Attention is also given to how others' ratings correspond with a leader's self-ratings. The intended focus is typically on leader development but may also include an evaluative component in some organizations. As 360-degree feedback has evolved as an evidence-based process, much of its developmental focus is on identifying leadership skills and competencies that are perceived by various sources to be effective or ineffective.

Because of the interconnected nature of leadership development with 360-degree feedback, these topics will be reviewed together. But to clarify their relationship, leadership development is inherently longitudinal in terms of studying individual and collective change over time; it is multilevel in focusing on intrapersonal and interpersonal changes; and 360-degree feedback is a process used to facilitate this development. It should also be made clear that 360-degree feedback is not a tool such as a personality assessment or other type of psychological inventory. Instead, it is a process of collecting multisource ratings, summarizing these data into an accessible format, and presenting these summaries as a way of fostering self-awareness and the development of individual leaders. This feedback process might be used with larger collectives such as teams and organizations, but its primary use is with individual leaders.

Although many of the articles pertaining to 360-degree feedback and leader development have been published in more practitioner-oriented journals, The Leadership Quarterly has published a variety of empirically-based articles on the subject of feedback and its relevance to leadership development. One of the fundamental components of effective leadership is self-awareness or self-understanding. Ashford (1989) wrote eloquently on the topic of feedback-seeking behavior and on the importance of recognizing how one is perceived by others in order to develop a more accurate self-view. This self-view subsequently shapes an understanding of one's own strengths and weaknesses, ultimately influencing decision-making and subsequent behavior. The importance of accurate self-assessment (i.e., enhanced self-awareness) has been extended recently to meta-perceptions, which concern not only how an individual views himself or herself and how others view that individual, but also how the individual thinks others view him or her (Taylor & Hood, 2011).

In the 1990s, interest in the process and outcomes of 360-degree feedback gathered momentum. The use of 360-degree feedback as a development tool was being implemented with varying degrees of success around the world and a number of research questions about what influenced its success were being asked. In an attempt to summarize and highlight what was known about 360-degree feedback from a scholarly perspective, Atwater and Waldman (1998) edited a special issue on 360-degree feedback and leadership development for The Leadership Quarterly. Unfortunately, implementation of 360-degree feedback was apparently ahead of research on its effectiveness in that only two studies were published on the topic in that special issue. But notably, this special issue was one of the first publications to highlight areas in which more research was needed on the use of 360-degree feedback for leadership development. Additionally, the issue was noteworthy for its focus on the potential impact of organizational culture on the implementation of 360-degree feedback processes.

In their introduction to the special issue, Atwater and Waldman (1998) recommended that researchers adopt configural approaches to 360-degree feedback by considering the pattern of strategic, organizational, and human resources-related factors that must be integrated in order to link feedback results to organizational performance. Merely assuming that giving a leader feedback will result in a behavioral change, and ultimately organizational performance improvement, is overly simplistic. Atwater and Waldman also suggested that researchers closely examine the link between 360-degree feedback and organizational culture. For example, 360-degree feedback initiatives may be effective only in organizations that have a culture of innovation, behaviorally-based appraisal practices, and developmental strategies. In an attempt to change their culture, some organizations may adopt 360-degree feedback in hopes that these practices will result in employees becoming more open, participative, and trusting. Nonetheless, it is an empirical question whether 360-degree feedback can have positive effects on organizational culture. It might be that a 360-degree feedback process would not be successful until the organization has an open, participative, and trusting culture. This was one of the areas in which the guest editors cited the need for more research on 360-degree feedback.

Another area in need of research was related to the determinants and consequences of developmental goal setting that arise as a result of receiving 360-degree feedback. In an attempt to partially address this need, Facteau, Facteau, Schoel, Russell, and Poteet (1998) examined factors related to leaders' reactions to 360-degree feedback. Positive reactions to feedback are an important element in the success of 360-degree feedback in that such reactions likely result in leaders seeking additional feedback and setting developmental goals, both of which are critical to fostering development. Lacking favorable reactions to the feedback, positive behavior change is unlikely to occur.

Facteau et al. (1998) hypothesized that higher overall other ratings, organizational support, and perceived rater ability would be positively related to the reactions of feedback recipients (acceptance and perceived usefulness of peer and subordinate feedback). Their findings were somewhat mixed. Although they found that overall ratings were positively related to the acceptance of feedback, these ratings were not consistently related to perceived feedback usefulness. For example, the recipient may be very accepting of positive ratings but not find them terribly useful. Whether the feedback was perceived as useful had more to do with the degree to which the recipients felt the organization was supportive of their developmental efforts. Overall, this study provided early evidence that leaders' reactions to 360-degree feedback vary as a function of the feedback itself as well as other factors about the raters and the organizational climate. Differences in the reactions of the participants to the feedback, therefore, were not simply attributable to the overall ratings provided to these leaders. The study concluded that organizations that wish to implement successful 360-degree feedback systems will need to consider all of the various factors that may contribute to the leaders' reactions to feedback.

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Reporting on the positive effects of 360-degree feedback for leadership development, Warech, Smither, Reilly, Millsap, and Reilly (1998) studied the relationship between leader self-monitoring, personality, and 360-degree feedback ratings from peers and subordinates. This was an important question to address because it would be disconcerting if a leader's degree of self-monitoring (i.e., the desire and ability to fashion a positive image for a particular situation) explained a large amount of variance in 360-degree ratings. That is, if self-monitoring and 360-degree ratings were highly related it might be concluded that such ratings were manipulated to some extent by the impression management styles of high self-monitors. Encouragingly, the authors found that leaders who were high self-monitors did not receive higher overall ratings, thus providing some assurances that 360-degree feedback ratings reflected mainly perceptions of leadership behaviors rather than the result of active impression management.

Atwater and Waldman (1998) recognized that these studies made significant contributions to our understanding of 360-degree feedback and leadership development but stressed that much more work remained to be done in this area. In particular, it was suggested that future research should focus more squarely on the outcomes of 360-degree feedback. Examples of such outcomes included:(a) the extent to which 360-degree feedback initiatives can affect organizational performance; (b)how often 360-degree feedback should be administered to maintain participant interest and continue the developmental process; and (c) the points in leaders' careers at which 360-degree feedback will have the most impact. For the most part, these still remain important but largely unexamined research questions.

Seifert and Yukl (2010) did address one of the questions posed above in terms of repetition of the feedback process. They conducted a longitudinal field experiment of middle managers in which half of the managers received one developmental workshop including 360-degree feedback and the other half participated in a follow-up workshop where they received feedback a second time. In each workshop they were provided with a feedback report of their self and other ratings of their influence tactics, as well as a discussion to help them understand the results of the feedback and ways to use it to more effectively influence others in the future. The managers' overall effectiveness was measured pre-feedback as well as post-feedback. The pre-feedback effectiveness ratings did not differ in the two groups; however, at the second measurement period those who participated in two feedback processes were rated as significantly more effective following feedback than those who received feedback only once. This suggests that additional resources allocated to the feedback process (e.g., doubling the number of feedback sessions) has the potential to improve leader effectiveness. A question that deserves future research attention concerns whether there is compelling economic or financial utility associated with increasing the number of feedback sessions provided to a leader.

Eubanks et al. (2010) took a different approach to looking at feedback in examining how political leaders respond to criticism. They used a historiometric approach to study biographies of 120 world leaders and how the response strategies to the criticism used by the leader related to success in terms of follower reactions and resolution of an issue. Their results demonstrated that others' supportive reactions were positively related to collaboration and persuasion strategies as a response to criticism, whereas diverting attention and persuasion were related to unsuccessful resolution of the issue. Regarding the ultimate conclusion of the event, both collaboration and confrontation were positively related to the outcome although confrontation was also negatively related to unsupportive reactions by others. It is interesting to speculate about strategies that have differing results for popular opinion versus effective resolution. One could speculate that strategies such as persuasion might be used to influence attitudes while ineffectively resolving the issue. The authors suggested that future research might examine events in which leaders receive praise, the types of behaviors that are praised, as well as follower reactions to the praise. In the political arena – especially in democratic countries – criticism and praise will likely elicit very different reactions depending on whether or not members are from one's own political party or an adversarial party.

Most leadership development programs target, as an ultimate goal, improved leader effectiveness. But the question arises: effectiveness according to whom? Hooijberg and Choi (2000) discovered that the main roles associated with effective leadership differ according to who is being asked (e.g., focal manager, peers, subordinates, or bosses). For example, when considering a monitoring role, focal managers and their subordinates found this to be an important leadership role whereas peers and superiors did not. As another example, the role of facilitator was seen as a component of effectiveness from the perspective of subordinates and peers but not from the perspective of bosses or the managers themselves. These findings provide potentially important implications to the leadership development process because they reinforce the idea that effectiveness may be in the eye of the beholder (or evaluator). Are we developing leaders to align with what superiors or subordinates find to be most important? Is it possible to develop a leader who can succeed in all roles? Hooijberg and Choi suggested that 360-degree feedback is a good starting place for managers in understanding the differing expectations of various constituency groups.

5.2. Self-other agreement as a process of development

A debate emerged in the mid-1990s on the topic of self-other agreement (SOA) in ratings and its role in contributing to leader effectiveness. Atwater and Yammarino's (1992) conclusion that leaders who rated themselves similarly to how others rated them were likely be more effective leaders was questioned (Fleenor, McCauley, & Brutus, 1996). According to Atwater and Yammarino, so-called over-estimators who rate themselves higher than do others may inaccurately over-estimate their strengths and underestimate their weaknesses, which could adversely affect their leadership effectiveness. Using a categorization scheme that included level of performance (i.e., good versus poor), Fleenor et al. reported that self-other agreement was unrelated to leadership effectiveness. Unfortunately, the categorization approach that was used suffered from methodological shortcomings (e.g., dichotomizing or otherwise truncating continuous data). Using more sophisticated analyses such as polynomial regression,

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Atwater, Ostroff, Yammarino, and Fleenor (1998) found relationships between rating agreement and leader effectiveness; however, the relationship was more complex than originally believed.

In a review of the literature on self-other rating agreement, Fleenor et al. (2010) addressed some of these complexities including issues influencing SOA, as well as optimal measurement and analytic techniques for studying this phenomenon. An important conclusion of this review was that whereas self-other agreement was generally related to leader effectiveness, its relationship to various leadership outcomes was not as straightforward. For example, although self-raters who are in agreement with others' ratings are generally most effective, in some contexts over- and under-estimators can be effective. Another conclusion was that self-other agreement can be an important factor in increasing the self-perception accuracy or self-awareness of individuals participating in leadership development programs that use 360-degree feedback or other types of multisource assessments.

Fleenor et al. (2010) also addressed the implications of using sophisticated analytic tools (e.g., polynomial regression) to study self-other agreement. Although psychometrically the most precise of the available techniques for testing hypotheses about SOA, techniques such as polynomial regression are not very useful for providing feedback on self-other agreement to participants in leader development programs. Instead, simpler and more straightforward approaches are recommended. For example, using comparisons of self-ratings to mean ratings across other rater groups (e.g., subordinates or peers) is useful; however, inter-rater agreement should be assessed prior to using mean ratings. An additional suggestion for optimizing the value of 360-degree feedback to leaders was to provide rater training and incentives to raters to guide them in providing quality feedback. Moreover, the anonymity of raters, especially subordinates, is critical in reducing fears of retribution. As mentioned earlier, the role of the rater and his or her definition of effectiveness should also be considered in interpreting 360-degree feedback ratings.

5.3. Self-narrative as a process of development

In addition to investigating how the 360-degree feedback and SOA processes can contribute to leadership development, Shamir and Eilam (2005) advanced a self-narrative approach in which leaders' self-stories contribute to their ongoing development. Leaders wrote personal narratives about themselves (i.e., life stories) to help provide insight into the self-relevant meanings they attach to their life experiences. The authors focused on authentic leadership and suggested that by constructing, developing, and revising their life stories, leaders gain self-knowledge, self-concept clarity, and person-role merger, which are necessary elements in their development as authentic leaders. As noted by the authors, “leaders gain authenticity when they act and justify their actions on the basis of the meaning system provided by their life-stories” (p. 396).

Complementing this life-story approach, Sparrowe (2005) offered an explanation of the narrative process through which a leader's authentic self emerges. This perspective is grounded in hermeneutic philosophy (the theory and study of interpretation), proposing that individuals are able to construct their identities from their interpretations of self-narratives created based on their life experiences. An important aspect of these self-narratives is to continuously revise and update them as experiences accrue. Doing so through written journals or other similar techniques can help enhance the effectiveness of programs and interventions that seek to increase self-awareness.

Ligon et al. (2008) also considered the role of hermeneutic philosophy in leadership development. Rather than relying on leaders to interpret their own narratives, these researchers analyzed and coded the developmental events from the early lives of outstanding leaders as chronicled in their biographies. The results supported the proposition that outstanding leaders rely on past experience to assist their sense-making efforts. Although this may seem unsurprising, it suggests that leaders may be engaged in assimilating recent experiences with past experiences in building a coherent personal narrative or life story. Also, patterns of early experiences emerged that distinguished leaders based upon their leadership orientation (socialized or personalized) or style (charismatic, ideological, or pragmatic). For instance, socialized leaders had relatively more experiences that helped to anchor their core values, whereas personalized leadership resulted more from “a life riddled with instability and uncertainty” (p. 329). Ligon et al.'s findings regarding leadership style also suggested that ideological leaders tended to make decisions based on the beliefs and values they formed through early anchoring events, rather than engaging in more proactive fact-finding and analysis activities. Conversely, pragmatic leaders tended to make decisions based on facts and analysis, due in part to “originating” events at the beginning of their careers that helped define their long-term goals and plans for action. Moreover, charismatic leaders were found to have experienced more turning-point or life-redirecting events during their formative years. Finally, and perhaps most interestingly, the study demonstrated that various dimensions of leader performance were related to certain types of experiences. For instance, having had experiences that create optimistic views of others and empathy for their suffering is strongly related to outstanding performance. Consistent with the implications noted by others (e.g., Shamir & Eilam, 2005; Sparrowe, 2005), Ligon and colleagues underscored the importance of the life narrative and its theoretical and practical implications for leadership development research and practice.

6. Longitudinal perspectives on leadership development

As noted previously in this review, the nature of leadership development is inherently multilevel and longitudinal (Day, 2011). Thus, it is important for scholars to map and understand intra- and inter-personal change patterns of leaders over time (see Table 3 for a summary and overview). In an attempt to demonstrate the significance of longitudinal research in studying leadership development, Day, Gronn, and Salas (2004) provided a theoretical model outlining how individual leader and follower skills and attributes could contribute to building team leadership capacity. From this model, it was shown how the development

Table 3 Longitudinal research in leadership development.

Topics Summary Source

Developmental theories

Transactional and transformational leader development involves episodic skill acquisition combined with adult constructive development. Feedback enables the evolution of individuals' intellectual capacities, values, and beliefs.

Russell and Kuhnert (1992)

Team leadership capacity is an outcome of team processes such as teamwork and team learning, which in turn contribute to team member resources such as knowledge, skills, and abilities, helping to shape subsequent performance.

Day et al. (2004)

Mixed support was found that a leader's order of development influences his or her leadership effectiveness and performance.

McCauley et al. (2006)

A leader's stage of development is a significant predictor of performance ratings. Strang and Kuhnert (2009) Future developmental experiences and leadership effectiveness are associated with early learning and leadership experiences, as well as developmental factors including temperament, gender, parenting styles, and attachment styles.

Murphy and Johnson (2011)

Longitudinal studies

True longitudinal studies involve the measurement of the same indicators of leadership at multiple points in time; quasi-longitudinal studies measure predictors early in time and assess their impact on leadership outcomes at a later time.

Day (2011)

Adolescent extraversion is a significant predictor of adult leader emergence and self-ratings of transformational leadership.

Reichard et al. (2011)

Academic intrinsic motivation during childhood and adolescence is a significant predictor of intrinsic motivation to lead during adulthood.

Gottfried et al. (2011)

Adolescent extraversion, especially when coupled with social skills, is associated with greater leadership potential.

Guerin et al. (2011)

Subclinical traits are important moderators of the rate of leader development. While some subclinical traits (i.e., skeptical and imaginative) have a negative relationship with leader development in a military setting others (i.e., cautious, bold, and dutiful) had a positive relationship.

Harms et al. (2011)

Intelligence is a poor predictor of leadership outcomes. Self-esteem is a strong predictor of leadership role occupancy.

Li et al. (2011)

Enhanced self-esteem mediates the relationship between positive parenting and leadership potential.

Oliver et al. (2011)

A strong leader identity acts as a time-varying covariate of leadership effectiveness. An individual's learning goal orientation may also serve as a moderator of developmental trajectories. Evidence from this study suggests two different classes of developmental trajectories.

Day and Sin (2011)

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of leadership capacity over time can provide for significant leadership resources at subsequent performance episodes. As such, the importance of longitudinal studies was highlighted. This model also was one of the first to attempt to link individual human capital inputs to the development of teamwork, social capital, and shared leadership capacity, among other things. In further elaborating on the longitudinal nature of leader and leadership development, we next focus on conceptual articles related to the longitudinal nature of leadership development as well as the empirical studies described in a special issue of The Leadership Quarterly dedicated to longitudinal research.

6.1. Developmental theories applied to leader development

In an early conceptual article that considered issues of development over time, Russell and Kuhnert (1992) created a model of leader development based on the integration of three different approaches. Specifically, they combined Kanfer and Ackerman's (1989) episodic model of skill acquisition with Kegan's (1982) approach to adult development based on constructive-developmental theory (McCauley, Drath, Palus, O'Connor, & Baker, 2006), while also incorporating the development of transactional and transformational leadership into the model. Feedback mechanisms were next added to the model to explain changes in leaders' intellectual capacities, values, and beliefs over time. An important contribution of this approach was the crafting of a longitudinal theoretical perspective on leader development through the integration of literatures on skill acquisition, adult development, and leadership.

Russell and Kuhnert's (1992) framework provided a summary of what was known at that time about the processes underlying developmental change related to how leaders understand and act on their environment. With this framework, the authors went beyond the contributions made in individual disciplines (e.g., learning theory, individual differences, performance models) to encompass diverse research from the skill acquisition, human development, and personnel selection literatures. The article provided a framework for future research on how transactional and transformational leaders develop, which led to more systematic investigations of the experiences that contribute to the development of leaders.

McCauley et al. (2006) reviewed the literature on constructive-developmental theory and its relevance for understanding and predicting leader effectiveness. Constructive-developmental theory is a suite of different theories portraying stage theories of adult development. These approaches are mainly concerned with how a person's understanding of self and the world becomes more elaborated and complex over time. There are two main features of development considered from this theoretical perspective. The first concerns so-called orders of development (also referred to as levels of psychosocial development), which are organizing principles that guide how individuals gain understanding of themselves and the external world. Successive orders of development build on and

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transcend the previous orders such that development is from simpler to more complex and interconnected ways of sense-making. The second feature concerns developmental movement involving the change from one order of development to another, usually a higher one, driven by new environmental challenges that demand more complex sense-making abilities.

Constructive-developmental theory has been used sporadically in research in the area of leadership development, usually assuming that a leader's order of development influences his or her leadership effectiveness or managerial performance. Constructive-developmental theory delineates six discrete stages of human development based on the notion that individual differences are a product of how individuals construct or arrange experiences relating to themselves and their social environments (McCauley et al., 2006). One such study examined the psychosocial development of a sample of West Point cadets over a four-year time period. They found evidence of positive constructive development changes in approximately half of the cadets in the sample and that higher levels of development were positively related to various peer, subordinate, and superior measures of cadet performance as leaders in their junior and senior years (Bartone, Snook, Forsythe, Lewis, & Bullis, 2007). Despite the generally supportive findings of the Bartone et al.'s (2007) study, in general the proposition about higher levels of development being associated with better leadership effectiveness has found at best mixed support in the empirical literature. McCauley et al. (2006) called for more research integrating constructive-developmental theory with other relevant streams, moving beyond the focus on developmental order to include dynamics of developmental movement, and examining how the theory might relate to teams and organizations.

In an attempt to answer this call for more integrative research utilizing constructive-developmental theory, Strang and Kuhnert (2009) investigated the application of this theory along with individual personality to examine their effects on leader performance as measured by 360-degree (i.e., multisource) ratings. In a study of 67 management executives who participated in an executive development program, the authors examined constructive-developmental stage (conceptualized as Leadership Developmental Level; LDL) as a predictor of multisource leader performance ratings. They found that LDL was a significant predictor of performance ratings from all rater sources (subordinates, peers, and supervisors). More importantly though, they also tested the incremental predictive ability of LDL compared to the Big Five personality factors. Their results indicated that LDL accounted for unique variance in leader performance beyond that accounted for by personality (when using the leader performance ratings from subordinates and peers); however, they cautioned that this relationship was relatively weak. Nonetheless, constructive-developmental theory provides a unique contribution to our current understanding of leadership and represents a fruitful avenue for future leadership development research.

Taking a different perspective based on childhood antecedents of leader development, Murphy and Johnson (2011) examined the so-called seeds of leader development that germinate and root at various stages before adulthood. They suggested that relevant developmental experiences may occur more readily during sensitive periods of childhood and adolescence, which influence development during adulthood. The authors advanced a framework that considers the influence of early developmental factors on leader identity and self-regulation, which have a relationship to future developmental experiences and leadership effectiveness. In this framework, early developmental factors including genetics, temperament, gender, parenting styles, attachment styles, and early learning and as well as early learning leadership experiences such as those associated with education and sports were important to the leader development process. This framework is immersed in contextual factors such as the individual's developmental stage, societal expectations, and the historical setting. The authors ultimately argued for additional longitudinal examinations of leadership development over the lifespan as a means to help advance current leader development practices.

6.2. Longitudinal studies of leadership development

A 2011 special issue of The Leadership Quarterly devoted to longitudinal studies of leadership development represented an important milestone in establishing further evidence for leader development processes and the individual difference factors that shape them. The articles in the issue supported the assertion that leaders are products of their life experiences beginning at an early age; however, multiple forces affect leaders' development during their respective life spans. For example, personality characteristics can play an important role in the early development of leaders whereas experience plays a more important role in adulthood. This special issue emphasized the importance of early leader development and the need for more long-term, longitudinal studies of leadership development. Taken together, the research presented in the special issue addressed several key questions related to how leadership develops, including: (a) how do the dispositional characteristics of individuals (e.g., intelligence, temperament, and personality) influence development as leaders,(b) what role do life experiences play in the development of leaders,(c) do early leader development efforts help to develop future leaders in organizations and communities, and (d) what are some individual difference factors that shape the trajectories of leader development?

Three major longitudinal databases were used in several of the articles in this issue. The Fullerton Longitudinal Study (FLS) started in 1979 with 130 one-year-olds and their families. For the first four years, these children were assessed semi-annually and then annually until they reached the age of 17. Data collection in this program is ongoing. Longitudinal data from United States Military Academy at West Point was collected that focused on the leader development of military cadets over the course of their time at the Academy. The U.S. Department of Labor's National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) tracked young people born between 1957 and 1964, and first interviewed in 1979.

Three of the special issue articles focused on the effects of personality on leadership development. Using the Fullerton database, Reichard et al. (2011) investigated how the five-factor model of personality (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness) and intelligence were related to leader emergence and transformational leadership. They found that personality traits predicted leader emergence in early adults. Of the five personality factors, extraversion was the best predictor of leader emergence and

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self-ratings of transformational leadership. Surprisingly, intelligence was only related to non-work leader emergence. The authors stressed the need for exposure to leadership opportunities for both extraverted and introverted youth to help them develop more fully as leaders in adulthood.

Continuing with the Fullerton data, Gottfried et al. (2011) looked at academic intrinsic motivation (motivation for and enjoyment of school learning without external rewards) during childhood and adolescence as a predictor of three aspects of motivation to lead during adulthood. The three aspects of motivation to lead included two intrinsic motives (affective identity motivation and non-calculative motivation) and one extrinsic motivation (social normative motivation). Affective identity motivation to lead concerns the enjoyment of leading, non-calculative motivation concerns leading for its own sake and not for the purpose of receiving external advantages, and social normative motivation concerns leading to fulfill one's duty. The first two of these motives to lead are intrinsic in nature, whereas the third is guided by external forces. The study revealed that academic intrinsic motivation was highly related to the affective identity and non-calculative components of motivation to lead, supporting the authors' contention that intrinsic motivation is a state that exhibits continuity over the lifetime. Children and adolescents who exhibit academic intrinsic motivation are more likely to become adults who are intrinsically motivated to become leaders. Accordingly, academic intrinsic motivation was unrelated to social normative motivation. In a recurring theme, leader intelligence was of no consequence in predicting motivation to lead.

In a related article, Guerin et al. (2011) focused on the roles of extraversion and intelligence in predicting leadership outcomes. This study explored the early antecedents of extraversion by investigating behavior and temperament in childhood. Extraverted adolescents – especially those who possessed good social skills – showed greater leadership potential, whereas intelligence did not appear to be predictive of leadership potential.

Also using data from FLS, Oliver and associates (2011) examined the role of supportive parenting in adolescence and transformational leadership in young adults. They found that the relationship between positive parenting and leadership potential was mediated by enhanced self-esteem. Quality parenting and self-esteem were measured during adolescence and self-reported transformational leadership was assessed at age 29 while controlling for the effects of socioeconomic status. This study represented one of the first attempts to investigate these relationships across time. Results supported the hypothesis that a stimulating and supportive environment provided by an adolescent's family created a more positive self-concept, which in turn positively influenced the subsequent emergence of transformational leader qualities. Thus, the content of familial support during adolescence was related to self-rated leadership outcomes as an adult.

Taking a different approach to examining personality in leadership development research, Harms, Spain, and Hannah's (2011) study went beyond typical personality assessments (e.g., Big Five) in exploring the role of subclinical personality traits on leadership development over time. The authors argued that there is a need for empirical research using large samples of developing leaders over time to examine the potential influence of personality traits in general, and what they see as character flaws in particular, and their respective influences on leader development. Specifically, Harms et al. were interested in idiosyncratic (i.e., subclinical) traits that do not greatly inhibit daily functioning (as would clinical traits or those used to diagnose psychological pathologies) yet have the potential to lead to negative consequences in certain contexts. Examples include subclinical traits of excitable, skeptical, leisurely (e.g., indifferent to requests of others), colorful (e.g., expressive, dramatic, wants to be noticed), and imaginative (e.g., acting or thinking in unusual ways).

Using the West Point database, Harms et al. (2011) studied a leader development program that had demonstrated an overall positive effect on participants over a span of three years. The authors found subclinical traits to be important moderators of the rate of leader development (i.e., developmental trajectories) during the program, accounting for 11–17% of the variance in the changes in leader development. Whereas the authors found that some of the subclinical traits (i.e., skeptical and imaginative) had negative relationships with leader development, they also found that others (i.e., cautious, bold, colorful, and dutiful) had positive relationships. This provides somewhat of a mixed message with regard to subclinical traits, indicating that they may not always have negative influences on leader development. (It should be noted that these relationships were found in a student military sample where traits such as imaginative may not be highly regarded while dutiful would be.) The results of this study also demonstrated that leader development persists over numerous years and that the effects of personality on this process endure over time. From these results, Harms and colleagues proposed that leader development is a dynamic process in which personality factors moderate developmental processes through enhancing or inhibiting personal change over time. They suggested that with additional research, leadership interventions and executive training programs might be tailored to the specific needs or characteristics of the leader.

Consistent with the individual difference focus of other articles in this issue, Li, Arvey, and Song (2011) investigated the effect of general mental ability, self-esteem, and familial socioeconomic status on leadership role occupancy (whether an individual occupies a leadership role) and leader advancement (an increase in supervisory scope assessed by the number of assigned subordinates). Additionally, gender was examined as a moderating variable. Using the NLSY79 database, Li et al. found that developmental outcomes were not strongly related to general mental ability (a consistent theme across several studies in the special issue). Specifically, they found self-esteem to be strongly predictive of leadership role occupancy across both genders as well as predictive of the rate of leadership advancement for females. An unusual and unexpected finding was that familial socioeconomic status was negatively related to leader advancement for women. It is unclear why this would be the case (i.e., women from higher socioeconomic families having lower levels of development) and replication of this finding is needed before any strong conclusions can be drawn.

Day and Sin (2011) offered yet another perspective on leader development, focusing on developmental trajectories of emerging leaders over a 13-week time span. Within this paradigm, individuals were hypothesized to vary in terms of initial leadership effectiveness levels and follow different developmental trajectories based on different situational and experiential

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demands, as well as their willingness and ability to learn. The authors found support for the contention that because of its hypothesized impact on individual thinking and behavior assuming a strong leader identity would function as a within-person, time-varying covariate of leadership effectiveness. This echoes the focus on self-identity proposed by authors such as Lord and Hall (2005). Results partially supported an additional hypothesis that an individual's learning goal orientation (an orientation that focuses on one's development rather than demonstrations of competence) would serve as a between-person, cross-level moderator of developmental trajectories, suggesting that how individuals construct and manage goals can affect their development as leaders.

In an integrative review of the articles addressed in this special issue, Day (2011) discussed the difference between true longitudinal investigations of leadership development and what he termed to be quasi-longitudinal studies (following the distinction made between experimental and quasi-experimental designs). True longitudinal studies involve the measurement of the same indicators of leadership at a minimum of three points in time, whereas quasi-longitudinal studies measure predictors early in time and assess their impact on leadership outcomes at a later time. As noted by Day, both methods have value because they each take a long-lens approach to understanding leadership development and the process of developing leaders over time. Guest Editors Riggio and Mumford (2011) concluded by stating their wishes that this special issue would:(a) encourage more longitudinal research on leader development; (b) draw attention to existing longitudinal databases that are useful for studying the lifelong development of leadership; and (c) encourage more evaluation of leadership development efforts through the use of true longitudinal designs.

7. Evaluation methods in leadership development

A significant obstacle to advancing scholarly interest in leader and leadership development over the years can be traced to methodological and analytical issues. In the 1970s, prominent psychologists and psychometricians (e.g., Cronbach & Furby, 1970) questioned whether we could, or even should, attempt to measure change. Since that time the field has advanced rapidly in understanding ways to measure and model change appropriately. We now know much more about longitudinal methods as well as multilevel modeling than we did even a decade ago. And given the multilevel and longitudinal nature of leadership development (Day, 2011), these are critically important contributions further motivating the advancement of scholarly interest in the topic (see Table 4 for a summary).

But it is also important to bring rigorous evaluation methods to understanding content, process, and outcome issues in development. As such, the evaluation of developmental interventions is another area that has received theoretical and empirical attention in this journal. In evaluating the effects of leadership development interventions, it should be noted that focusing on job performance and performance change over time is not the most appropriate approach to understanding the development of leaders or leadership. Job performance is affected by many things other than leadership skills. In other words, it is a contaminated as well as deficient criterion if the focus is purportedly on leadership development. Changes in job performance may also have different time lags associated with change compared to those for development. Thus, the appropriate criterion for evaluation efforts is development and its markers rather than performance per se. The field needs to focus on identifying and tracking appropriate markers or proxies of development that go beyond a fixation on rated job performance.

A special issue of The Leadership Quarterly, on the evaluation of leadership development interventions was co-edited by Hannum and Craig (2010). Because of the conceptual and measurement challenges inherent in this type of research, evaluating leadership development is often a complex undertaking. Evaluations of leadership development efforts are made more difficult by the contexts in which they occur. For example, participants in leader development programs may represent different organizations, different functional positions, and position levels, which create difficulties in identifying appropriate control groups and conducting rigorous evaluation studies. Additionally, there may be long time periods between interventions and outcome measurements.

Although evaluation methods exist that can meet these challenges, few published studies have focused on the application of these techniques in estimating the behavioral, psychological, or financial effects associated with leadership development initiatives. The

Table 4 Evaluation methods in leadership development.

Topics Summary Source

Social network analysis

Social Network Analysis (SNA) can identify the structure of relationships among people, goals, interests, and other entities within an organization.

Hoppe and Reinelt (2010)

Q-methodology Q-methodology can be an effective method for soliciting participants' perceptions of outcomes. This method can reduce the individual viewpoints of the participants down to a few factors depicting shared ways of thinking about outcomes.

Militello and Benham (2010)

Formative and summative evaluation

Mixed methods including both summative evaluation and formative evaluation can be used to evaluate leader self-development.

Orvis and Ratwani (2010)

Hierarchical linear modeling

Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) can be used to assess multilevel change over time in a leadership development context.

Gentry and Martineau (2010)

Return on leadership development investment

A method for estimating the return on leadership development investment (RODI) was proposed, along with implications for measuring organizational effectiveness.

Avolio et al. (2010)

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aim of this special issue was to present research that demonstrated such methods. Described below are a number of articles from this issue that were particularly innovative.

Three articles offered specific techniques for evaluating leadership development interventions. Following Day's (2000) thinking about the role of social capital in leadership effectiveness, Hoppe and Reinelt (2010) described how Social Network Analysis (SNA) can identify the structure of relationships among people, goals, interests, and other entities within an organization. SNA, for example, can be used to determine if a leadership development intervention resulted in changes in connectivity in an organization. Additionally, the authors presented a typology for classifying different kinds of leadership networks, along with outcomes typically associated with each type of network.

The use of Q-methodology as a data collection tool for evaluating an initiative to develop collective leadership was described by Militello and Benham (2010). According to the authors, Q-methodology can be an effective method for soliciting participants' perceptions of outcomes. One purpose of this method is to reduce the individual viewpoints of the participants down to a few factors depicting shared ways of thinking about outcomes. It began with the development of a set of statements (the Q-sample) that would be sorted into categories by the participants. To develop the Q-sample, researchers reviewed documents detailing the mission and goals of the initiative being evaluated. They selected statements that were outcome oriented and descriptive of the initiative, which resulted in a Q-sample consisting of 33 statements. Participants then sorted these statements into outcome categories for the purpose of evaluating leader development. This methodology provided a valuable leadership development tool for participants and an evaluation tool for researchers.

Relatedly, Orvis and Ratwani (2010) highlighted the application and integration of formative and summative evaluation approaches for leader self-development. Because of the highly individualized nature of self-development, evaluators often face unique challenges when evaluating these initiatives. They recommended using a mixed-methods approach that applies effectiveness attribute taxonomy for a self-development activity. The authors demonstrated a methodology for applying this taxonomy to evaluate the effectiveness of self-development activities and discussed the practical implications of adopting the taxonomy for evaluation purposes.

Two articles in this issue described statistically based approaches to leadership development evaluation. Gentry and Martineau (2010) presented an application of hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) for assessing multilevel change over time in a leadership development context. One of the difficulties in evaluating leadership development is measuring whether and how participants change during the initiative. Even when change is an integral part of the design and evaluation of the initiative, uncontrolled events (e.g., missing data) may affect the ability of the evaluators to accurately measure change over time. Using data from a longitudinal school team leadership development initiative, the researchers used HLM procedures to examine changes that occurred across participating teams. The results demonstrated how to detect whether teams were significantly different on an initial assessment and predicted progress using an intercept-as-outcomes analysis. It also demonstrated how to detect whether growth rates were different across teams and how these changes could be predicted using a slopes-as-outcomes analysis. An advantage of this type of evaluation approach is that it allows researchers to examine and test whether successful teams improved at faster rates than other teams, rather than merely performing better at the start of the initiative.

In another statistical approach to evaluation, a method for estimating the return on leadership development investment (RODI) was proposed (Avolio, Avey, & Quisenberry, 2010), along with its implications for measuring organizational effectiveness. The authors suggested that the decision-making process involved in deciding to invest in leadership development should be similar to the decision-making process used by organizations whenever there is a decision to incur costs for an anticipated future benefit. The authors described how to estimate the return on leadership development using different assumptions, scenarios, length of the intervention, and level of participants engaged in the development program. They found that the expected return on investment from leadership development interventions ranged from a low negative RODI to over 200% depending on a number of factors.

Taken together, the articles published in this special issue on the evaluation of leadership development initiatives provided state-of-the-science perspectives on the design, analysis, and interpretation of evaluation research. It is invariably stated that any leadership development initiative must include an evaluation component. Unfortunately, this admonition is often ignored in practice. This special issue provided a “way forward” for helping researchers and practitioners involved with leadership development by providing sound advice to more fully integrate evaluation in their interventions and why doing so is critical.

8. Summary and future directions

The purpose of this review was to identify scholarly advances and contributions to the field of leadership development published mainly in The Leadership Quarterly over its 25-year history. We reviewed both conceptual and empirical articles that collectively examined definitional, content, process, longitudinal, and evaluation issues concerning leader and leadership development. In terms of operationalizing leadership development, Day (2000) posits that leadership is a complex interaction between people and environments that emerges through social systems. He recommends that scholars and practitioners approach leadership development as a process that transcends but does not replace individual leader development. Building upon earlier reviews of the field, the present review provides an in-depth look at how the leadership development field (including that of leader development) has evolved.

The major insights from the review can be summarized as follows: through the examination of an array of factors including experience, skills, personality, self-development, social mechanisms, 360-degree feedback, self-other agreement, and self-narratives, leadership development represents a dynamic process involving multiple interactions that persist over time. The leadership development process tends to start at a young age and is partly influenced by parental modeling. It involves the development and application of a variety of skills (e.g., wisdom, intelligence, and creativity; Sternberg, 2008) and is shaped by factors such as

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personality and relationships with others. The overall developmental process can be informed by different theories, such as constructive-developmental theory (McCauley et al., 2006) and authentic leadership (Gardner et al., 2005), and can be measured in a variety of ways including multisource ratings. Wherever possible, developmental practices should be carefully tailored to current developmental needs of the leader.

Leadership is something that all organizations care about. But what most interests them is not which leadership theory or model is “right” (which may never be settled definitively), but how to develop leaders and leadership as effectively and efficiently as possible. As such, this is an important area of scholarly research and application with myriad unanswered (and even undiscovered) questions to pursue. We next outline some promising avenues for future research.

8.1. Process-oriented research

Because leadership development is a field that is inherently longitudinal in nature, researchers need to focus on conceptualizing process theories related to the development of leaders and leadership over time and testing these models using relevant methodologies. Leadership as a field has perhaps been preoccupied with proposing and testing static models, even those that hypothesize mediation (i.e., causal) effects. Simply put, cross-sectional methods are incomplete and probably inappropriate for testing hypotheses and research questions related to leadership development. This puts a burden on researchers given the difficulties associated with conducting longitudinal research. But if leadership is a process and not a position, and leadership development is a longitudinal process involving possibly the entire lifespan, then we need to put forward comprehensive process models and test them appropriately.

8.2. Choosing relevant outcome variables

Researchers need to give serious thought to what is hypothesized to develop as a function of leader or leadership development in a given context. This may involve human capital kinds of variables related to individual knowledge, skills, and abilities, or it maybe things that are even more difficult to assess such as the psychosocial stage of adult development (i.e., orders of development) as proposed in constructive-developmental theory (McCauley et al., 2006). Adopting good outcomes (in place of job performance) to study models of leader and leadership development is also important. Of course, there should be a link between development and performance in a job or role but that is likely neither immediate nor straightforward. Related to the use of job performance, another outcome of questionable relevance to studies of leader development is the organizational position or role one holds (i.e., leadership role occupancy). As noted, leadership is conceptualized as a process rather than a position, so using position as an outcome in leader development research has limited meaning (Day, 2011). Although it may be convenient to use such outcomes, it is unclear how to compare positions across different organizations or sectors (e.g., corporate, military, government, or nonprofit). Researchers should always clarify what it is they think will develop over the period that they plan to study leader development processes. In this way, linking process models with relevant outcomes is a pressing research need.

8.3. Focus on personal trajectories of development

It has been noted that “one central challenge facing scientific psychology is the development of comprehensive accounts of why humans progress along different life trajectories” (Smith, 2009, p. 419). A related challenge in the leader development field is crafting comprehensive accounts of why individuals progress along different developmental trajectories as leaders. The good news is that we now have the methods and analytical techniques to appropriately chart and understand these kinds of developmental trajectories. However, we need more in the way of theories and process models to guide our research. Examining different trajectories of development is a related and important concern. There is likely little argument that people start at different places in their developmental journeys as leaders and develop at different rates and in different ways over time. For these reasons, we need to more fully examine individual differences in developmental trajectories and whether a typology of trajectories can be devised to help us understand and more accurately predict how people change over time. In practical terms this would provide guidance for enabling us to better learn from those who develop more quickly and effectively and to apply the knowledge to help those who struggle to develop as leaders. Admittedly, this is not easy research to conduct because it requires large samples, a longitudinal focus, and appropriate measurement intervals. Despite these challenges, research on charting and understanding developmental trajectories is an area that deserves future research attention.

8.4. Broadening the Developmental Focus

Researchers have tended to examine how individual leaders develop over time. We need to give greater attention to more collective aspects of leadership, whether they are dyadic leader and follower development or even more collective forms such as shared leadership. We know that development tends to occur in an interpersonal context, so incorporating that context into our research designs, methods, and analyses seems like a logical step in advancing the field of leadership development. For that reason, something like social network analysis (e.g., Hoppe & Reinelt, 2010) may be especially appropriate to consider in future studies of leadership development. There is an emerging interest in what some have called network churn or changes in network structure and individual positions within networks over time (e.g., Sasovova, Mehra, Borgatti, & Schippers, 2010). This seems like a logical stream of research to consider in broadening the focus of leadership development. But as we broaden this focus to include collectives, it should be noted that the line between these forms of leadership development and what has historically

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been considered organization development (OD) becomes blurred. Nonetheless, that should not stop researchers from taking steps to broaden the focus on development and in doing so perhaps will also advance the field of OD.

8.5. Practicing Leadership

We know from the extensive literature on expertise and expert performance that it generally takes 10 years or 10,000 h of dedicated practice to become an expert in a given field (Ericcson & Charness, 1994). For this reason, it is highly unlikely that anyone would be able to develop fully as a leader merely through participation in a series of programs, workshops, or seminars. The actual development takes place in the so-called white space between such leader development events. However, we lack a clear idea of the ongoing ways in which people practice to become more expert leaders. Such practice may not be intentional or mindful, which may make it more difficult to study. But this notion of ongoing practice through day-to-day leadership activities is where the crux of development really resides. Rather than focusing on implementing better instructional design or putting together what we hope are more impactful developmental interventions, it might be more productive to take a step back and focus on what happens in the everyday lives of leaders as they practice and develop.

8.6. Self-awareness and 360-degree feedback

Another area for future research is related to the use of 360-degree feedback instruments as measures of self-awareness. It is often assumed that individuals with ratings that mirror those provided by their followers (high self-other agreement) are more self-aware. Indeed, self-other agreement is often used as a proxy for self-awareness in leadership research. For instance, Fleenor et al. (2010) suggested that low rating agreement is an indication of low self-awareness, especially for over-estimators. In much of the research in this area, however, self-awareness is measured with the same instrument used to determine rating agreement (i.e., the instrument also contains a scale that measures self-awareness). In order to test the relationship between self-awareness and leader effectiveness, there is a need to develop valid and independent measures of self-awareness. With better measures, it may be possible to more thoroughly investigate the relationships among self-awareness, rating agreement, and effectiveness for leader development purposes.

9. Limitations

Although we have attempted to provide a comprehensive review of the scholarly literature on leader and leadership development published over the previous 25 years in this journal, there are areas with potential developmental implications that we have chosen not to review. The predominant reason for this decision is that the focal literature is not sufficiently developed or the implications for leadership development are unclear. Alternatively, it might be argued that there are potential developmental implications associated with just about every published leadership article. That is not very helpful in attempting to summarize and synthesize the most highly relevant literature.

In making choices about what to review, we did not address areas such as the genetic bases of leadership (De Neve, Mikhaylov, Dawes, Christakis, & Fowler, 2013), in which leadership role occupancy was used as the criterion (see criticisms of this outcome discussed previously) and for which it is difficult to argue that leadership can be developed if it is genetically determined; cross-cultural leadership (Sadri, Weber, & Gentry, 2011), whereby there are differing perspectives on what are the most important behaviors or competencies that should be developed; political perspectives on leadership (Ammeter, Douglas, Hochwarter, Ferris, & Gardner, 2004) that take a somewhat unique position in terms of how effective leader behavior is defined; and a recent special issue on leader integrity (Simons, Palanski, & Trevino, 2013), of which we have little empirical evidence as to how it might be developed. Although there are emerging literatures in these areas, as noted, we have confined this review to research that pertains most directly to the development of leaders and leadership.

10. Conclusion

As noted by the eminent leadership scholar John Gardner (1990), “In the mid-21st century, people will look back on our present [leadership development] practices as primitive” (p. xix). This statement is consistent with our contention that despite the significant advances in understanding leadership development made over the past 25 years, many of which have been published in the pages of The Leadership Quarterly, the field is still relatively immature. This also means the field is replete with opportunities for researchers and theorists. Looking ahead to the ensuing 25 years, it seems certain that if scholars answer the call, the field will continue to progress to a less primitive state. This will stimulate better leadership and, consequently, foster better organizations, communities, and societies.

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  • Advances in leader and leadership development: A review of 25years of research and theory
    • 1. Introduction and overview
    • 2. Leader and leadership development: research and theory
    • 3. Intrapersonal content issues in development
      • 3.1. Experience and leaning in development
      • 3.2. Skills and development
      • 3.3. Personality and development
      • 3.4. Self-development
    • 4. Interpersonal content issues in development
      • 4.1. Social mechanisms and development
      • 4.2. Authentic leadership development
    • 5. Process issues in leadership development
      • 5.1. Feedback as a process of development
      • 5.2. Self-other agreement as a process of development
      • 5.3. Self-narrative as a process of development
    • 6. Longitudinal perspectives on leadership development
      • 6.1. Developmental theories applied to leader development
      • 6.2. Longitudinal studies of leadership development
    • 7. Evaluation methods in leadership development
    • 8. Summary and future directions
      • 8.1. Process-oriented research
      • 8.2. Choosing relevant outcome variables
      • 8.3. Focus on personal trajectories of development
      • 8.4. Broadening the Developmental Focus
      • 8.5. Practicing Leadership
      • 8.6. Self-awareness and 360-degree feedback
    • 9. Limitations
    • 10. Conclusion
    • References

Mandatory Assignment Resources/Authentic Leadership and Implicit Theory.pdf

Authentic leadership and implicit theory: a normative form of

leadership? Thomas W. Nichols and Rod Erakovich

School of Business Administration, Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Abstract

Purpose – This empirical study aims to consider the stability and connection of implicit leadership theories to authentic leadership using performance feedback as a first step in a larger research agenda. Design/methodology/approach – Scenarios were created to operationalize implicit and authentic leadership, manipulate implicit leadership theory between followers and leaders, and discover perceptions of leader effectiveness. The use of scenarios was purposely intended to create anticipatory future research agendas. Findings – Components of authentic leadership may be a part of implicit leadership theory and leadership performance feedback may alter leader and follower implicit leadership theories. Research limitations/implications – Data collected in this study were from students’ perceptions, and did not infer causality between constructs. This study is also subject to mono-operation and mono- method bias. Originality/value – This research provides an extension of theory in several ways: by looking at the authentic leadership paradigm; and by viewing perceptions of leader authentic effectiveness as a continuous influence on implicit leadership theories.

Keywords Authentic leadership, Transformational leadership, Implicit leadership theory, Leader effectiveness, Management effectiveness

Paper type Research paper

Literature review Ethics are a basic component of authentic leadership and frame follower feedback. Ethical leadership is defined by Brown et al. (2005) as the demonstration of normatively appropriate conduct through personal actions and interpersonal relationships, and the promotion of such conduct to followers through two-way communication, reinforcement, and decision making. We have seen the damage done by unethical leaders in recent scandals by business leaders that have dominated the news in recent years (e.g. Kenneth Lay and Enron, Joseph Nacchio and Qwest Communication, and Arthur Anderson). Ethics are an integral part of leadership that cannot be ignored.

As a result, this study asserts that followers are not satisfied with leaders that are not authentic. Ethicality is no longer something nice to have in a leader, but a necessity. It is the authentic leader that influences follower implicit leadership perceptions.

Implicit theories are cognitive frameworks or categorization systems that people use during information processing to encode, process, and recall specific events and behavior (Shaw, 1990). People have their own unique thoughts as to the nature of leaders and leadership. A person’s implicit leadership theory (ILT) is based on beliefs on how leaders generally behave and what is expected of them (Eden and Leviathan, 1975) that suggests individuals are labeled as leaders or non-leaders based on cognitive

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-7739.htm

Leadership & Organization Development Journal Vol. 34 No. 2, 2013 pp. 182-195 r Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0143-7739 DOI 10.1108/01437731311321931

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categories (Lord et al., 1986; Calder, 1977). Essentially, ILT represent ideal instances of leadership (Lord et al., 1986).

Perceptions of effective leadership can be based on two alternative processes (Lord and Maher, 1991). First, an inference-based perceptual process can be used to garner conclusions about leadership from observed, relevant events, and outcomes; leadership is inferred from outcomes of salient events. These processes rely upon attribution, such as a successful business turnaround being attributed to the top management team or CEO (Hartog et al., 1999). Second, recognition-based perceptual processes rely on the degree of fit between observed leader behavior and a person’s implicit theory of what a leader is or should be. When there is a fit between observed behavior and one’s personal theory of leadership, the individual exhibiting the behavior is recognized as a good leader.

To what extent do implicit follower and leader implicit theories influence the perception of effective leadership? The use of ILT as a guide for understanding and interpreting leader behavior and the consideration that authentic leadership behaviors may be an ideal form of leadership are the focus of this study as the basis for creating an appropriate research agenda for future consideration.

Since its inception as a perceived paradigm, the literature works to connect authentic leadership to specific disciplines and forms such as public and military leadership. Avolio et al. (2004) conceive of authentic leaders as people who have realized elevated degrees of authenticity in that they know themselves, what they value and believe, and they operate based upon those beliefs and values while visibly and clearly interacting with others. Furthermore, they are perceived by others as understanding their own and others’ values and moral perspectives, strengths, and knowledge. They are cognizant of their environment and clearly picture the framework in which they lead. May et al. (2003) argue that authentic leaders are those who are able to integrate their ethical behavior fully into both their personal and organizational lives, creating an ethical climate that focusses on the employees and the stakeholders and recognizing their inherent worth. This framework of authentic leadership marks the theory as developmental in nature as well as holistic in that it covers a vast range of leadership perspectives, including transformational leadership.

Authentic leaders use the behaviors of idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration in an ethical manner and influence the perception of follower. In order to more clearly define an authentic leader, a comparison of the way each type of leader (authentic and inauthentic) demonstrates each of the specific dimensions is presented in the following paragraphs.

Inauthentic leaders are deceptive and manipulative. They display many of the qualities of an ethical leader, though actually seek power and position at the expense of their followers. They appear authentic, though are false to the organization’s mission, their hidden purposes self-aggrandizing. Whereas authentic leaders have vision with a sense of responsibility to the organization and followers to the point of self-sacrifice (in an altruistic sense), inauthentic leaders have vision but cannot be trusted and are willing to sacrifice followers for their own purposes. In using their charisma, or idealized influence, these leaders seek to be idolized rather than idealized (Bass and Steidlmeier, 1999).

Inauthentic leaders want to seem to motivate through empowerment, though actually seek to control (Conger and Kanungo, 1998). Empowerment should be uplifting and focussed on the good of the follower; inauthentic leaders focus on conspiracy, illusory risk, excuses, and anxieties (Bass and Steidlmeier, 1999). They are

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pre-disposed to self-serving biases and are known to be deceptive, domineering, and egotistical with an inflated and positive public image, an image they may indeed be idolized for, though they are privately serving only their own interests. While their motivation seems inspirational, it is, in fact, false without concern for the organization or followers. Their motivation is to enhance their image while serving their own needs. To unknowing followers, deceptive leaders will motivate them to do what they think is best for the organization, when the leader is truthfully the only one who benefits.

Authentic leaders intellectually stimulate their followers in a dynamic interaction that encourages questions, debate, and the attempt to formulate creative solutions to problems. Inauthentic leaders prey on the unawareness of their followers so their followers will more willingly accept a vague picture of the leader concerning their morality and true intentions. This acceptance, gained through the promotion of ambiguity and inconsistency, provides opportunities for the self-enhancement of pretenders (Bass and Steidlmeier, 1999). Authentic leaders use hard evidence and base discussion on the merits of the issues, whereas inauthentic leaders use false logic and depend on authority to make their arguments. Instead of rational debate, inauthentic leaders depend on emotional argumentation. The inauthentic leader uses a veneer to hide his/her true intentions. What looks like intellectual stimulation is nothing more than the leader sounding intelligent to confuse followers into doing what the leader wants.

Individualized consideration is dependent on altruism to differentiate leadership from authoritarian control (Kanungo and Mendonca, 1996). Inauthentic leaders concentrate on the maintenance of follower dependence, while authentic leaders act as mentors and coaches to develop their followers into leaders. Inauthentic leaders encourage personal distance, invite blind obedience, encourage favoritism and competition, and exploit feelings of followers to maintain deference (Sankowsky, 1995). While both authentic and inauthentic leaders may have a need for power, the authentic leader will convert this need into attainable goals for the good of the organization and the follower. The inauthentic leader works only to increase that power while looking condescendingly on his/her followers and pretending to be helpful.

In sum, leaders who are not truly authentic may also transform and motivate their followers. Such leaders, however, do so for their special interests at others’ expense, not focussing on what is good for the whole. They promote fantasy and rationalization in place of achievement. They encourage a type of unhealthy competitiveness, an “us vs them” attitude that serves the leader’s self-interests. They generate envy and hate instead of harmony and cooperation. Perhaps most importantly, Bass (1998) points out that this discussion is about two ideal types, and that most leaders fall somewhere in between. The simple difference between an authentic and an inauthentic leader comes down to ethics.

The concept of an ideal leader lies individually within each person, represented in his or her ILT, and each person’s implicit theory of leadership will differ for any number of reasons. A person’s ILT is based on beliefs on how leaders generally behave and what is expected of them (Eden and Leviathan, 1975) and suggests individuals are labeled as leaders or non-leaders based on cognitive categories (Lord et al., 1986; Calder, 1977). Essentially, ILT represent ideal instances of leadership (Lord et al., 1986).

These implicit theories come from many sources, including personality (Hunt et al., 1990; Keller, 1999), demographic similarity (Mehra et al., 1998), and the institution itself (Knights and Willmott, 1992). Leader effectiveness, as perceived by either leader or

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follower, also assists in forming ILT, but does so differently than the other antecedents. Continued perceptions of situations where leaders are viewed as effective or ineffective may constantly reinforce or alter the contents of ILT, whereas the other antecedents are more likely to be stable over time.

Perceptions of leader effectiveness have many positive outcomes including trust (Robinson, 1996), organizational commitment (Conger, 1999), satisfaction (George and Jones, 1997), performance (Howell and Avolio, 1993), and organizational citizenship behaviors (Gardner and Schermerhorn, 2004). Furthermore, perceptions of leader effectiveness are an important element in the maintenance of ILT through continual reinforcement by the leader.

Hypotheses While considerable literature and empirical knowledge focusses on the necessity of authentic leadership, the influence of followers, and perceptions of effective leadership, the connection between these constructs has not been made. The focus of this study, as shown in Figure 1, argues that while follower implicit leadership perceptions do create what is seen as effective leadership, it does not alter the influencing function of authentic leadership.

Moreover, follower ILT are influenced by perceptions of effective leadership as understood by the leader. Therefore, we hypothesize:

H1. Feedback on leader effectiveness is perceived to influence the content of follower ILT. When followers receive information that their leaders are effective, they include those behaviors into their ILT.

H1a. Feedback on leader effectiveness is perceived to influence the content of leader ILT. When leaders receive feedback that their current behaviors are effective, the content of their ILT is reinforced.

Leadership prototypes (Lord and Maher, 1991) are identified as a result of categorization, which occurs in a process using cognitive categories. In leadership

Leader implicit leadership theory

Authentic leader

behaviors

Other leader

behaviors

Follower implicit leadership theory

H1

H1a

H2

Leader effectiveness

H2a

Figure 1. Research model

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categorization theory (Lord and Maher, 1991), it is argued that to be successful and exert influence in any leadership attempt, followers must perceive the person to be a leader. Such a perception involves giving meaning or identity to an event, person, object, or idea (i.e. categorization). Hence, the better the fit between the perceived leadership behaviors and the leadership prototype, the more likely this individual will be seen as a leader (Offermann et al., 1994; Foti and Luch, 1992). In other words, leadership perceptions are based on cognitive categorization processes in which perceivers match the perceived attributes of potential leaders they observe to an internal prototype of leadership categories (Foti and Luch, 1992).

Expectations and predictions of leadership are developed through these prototypes and categorizations, distinguishing good leaders from bad and effective from ineffective, based on the attributes and behaviors held within the ILT of the observer (Lord and Maher, 1991). In effect, leadership is an outcome of cognitive processes in which people label individuals as leaders based on the fit between observed leader behavior and their own implicit theory of leadership. Therefore we hypothesize:

H2. The relationship between leader behaviors and leader effectiveness is perceived to be influenced by follower ILT. In order for followers to see leadership behaviors as effective, those behaviors must reside within their ILT.

However if authentic leadership is an ideal form of leadership, it should be seen as effective regardless of whether or not those behaviors explicitly lie within a follower’s ILT. A person may consciously disagree with those behaviors, but still rate such a leader as effective:

H2a. The relationship between authentic transformational leadership (ATF) behaviors and leader effectiveness is not perceived to be influenced by follower ILT. Authentic leadership behaviors are perceived to be effective regardless of the content of a follower’s ILT.

Methods Sample The hypotheses were examined using responses from scenarios created for this study. Data were collected at a large North Texas University in the USA. The sample consisted of 158 undergraduate students enrolled in business online classes, reflecting a 73 percent response rate. The sample was comprised of primarily juniors and seniors in college; 64 percent consisted of females and 72 percent were under the age of 25. In total, 57 percent had at least one year of full-time work experience. In total, 91 percent reported having at least one year of leadership experience (as indicated by committee chair experience, club leadership experience, and experience in managing other people in a work setting). In total, 47 percent of students had taken a course in ethics.

The convenience sample of undergraduate students presents sample validity threats to this study in generalizing the results to the leadership population. Three key issues that counter this threat are addressed (Kam et al., 2007). The instrument used was found to be a reliable and valid indicator of implicit leadership concepts. Second, the population was heterogeneous and does not differ culturally from those entering positions of leadership. Third, the population of students does not differ greatly from

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those previously in preparation for leadership roles. Further, Flere and Lavric (2008) found student samples are cautiously similar to the population when comparing student responses to world value samples.

The exploratory point of this research, coupled with the student sample exerting more cognitive effort than an average employee (Kam et al., 2007), supports the use of this sample in this study. Finally, none of the constructs of this study require experience when conducting evaluation of the hypotheses (Chelimsky, 1998).

None of the control variables (age, gender, race, class, work experience (full time and part time), leadership experience (through indication of committee chair, club officer, or managerial experience), and whether or not the students had taken an ethics course) have a significant relationship with the dependent variables, meaning that any effects found were not due to the control variables, as they shared little or no correlation with the dependent variables, further indicating the utility of the student sample for this research.

Procedure Data were collected through the online course platform, WebCT. WebCT allows the researcher to have complete control over who accesses which surveys, in a certain order, at specific, time-limited hours and dates. An online consent form was provided that assured confidentiality of responses. The anonymity reduced bias in the survey results. Use of electronic surveys is appropriate with this sampling frame and does not create a threat to sampling validity, a key issue with electronic surveys (Sheehan and Hoy, 1999; Coomber, 1997).

Each student was randomly assigned to eight different groups, representing eight separate conditions used to test all four hypotheses. Students could only access the surveys assigned to their group and could not view other answers. Once the survey was completed, students could not access the survey again. Examples of scenarios and measures used can be found in Appendix.

Variance inflation factor (VIF) analysis was used to examine multicollinearity of variables. Each hypothesis was examined descriptively using the mean and SD of responses. An ANOVA was conducted to examine the significance of the relationships between each group. Finally, reliability of the measures was examined using Cronbach’s a internal measures.

To examine H1, two scenarios were created, one describing an effective leader, the other an ineffective leader. Leader effectiveness was manipulated in the study using four items based on an effectiveness measure developed by van Knippenberg and van Knippenberg (2005). Each item was transformed into a sentence to include in the scenario describing a leader’s effectiveness. For example, in the effective condition, the scenario read “Joe completely trusts Frank, and has been heard to comment that Frank is an excellent supervisor” (Joe is the follower and Frank is the leader). For the ineffective condition, the same sentence reads “Joe, however, does not trust Frank and has been heard to comment that Frank is a terrible supervisor.”

After reading scenarios to manipulate this relationship, students were asked to give their opinion as to whether the follower’s ILT would change based on feedback. Responses to six items measured on a seven-point scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 7 (absolutely). Total scale scores were based on the mean of each subject’s answers.

To examine H1a, two scenarios were created, one describing a leader who receives a positive leadership evaluation, and one describing a leader who receives a negative

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leadership evaluation. In this way, leader effectiveness was manipulated by describing feedback that informed the reader of a leadership evaluation that was either positive or negative based on past leadership behaviors. After reading a scenario to manipulate this relationship, students were asked to give their opinion as to whether the leader’s ILT would change based on feedback. Responses were obtained to six items measured on a seven-point scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 7 (absolutely). Total scale scores were based on the mean of each subject’s answers.

To examine H2 and H2a, four scenarios were created (2�2 factorial design using leadership style and congruence/non-congruence). Two scenarios described an authentic transformational leader, and two describing a transactional leader, with a congruent and non-congruent condition – congruence between leader’s and follower’s implicit perceptions – for each style. In one condition the ILT of both the leader and the follower contained ATF behavior content. In the second condition, the leader’s implicit leadership theory (LILT) contained ATF leadership behavior content, but the follower’s implicit leadership theory (FILT) did not. The leadership behaviors were based on an ethical leadership measure developed by Brown et al. (2005) and transformational items from the MLQ 5� (Bass and Avolio, 1990).

Congruence and non-congruence conditions were created for the two leadership styles by including in each scenario a description of the LILT content and then a description of a follower who either agreed or disagreed with the leader’s behavior style (i.e. LILT content and FILT content contained similar information about leader behavior).

After reading scenarios that manipulated varying combinations of variables, leadership effectiveness was assessed. Responses were obtained across four items, each measured on a seven-point scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 7 (absolutely) (van Knippenberg and van Knippenberg, 2005). This measure was chosen due to its short length and successful use in past studies (e.g. Pierro et al., 2005). Total scale scores were obtained by taking a mean of each subject’s answers.

The use of scenarios in this research is specifically designed for imaging future research work. The effort here is to anticipatorily examine and create a desirable research agenda.

Results VIF were used on variables to determine multicollinearity. The VIF is a measure of the variance of the inflated the effect of the independent variables in the model, including the standard error of the variable, compared to uncorrelated independent variables, thus making the coefficient of determination unstable (Suen, 1990). Where VIFs in excess of 10.0 exist, severe multicollinearity problems are present in the models. All VIFs for the variables are below 10.0, indicating multicollinearity is not present (Suen, 1990).

H1 H1 projected that perceptions of leader effectiveness affect a FILT. Students have significantly higher expectations for the followers to behave similarly to the leader when the leader is considered effective (mean¼5.94, SD¼0.56) than when he is considered ineffective (mean¼2.23, SD¼0.72). The ANOVA found the difference is significant (F¼469.18, po0.001; n¼56). Using Cronbach’s a, the measure is reliable (a¼0.94). H1 is supported.

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H1a H1a projected that perceptions of a leader’s own effectiveness will influence his ILT. Students have higher expectations for the leaders to maintain their current behaviors with positive feedback (mean¼5.55, SD¼0.72) than with negative feedback (mean¼2.95, SD¼0.99), and the difference is significant (F¼131.67, po0.001; n¼59). The measure is reliable (a¼0.94). H1a is supported.

Results from H1 and H1a suggest that feedback on leader effectiveness provides a basis for continual adjustment to a person’s ILT, for both leaders and followers. The data from these hypotheses indicate that ILT may not be as stable as once thought. Students believe that followers and leaders alike, through observations and feedback on leader effectiveness, adjust their ILT, supporting Weick and Bougon’s (1986) argument that changes in cognitive structure occur continuously. Development of ILT is an ongoing process involving cognitive matches between leader behavior and previous categorizations of ideal leader behavior (Lord and Maher, 1991). In relationship to the results of these hypotheses, new observations of effective (or ineffective) leader behavior influence current categorizations of leadership.

H2 and H2a H2 projected that the relationship between leadership behaviors and leader effectiveness is influenced by the content of a FILT. H2a projected that the relationship between ATF behaviors and leader effectiveness is not influenced by the content of a FILT (as indicated by congruence). Both leadership style and congruence were manipulated across four scenarios. Students were asked, based on the scenario, if the follower would find the leader effective (1¼not at all; 7¼absolutely). Means, SD, and ANOVA results can be found in Table I.

As expected, the main effect for congruence between a FILT and a leader’s behavior is significant in both style conditions, meaning that a follower finds those leaders effective who display behaviors consistent with their implicit theory. In addition, there is a significant main effect for leadership style. Examination of the effectiveness means reveals that authentic transformational leaders (mean¼3.58, SD¼0.94) are evaluated as more effective than transactional leaders (mean¼2.35, SD¼0.76).

Thus, although congruence between a FILT and a leader’s behavior was expected to significantly increase leader effectiveness evaluations, authentic transformational

Dependent variable: leader effectiveness Style Congruence Mean SD n

ATF Non-congruent 3.57 0.94 25 Congruent 6.20 0.85 28 Total 4.96 1.59 53

TA Non-congruent 2.35 0.76 22 Congruent 5.68 1.30 27 Total 4.18 1.99 49

Total Non-congruent 3.00 1.05 47 Congruent 5.94 1.12 55 Total 4.59 1.83 102

Notes: ATF, authentic transformational leadership; TA, transformational leadership

Table I. Descriptive data for

H2 and H2a

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leaders are seen as more effective than transactional leaders, regardless of whether followers contain authentic transformational leader behaviors in their ILT.

A two-way ANOVA (style�congruence) was performed for H2 and H2a as shown in Table II. The results indicate a significant main effect for style (F¼19.37, po0.001; n¼102) and an interaction between style and congruence (F¼3.09, po0.083; n¼102). If subjects perceive that followers must agree with a leader’s style (congruence) to see that leader as effective, then there would have been no effect for style, and no interaction between style and congruence. The weak interaction is important as it illustrates again that style is important; there would be no interaction if authentic leadership was not perceived to be effective in both congruent and non-congruent scenarios. The interaction is weak because only authentic leadership interacts, not transactional. The measures are reliable (a¼0.95). Both H2 and H2a are supported.

Leadership perceptions are based on cognitive categorization processes in which perceivers match the perceived attributes of potential leaders they observe to an internal prototype of leadership categories (Foti and Luch, 1992). Expectations and predictions of leadership are developed through these prototypes and categorizations, distinguishing good leaders from bad and effective from ineffective, based on the attributes and behaviors held within the ILT of the observer (Lord and Maher, 1991). In effect, leadership is an outcome of cognitive processes in which people label individuals as leaders based on the fit between observed leader behavior and their own implicit theory of leadership.

H2 was supported in that transactional leader behaviors and leader effectiveness is perceived to be influenced by FILT. H2a stated, however, that this would not be true for authentic leaders. H2a was supported. Students do not believe that congruence between LILT and FILT are necessary for an authentic leader to be seen as effective; they are seen as effective regardless of ILT dyadic congruence. However, results indicate there must be a content match between a transactional LILT and a FILT, as one might expect based on the previously discussed research by Lord and Maher (1991).

Conclusions and contributions Past research has suggested that ILT are stable (see Epitropaki and Martin, 2004). This study contributes to ILT literature by demonstrating that a person’s ILT change as a function of his or her experiences with leaders. It cannot be disregarded; this research suggests that people believe observations of effectiveness (a change in context) will influence ILT. We provide an extension of theory by looking at the authentic leadership paradigm through the lens of ILT and by viewing perceptions of leader effectiveness as a continuous influence on ILT.

Source Type III sum

of squares df Mean square F Significance

Observed powera

Corrected model 241.03b 3 80.34 80.67 0.001 1.00 Intercept 2,007.02 1 2,007.02 2,015.26 0.001 1.00 Style 19.29 1 19.29 19.37 0.001 0.99 Congruence 224.38 1 224.38 225.30 0.001 1.00 Style �congruence 3.06 1 3.06 3.07 0.083 0.41

Notes: aComputed using a¼0.05; bR2¼0.71 (adjusted R2¼0.70)

Table II. ANOVA results for H2 and H2a

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Authentic leadership is presented as a root construct of all positive, effective forms of leadership (Avolio et al., 2004), including spiritual, ethical, servant, and transformational leadership. Through both the organizational and personal perspectives, it is posited that authentic leaders develop higher levels of self-awareness and self-regulated positive behaviors in leaders and followers, with the result being positive self-development in each (Luthans and Avolio, 2003).

As theoretically developed, authentic leadership does not explain the mechanisms to achieve the proposed outcomes for both leaders and followers of positive self-development and positive psychological states (Avolio and Gardner, 2005). Two key points for future research are noted. One, research should be conducted using individuals in leadership positions in organizations as a way to ensure sampling validity. While this study is cautiously optimistic the results here are indicative of the key connection between authenticity and implicit theory, experience coupled with cognitive alertness can support the connection. The link between authentic leadership and implicit theory is operationalized in scenarios used in the experiment by describing ethical and transformational leadership using items from the MLQ by Bass and Avolio (1990), and an ethical leadership measure by Brown et al. (2005). This operationalization should be replicated and verified to validate the measure, using alternative testing methods to confirm reliability. In addition, the scenarios used to invoke forward thinking issues may be revised based on the critical input of experienced leaders.

Second, we noted ILT are an ongoing process involving cognitive matches between leader behavior and previous categorizations of ideal leader behavior by follower. Research in the context of varied organizational settings is needed to provide a construct that is free from distortion and bias found in varied missions and values of firms and current leadership.

For leaders, several points of consideration for leadership application are noted. First, leaders should use the mechanisms of leadership (inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, and idealized influence) to achieve organizational outcomes. This creates the follower perception of authenticity in leadership.

Second, descriptions of authentic leaders are based on a more accurate definition of authenticity and that suggests authentic leaders know who they are and what they believe and are transparent and consistent in their values and actions, though not necessarily altruistic. Leadership development in this self-awareness is an imperative as noted by this study.

Further, authentic leadership is not a paradigm within itself, but must be studied in conjunction with effective leadership and implicit theory to discover the contribution to positive organizational outcomes. Unless we link leadership behavior to outcomes, the study of leadership is hardly a relevant pursuit; and since so often belief drives behavior, it is important to understand the connection between authentic leadership behavior and the expectations we have for our leadership.

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Foti, R.J. and Luch, C.H. (1992), “The influence of individual differences on the perception and categorization of leaders”, The Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 55-66.

Gardner, W.L. and Schermerhorn, J.R. (2004), “Unleashing individual potential: performance gains through positive organizational behavior and authentic leadership”, Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 33 No. 3, pp. 270-81.

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Epitropaki, O. and Martin, R. (2005), “From ideal to real: a longitudinal study of the role of implicit leadership theories on leader-member exchanges and employee outcomes”, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 90 No. 4, pp. 659-76.

Appendix Scenarios and measure for H1 Condition 1: Joe is an employee in Average American Company. Frank is Joe’s leader in the company. Joe completely trusts Frank, and has been heard to comment that Frank is an “excellent” supervisor. If asked, Joe would say that Frank is a good and very effective leader.

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Condition 2: Joe is an employee at Average American Company. Frank is Joe’s boss in the company. Joe, however, does not trust Frank, and has been heard to comment that Frank is a terrible supervisor. If asked, Joe would say that Frank is a bad and very ineffective leader:

(1) To what degree do you believe Joe will incorporate Frank’s behaviors into his idea of ideal leadership?

(2) To what degree do you think Joe forms his opinions about leadership based on Frank’s behavior?

(3) To what degree do you think Joe would behave the same as Frank if he found himself in a similar leadership position?

(4) To what degree do you think Joe would change his personal theory about ideal leadership based on Frank’s behaviors?

(5) To what degree do you think Joe and Frank have the same personal theory about ideal leadership?

(6) To what degree do you think Joe rejects Frank’s ideas about leadership?

Scenarios and measure to test H1a

Condition 1: Frank is a leader in Average American Company. After a six-month period of behaving like he normally does, Frank receives a leadership evaluation that is negative. He then thinks about his behavior over the past six-month period.

Condition 2: Frank is a leader in Average American Company. After a six-month period of behaving like he normally does, Frank receives a leadership evaluation that is positive. He then evaluates his behavior over the past-six month period:

(1) To what degree do you think Frank would behave the same as he has over the last six-months during the next six-month period?

(2) To what degree do you think Frank will maintain his leadership behaviors of the last six months?

(3) To what degree do you think Frank will continue acting as he has over the last six months?

(4) To what degree do you think Frank’s personal theory about leadership will remain the same?

Example scenario and measure to test H2a

Conditions 1 and 2: Frank is a leader in Average American Company. If asked, those around Frank would say that he conducts his life in an ethical manner. He defines success not just by results, but also the way those results are obtained. He listens to what employees have to say, and disciplines those employees who violate ethical standards. He is known for making fair and balanced decisions, and can always be trusted. He often discusses business ethics or values with employees, and sets an example of how to do things the right way, in terms of ethics. He has the best interests of employees in mind, and when making decisions, asks “what is the right thing to do?”

Additionally, Frank makes personal sacrifices for the benefit of others. He is known for remaining calm during crisis situations. He instills pride in those he leads, just for being associated with him. He goes beyond his own self-interest for the good of the group, and provides reassurance that obstacles will be overcome. He displays extraordinary talent and competence in whatever he undertakes. His actions garner respect from his followers, and he displays a sense of power and confidence.

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Frank is known to set high standards, and envisions exciting new possibilities. He talks optimistically of the future, expressing confidence that he and his followers will achieve their goals. He provides continuous encouragement to those he leads, focussing the attention of his followers on “what it takes” to be successful. He talks enthusiastically about what needs to be accomplished, and arouses an awareness of what is essential to consider in those he leads. He articulates a compelling vision of the future, and shows determination to accomplish whatever he sets out to do.

Frank also emphasizes the value of questioning assumptions. He re-examines critical assumptions to question whether they are appropriate, and encourages those he leads to rethink ideas which had never been questioned before, including the traditional ways of doing things. He seeks differing perspectives when solving problems, and suggests new ways of looking at how they do their jobs. He encourages those he leads to express their ideas and opinions, and gets those he leads to look at problems from many different angles. He encourages non-traditional thinking to deal with traditional problems, and encourages addressing problems by using reasoning and evidence, rather than unsupported opinion.

Frank also treats those he leads as individuals, rather than just members of a group. He listens attentively to the concerns of those he leads, and provides useful advice for their development. He focusses on developing his followers’ strengths, and spends time teaching and coaching them. He treats each of those he leads as individuals with different needs, abilities, and aspirations. He also teaches those he leads how to identify the needs and capabilities of others. He promotes self-development among his followers, and gives personal attention to those who seem neglected.

Condition 1 ending: Joe is one of Frank’s followers, and has observed Frank’s leadership behaviors. Joe agrees with Frank’s leadership style and would probably act the same way Frank does if he were in a similar leadership position.

Condition 2 ending: Joe is one of Frank’s followers. He has observed all of the above behaviors in Frank, and does not necessarily agree with Frank’s leadership style. Whereas he acknowledges that leaders may behave as Frank does, Joe believes there are other behaviors that may more appropriately represent good leadership. He might not necessarily act the same way Frank does if he were in a similar leadership position.

To what degree do you agree with the following statements:

(1) Joe places trust in Frank.

(2) Joe believes Frank is an excellent supervisor.

(3) Joe believes Frank is a good leader.

(4) Joe believes Frank is a very effective leader.

(5) Joe does not believe Frank is a successful leader.

Corresponding author Thomas W. Nichols can be contacted at: [email protected]

To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email protected] Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

Mandatory Assignment Resources/Leadership Theory and Research in the New Millennium.pdf

The Leadership Quarterly 25 (2014) 36–62

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

The Leadership Quarterly

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/leaqua

Leadership theory and research in the new millennium: Current theoretical trends and changing perspectives

Jessica E. Dinh a, Robert G. Lord b, William L. Gardner c, Jeremy D. Meuser d, Robert C. Liden d, Jinyu Hu c

a University of Akron, United States b Durham University, United Kingdom c Texas Tech University, United States d University of Illinois at Chicago, United States

a r t i c l e i n f o

E-mail addresses: [email protected] (J.E. Dinh) (J.D. Meuser), [email protected] (R.C. Liden), jinyu.hu

1048-9843/$ – see front matter. Published by Elsevier http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.11.005

a b s t r a c t

Article history: Received 1 August 2013 Received in revised form 18 October 2013 Accepted 31 October 2013 Available online 28 November 2013

Editor: Francis J. Yammarino Psychologist, Journal of Management, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management

Scholarly research on the topic of leadership has witnessed a dramatic increase over the last decade, resulting in the development of diverse leadership theories. To take stock of established and developing theories since the beginning of the new millennium, we conducted an extensive qualitative review of leadership theory across 10 top-tier academic publishing outlets that included The Leadership Quarterly, Administrative Science Quarterly, American

Review, Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Organizational Science, and Personnel Psychology. We then combined two existing frameworks (Gardner, Lowe, Moss, Mahoney, & Cogliser, 2010; Lord & Dinh, 2012) to provide a process- oriented framework that emphasizes both forms of emergence and levels of analysis as a means to integrate diverse leadership theories. We then describe the implications of the findings for future leadership research and theory.

Published by Elsevier Inc.

Keywords: Leadership theory Levels of analysis Global compositional and compilational forms of emergence Content analysis

1. Introduction

Since its inception in 1988 (first issue in 1990), the mission of The Leadership Quarterly (LQ) has been to sustain and catalyze the development of innovative, multi-disciplinary research that advances the leadership field. Nearly 25 years later, this goal, along with many of the journal's other primary objectives, has been reached (Gardner, Lowe, Moss, Mahoney, & Cogliser, 2010). As Gardner and colleagues noted in their 20-year review of LQ, leadership research has grown exponentially in the last decade, attracting the interest of talented scholars and practitioners from around the globe who have revolutionized the way we understand leadership phenomena. As their review demonstrates, the number of new leadership theories has grown and the field has advanced from theory that focuses on understanding general leadership processes as they occur over indeterminate amounts of time to a phenomenon that evolves over different time spans depending on the hierarchical level at which leaders are investigated (Kaiser, Hogan, & Craig, 2008). Theories have also developed to understand how micro processes, such as perceptions, emotions, and cognitions (e.g., Bono & Ilies, 2006; Dinh & Lord, 2012; Lee, Aaker, & Gardner, 2000; Trichas & Schyns, 2012), and macro processes, such as the social–relational context (Chang & Johnson, 2010; DeRue & Ashford, 2010; Erdogan, Kraimer, & Liden, 2007; Gardner & Avolio, 1998; Liden, Sparrowe, & Wayne, 1997), dynamically affect follower and leader outcomes. Over the last two decades, leadership scholars have also developed theories to explain a leader's role within complex

, [email protected] (R.G. Lord), [email protected] (W.L. Gardner), [email protected] @ttu.edu (J. Hu).

Inc.

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systems for instigating organizational change and managing dynamic social networks (Balkundi & Kilduff, 2006; Balkundi, Kilduff, & Harrison, 2011; Hannah, Lord, & Pearce, 2011; Marion & Uhl-Bien, 2002; Uhl-Bien & Marion, 2009).

Although the growing diversity of leadership theory has helped create an academic agenda for leadership research in the new millennium, we maintain that there are several challenges that accompany the rapid proliferation of new theoretical perspectives. In this article, we provide a critical review of leadership theory that has emerged since 2000, and we describe the challenges that scholars and practitioners must address to further advance the leadership field. Our search included theories from nine other top-tier journals in addition to LQ, allowing us to offer a broader and more comprehensive review of the topics that have captured the attention of leadership scholars. Rather than provide a detailed summary of the theories that have been identified, this article focuses on addressing one fundamental process-centered issue that is germane to all theories: how has leadership theory and research contributed to our understanding of the processes by which antecedent elements affect outcomes pertaining to leaders, followers, or organizational phenomena?

We believe that attention to processes is important for the following reasons. First, understanding leadership processes can help illustrate the limitations of current theory, and it can assist in the development of a more comprehensive agenda for leadership research in the new millennium with direct relevance to organizational practice (Langley, Smallman, Tsoukas, & Van de Ven, 2013). This is important because leadership is a complex phenomenon that operates across multiple levels of analysis (Cho & Dansereau, 2010; Wang & Howell, 2010), involves multiple mediating and moderating factors (e.g., DeRue, Nahrgang, Wellman, & Humphrey, 2011), and takes place over substantial periods of time (Day & Sin, 2011; Lord & Brown, 2004). However, leadership scholars have more often focused on the isolated effects of leaders or followers at one or another level of analysis and within short time intervals. Such a static approach is reflected in scholarly work on leadership, which has predominantly relied on cross-sectional retrospective survey methodologies (Gardner et al., 2010; Hunter, Bedell-Avers, & Mumford, 2007; Lowe & Gardner, 2000). This approach ignores the cumulated effects of transitory processes, such as emotions, thoughts, reactions, and embodied cognitions, which can fundamentally alter leader development and behavioral outcomes (Day & Sin, 2011; Lord, Hannah, & Jennings, 2011).

Second, leadership dynamics involve multiple levels and can produce both top-down and bottom-up emergent outcomes at higher and lower levels of analysis (Yammarino & Dansereau, 2011; Yammarino, Dionne, Chun, & Dansereau, 2005). For example, by shaping organizational climates and cultures, leaders can create ethical norms that guide the moral (or immoral) behavior of groups or collectives in a top-down direction (Mayer, Kuenzi, Greenbaum, Bardes, & Salvador, 2009; Schaubroeck, Hannah, Avolio, Kozlowski, Lord, et al., 2012). Simultaneously, leaders may also appeal directly to individuals by aligning followers' values and identities to those of the organization (Brown & Treviño, 2009), enforcing codes of conduct (Tyler & Blader, 2005), or by modeling ethical (or unethical) behavior (Brown & Treviño, 2006). Although these processes reflect top-down leadership influences, bottom-up processes, such as the influence of followers and intrapersonal dynamics, are also important in understanding how leaders influence organizations and how leadership outcomes are achieved (Dinh & Lord, 2012; Howell & Shamir, 2005; Marion & Uhl-Bien, 2002; Shamir, 2007). For example, research on meta-cognitive processes and self-complexity describes how dynamic intra-personal constructs can interact over time to increase intrapersonal complexity, which allows individuals to have greater behavioral adaptability in response to varying situations (Hannah, Woolfolk, & Lord, 2009; Lord et al., 2011). At higher levels of analysis, individual complexity allows a variety of social networks to develop into valuable organizational resources (Balkundi & Kilduff, 2006; Balkundi et al., 2011), and it can produce group complexity when team members interact, thereby creating more complex knowledge structures that guide group behavior (Hannah et al., 2011). At this level, group processes can also aggregate to create intangible organizational resources like social capital (Polyhart & Moliterno, 2011). As these examples show, leadership involves the contribution of multiple actors and bidirectional influence (top-down and bottom-up) that unfolds along different time scales (from minutes to years). Therefore, leadership theory that is narrowly confined to one level of analysis presents an overly restricted static understanding of leadership phenomena.

Third, prior research indicates that we know much less about how leaders make organizations effective than how leaders are perceived (Kaiser et al., 2008). We believe this dearth of knowledge on how leaders create effective organizations stems from a focus on leaders and their qualities rather than on how they change processes in other individuals, groups, or organizations. To address these issues in leadership research and theory, this article expands upon an existing classification scheme that was developed by Gardner et al. (2010) and the framework developed by Lord and Dinh (2012, described in Section 3), which maintains that a key aspect of leadership is to structure the way that the inputs of others are combined to produce organizational outputs. The advantage of these classification schemes is that they offer unique insight for organizing theory based on underlying leadership processes (Lord & Dinh, 2012) and have been successful in organizing leadership research (Gardner et al., 2010; Lowe & Gardner, 2000). By integrating these two classification schemes, we provide several additional contributions to the leadership literature.

Though abstract, addressing the nature of emergence provides a set of conceptual tools that can be used at any level of analysis, and it offers the potential for discovering leadership principles that apply at multiple levels. For example, focusing on each theory's underlying process enables us to organize the extant literature by identifying commonalities among theories. These commonalities may then suggest deeper principles that unite disparate leadership theories. In addition, a framework that can organize theory by levels of analysis is critical because leadership occurs within a social context created by individuals, groups, and larger organizational systems, and the nature of leadership processes may vary with each level. Hence, attention to both levels and process can promote a richer understanding of how simultaneously occurring phenomenon at different levels of analysis interact to influence leadership. Finally, such issues have practical as well as scholarly implications. Currently, practitioners wanting to use scientific research to improve organizational leadership processes must select from a bewildering array of theories that focus on

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competing levels of analysis. Organizing these theories in terms of processes that produce individual, dyadic, group, and organizational outcomes may help practitioners focus on theories that fit with their organization's core technologies and social systems, and address pressing organizational concerns.

To accomplish our objectives, we partitioned this article into three major sections. In Section 2, we provide an overview of the trends in leadership theory that have appeared since the beginning of the new millennium, a description of our data collection method, and conclusions regarding the theories that have remained at the forefront of research and theories that have (re)surfaced since 2000. In Section 3, we provide a more thorough description of our organizing framework, which classifies theories based on each theory's level of analysis and underlying process, which we use to organize the leadership literature. In Section 4, we offer our conclusions regarding the overall literature and make suggestions for the development of more integrative leadership theory and research, as well as address the practical and theoretical implications of this review to guide future research.

2. Content analysis methods

2.1. Sample

We began by searching the 10 journals identified in Table 1 known for publishing leadership research that also have high impact factors and regularly appear at the top of journal ranking lists in the field of organizational behavior. We performed a manual search for leadership, restricting our search to articles published between 2000 and September 2012. This search yielded 989 total hits. We downloaded these articles and applied the following two selection criteria. First, the article had to be original research, whether qualitative, quantitative, theoretical, or methodological, thus eliminating such items as letters, editorials, and book reviews. Second, the abstract was reviewed to determine whether leadership was the primary, rather than peripheral focus of the article. Those that failed either or both of these two selection criteria (237 articles) were rejected from inclusion, leaving 752 articles. (A full list of the articles included is available upon request).

Table 1 reports the number of articles found in each journal. LQ, as a specialty journal dedicated to the publication of leadership research, dominated our dataset (442 articles), which is to be expected. Journal of Applied Psychology ranked second (125 articles) in terms of the quantity of published leadership research, and amounted to notably more articles than the remainder of journals we examined. Organizational Science (7 articles) and Academy of Management Review (8 articles) published the fewest number of leadership articles of the journals we examined.

2.2. Coding procedure and categories

We coded these articles according to a strict protocol that had been agreed upon by the authors. We also used a Microsoft Access 2010 database that we designed to accommodate the specific fields that we coded. This eliminated common coding errors, such as typos and inconsistent nomenclature and provided for consistency between coders. For each article, our database contains: journal name, year of publication, title, keywords (if available), authors, abstract, type of article, data collection timing and research method, analytical method, leadership theory categorization, level of analysis, form of emergence, and emergence/ theory match/mismatch. Our coding for type of study involved four categories: qualitative, quantitative, theoretical, or methodological. Our data collection timing categories included cross-sectional, cross-sectional with time lag intended to reduce common method variance (e.g., independent variables collected at time 1 and dependent variables collected at time 2), and longitudinal (where the same variables are collected at multiple time points). Our categorization of research method refines and expands the list of research strategies listed in Gardner et al. (2010). Specifically, we coded for qualitative (case study), content analysis (the counting of words or phrases in qualitative, interview, or verbatim response data to produce a quantitative dataset for analysis), diary or experiential sampling (which requires participants to answer questions at periodic or at random times determined by the researcher), computer simulation (in which real world conditions are modeled and artificial data produced), lab experiment (which involves the execution of tasks devoid of contextual realities), experimental simulation (similar to a lab experiment, but with an attempt to model or simulate a context), field experiment (conducting experimental tasks or applied

Table 1 Number of leadership research articles published in 10 top-tier journals (2000–2012).

Journal Numbers of articles

Academy of Management Journal 45 Academy of Management Review 8 Administrative Science Quarterly 30 American Psychologist 13 Journal of Applied Psychology 125 Journal of Management 30 Organizational Behavior & Human Decision Processes 30 Organizational Science 7 Personnel Psychology 22 The Leadership Quarterly 442 Total number of articles 752

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research), judgment task (which involves participants rating or judging the behavior of others), field survey-primary (data collected by the researcher directly from participants), field survey-secondary (data used in the study are from archival data), sample survey (which attempts to obtain a sample representative of the population of interest), meta-analytic quantitative review, non-meta-analytic qualitative review, and methodology study (in which new methods are described and tested, or existing methods refined). Our analytical method coding scheme followed Scandura and Williams (2000) and was also used by Gardner and colleagues (2010). Specifically, we coded for: 1) linear regression; 2) analysis of variance (ANOVA/MANOVA); 3) linear techniques for categorical dependent variables; 4) factor analysis (Exploratory Factor Analysis [EFA]/Confirmatory Factor Analysis [CFA]); 5) Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)/path analysis; 6) multiple-levels-of analysis techniques (e.g., hierarchical linear modeling [HLM]); 7) meta-analytic techniques (e.g., Hunter & Schmidt, 2004); 8) time series/event history techniques; 9) non-parametric techniques; and 10) computer simulation techniques.

The leadership theory categorization scheme we employed to classify leadership theories was based on several factors. First, we applied the criteria for theory specified by Bacharach (1989) to guide our identification of theories. Second, we adopted as a starting point the classification scheme that Lowe and Gardner (2000) initially developed and Gardner et al. (2010) refined in their reviews of articles published in LQ's first and second decades, respectively. Note that Gardner et al. (2010) provide a detailed description of the development of this theory classification scheme (see pages 934–935 and the Appendix A). Third, we augmented the thematic leadership categories throughout the early stages of coding, as we encountered leadership approaches that did not fit the existing category scheme. Our final coding scheme can be found in the Appendix A. Level of analysis and form of emergence were coded using the scheme found in Lord and Dinh (2012) and described in Section 3. In brief, form of emergence describes whether the leadership theory implies that constituent sub-units combine to create higher-order unit-level properties in a way that preserves or alters their fundamental nature. Finally, emergence/theory match/mismatch was a Boolean field indicating if the methods used in the article corresponded to the level of analysis and the form of aggregation implied by the theory. In this test of theory, mismatches occurred most often when the underlying processes implied by theory were not examined at the appropriate level of analysis (e.g., a group-level phenomenon investigated by using individual scores, an event-level phenomenon investigated by aggregated individual scores), or when dynamic and/or longitudinal processes were examined using retrospective survey methods or when data sampling occurred at one point in time. It should be emphasized that theories found within empirical research articles were tested by examining whether the method for capturing the process leading to a particular leadership phenomenon was appropriate based on the underlying processes implied by the theory used, rather than whether the article included specific leadership outcomes. Additionally, it should be noted that across all coded fields, articles often fit more than one category within each coded field. For example, an article may involve meta-analytic and SEM techniques or involve two leadership theories. This was also the case with forms of emergence where articles described simultaneously occurring processes.

In order to code this extensive literature, coding was completed by two independent teams. All articles were coded for form of emergence and emergence/theory match/mismatch by the first or second author, and a random subsample of 14 was coded by both authors yielding an agreement of 86% percent. The remaining categories were coded by the remainder of the research team and a random sample of 10% of the coded articles was drawn for blind re-coding by a different member of the research team. We then computed inter-rater reliability agreement for our coded variables at 82.9%. As this exceeded the commonly accepted reliability threshold, we discussed and resolved differences in coding, and then proceeded with analysis.

2.3. The status of the established leadership theories

Table 2 contains the leadership theories that emerged from our coding process. We grouped them categorically under established and emergent theories and thematically within those broader categories. Neo-charismatic theories, which emerged historically from charismatic leadership theory, received the most attention from scholars in the new millennium (total 294 instances), with transformational leadership and charismatic leadership, respectively, representing the dominant forms of interest. Leadership and information processing received the second largest quantity of interest (total 194 instances), with leader and follower cognitions and implicit leadership, highlighted by House and Aditya (1997) as an emerging theory at the time, dominating that category. Together, this category takes into account the cognitive structures of leaders, followers, and decision-making. This thematic category also answers questions like “what do I think leadership means?” and “what do I think is important?” by suggesting that these mental structures are built up in part from experience. These research questions have been investigated since the late 1970s (e.g., Lord, Binning, Rush, & Thomas, 1978), and our findings suggest that this thematic category continues to capture the interest of researchers.

Social exchange/relational theories were also quite common (156 instances). Leader–member exchange (LMX), the archetypal social exchange leader–follow dyadic approach that investigates the quality of the relationship experienced within the dyad, appeared in 115 instances. An important LMX advancement during the present millennium can be found in the meta-analysis of Dulebohn, Bommer, Liden, Brouer, and Ferris (2012), which offers an antecedents and outcomes model of LMX, responding to the call of House and Aditya (1997) for just such a model. Dispositional/trait theories comprised another common thematic category (149 instances). Trait based leadership approaches are still of interest (117 instances) to researchers. However, it is noteworthy that only in 11 instances were traits solely investigated; the 106 remaining investigated traits in concert with at least one other leadership approach in our taxonomy. Judge, Piccolo, and Kosalka (2009) offer a thoughtful review of the trait based approach as well as a trait based model of leadership emergence and effectiveness, including mediators and moderators, which is an example of the advancements in the trait based approach that integrate with other leadership theories.

Table 2 Frequency, percentage, and overall rank of leadership theories grouped by thematic category (published in 10 top-tier journals, 2000 – 2012).

Established theories Frequency % Rank Emerging theories Frequency % Rank

Neo-charismatic theories 294 39 1 Strategic Leadership 182 24 1 Transformational leadership 154 20 1 Strategic/top executive 92 12 6 Charismatic leadership 78 10 7 Upper echelons theory 70 9 8 Transactional leadership 35 5 17 Public leadership 20 3 26 Ideological/pragmatic, outstanding leadership 12 2 29 Self-sacrificing leadership 8 1 33 Pygmalion effects 5 b1 35 Inspirational leadership 2 b1 38

Leadership and Information Processing 194 26 2 Team Leadership 112 15 2 Leader and follower cognition 95 13 5 Leadership in team and decision groups 112 15 4 Implicit leadership 50 7 12 Attribution theories of leadership 29 4 21 Information processing and decision making 20 3 26

Social Exchange/Relational 156 21 3 Contextual, Complexity and System Perspectives of Leadership 110 15 3 Leadership Theories Leader-member exchange (LMX) 115 15 3 Contextual theories of leadership 42 6 14 Relational leadership 32 4 18 Social network theories of leadership 31 4 19 Vertical dyadic linkage (VDL) 8 1 33 Complexity Theories of leadership 23 3 23 Individualized leadership 1 b1 39 Integrative leadership 14 2 28

Dispositional/Trait Theories 149 20 4 Leader Emergence and Development 102 14 4 Trait theories 117 16 2 Leadership development 67 9 9 Leadership skills/competence 30 4 20 Leadership emergence 35 5 17 Leader motive profile theory 2 b1 38

Leadership and Diversity; 81 11 5 Ethical/Moral Leadership Theories 80 11 5 Cross-Cultural Leadership Leadership and diversity 49 7 13 Authentic leadership theory 31 4 19 Cross-cultural leadership 32 4 18 Ethical leadership theory 24 3 22

Spiritual leadership theory 14 2 28 Servant leadership theory 11 1 30

Follower-Centric Leadership Theories 69 9 6 Leading for Creativity, Innovation and Change 72 9 6 Followership theories 54 7 11 Leading for creativity and innovation 39 5 16 Romance of leadership 12 2 29 Leading organizational change 22 3 24 Aesthetic leadership 3 b1 37 Leading for organizational learning and knowledge 11 1 30

Behavioral Theories 64 8 7 Identity-Based Leadership Theories 60 8 7 Participative, shared leadership; 41 5 15 Social identity theory of leadership 31 4 19 delegation and empowerment Identity and identification process 29 4 21 Behavioral approaches (OSU/LBDQ) 17 2 27 theories of leadership Leadership reward and punishment behavior 6 1 34

Contingency Theories 55 7 8 Other Nascent Approaches 101 13 8 Path-goal theory 10 1 31 Emotions and leadership 59 8 10 Situational leadership theory 10 1 31 Destructive/abusive/toxic leadership 22 3 24 Contingency leadership theory 9 1 32 Biological approaches to leadership 11 1 30 Leadership substitute theory 5 b1 35 E-leadership 4 b1 36 Adaptive leadership theory 5 b1 35 Leader error and recovery 3 b1 37 Normative decision model 5 b1 35 Entrepreneurial leadership 2 b1 37 Cognitive resource theory 4 b1 36 Life cycle theory 3 b1 37 Multiple linkage model 2 b1 38 Flexible leadership theories 2 b1 38

Power and Influence of Leadership 52 7 9 Power and influence of leadership 31 4 19 Political theory and influence tactics of leadership 21 3 25

Notes: 1. The total frequency exceeds the number of articles because articles often employ multiple theoretical frameworks. 2. Percentage is calculated by using the frequency divided by the total number of articles, i.e., 752. 3. There is a summary frequency and percentage for each paradigm.

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Reflecting a concern with greater social equality, there were many articles that addressed leadership and diversity, and cross-cultural issues (81 instances). Follower-centric leadership theories (69 instances) also reflect this trend, and a concern with shared leadership, though not a explicit coding category, seems to have flourished in the past decade (e.g., Pearce, Conger, & Locke, 2008).

There are some theories, however, which seem to have attracted less interest during our period of inquiry. While Judge, Piccolo, and Ilies (2004) called for more research into the behavioral approach consisting of initiating structure and consideration, labeling these constructs “the forgotten ones,” researchers have not responded in force. We discovered a relatively modest 17 instances, but these were distributed consistently over our period of inquiry. Another area of dwindling research interest can be found in the classic contingency theory thematic category. Collectively, we found 55 instances investigating one or more of these theories, but as shown in Table 2, these were distributed across ten theories ranging from two to ten articles. This is a notable finding as House and Aditya (1997) placed contingency theories among the dominant approaches in their comprehensive review of the leadership literature at the close of the last millennium. Further, we note that the reformulated path-goal theory, called the values-based leadership theory (House, Shane, & Herold, 1996), seems to have been neglected by researchers. However, the branch of path-goal theory that led to the charismatic leadership theory and the subsequent neo-charismatic thematic category has captured a great deal of interest. Indeed, House and Aditya (1997, p. 464), observed that “[p]ath-Goal Theory led to conceptualization of the 1976 Theory of Charismatic Leadership…”.

2.4. Emerging leadership theories

We note that while significant research is still occurring at the dyadic level, interest in strategic leadership approaches is the most prolific of the emerging leadership theories (182 instances) of any of the emerging thematic categories. This is a notable shift in research interest given that prior to the present millennium, this was an under-researched topic (Finkelstein & Hambrick, 1996; House & Aditya, 1997). The team literature has been recognized as being relevant given that much strategy formation occurs within top management teams. Team leadership has seen a significant increase in the quantity of recent research (112 instances), and a team approach was often combined with more established theories (e.g., 11 with trait, 15 with LMX, and 30 with transformational leadership). This suggests that leadership researchers are beginning to appreciate the social context in which the leader operates and his or her effect on the team as a whole, addressing a global shortcoming of leadership research that often operates at the dyadic level (House & Aditya, 1997). The systems thematic category consists of contextual, complexity, social network and integrative approaches, each of which attempts to capture various aspects of the contextual features within which leadership phenomena unfold. The fact that this thematic category is the third most prolific of the emerging leadership approaches (110 instances, 15% of the total 752 articles coded) might indicate that context of leadership is no longer the “neglected side of leadership” (Osborn, Hunt, & Jauch, 2002, p. 797) and that the charge that a “void still exists in the research literature” (Porter & McLaughlin, 2006, p. 560) with regard to the role of context no longer applies, given the increased attention to contextual factors we identified. However, while progress has been made, we still consider this to be an under-researched topic, given the central importance of context to the emergence and manifestation of leadership processes. A related thematic category, leading for creativity, innovation, and change is another team- and systems-based approach that has seen significant research during our period of inquiry (72 instances). It elaborates on the processes by which teams and systems adjust over time to dynamic environments. Together, these findings are encouraging and suggest that leadership researchers are continuing to advance the study of leadership, addressing shortcomings of the research program identified at the close of the last millennium — e.g., the lack of attention to contextual, team, and overall organizational effects of leadership — and are doing so at all organizational levels.

The thoughtful review of leadership by House and Aditya (1997) at the close of the last millennium also identified leadership training and development as an opportunity for future research, and our findings suggest that researchers have answered this call as shown by extensive activity in the leader emergence and development thematic category (102 instances). Leadership development (67 instances), the study of methods by which an organization increases within its membership social capital resources necessary to engage in leadership activities (McCauley, Moxley, & Van Velsor, 1998), and leadership emergence (35 instances), the study of who, and under what conditions, will be recognized as a leader, have together seen an impressive quantity of research our period of inquiry. While leadership development is not a new concept (Day, 2000), research continues to explore its complexities, addressing questions such as who seeks out developmental opportunities (Dragoni, Tesluk, Russell, & Oh, 2009), why individuals who experience the same developmental opportunity emerge with different learning outcomes (DeRue, Nahrgang, Hollenbeck, & Workman, 2012), and the interaction between traits and experience (Dinh & Lord, 2012; Van Iddekinge, Ferris, & Heffner, 2009) with regard to leadership development. Day (2000) noted that there had been a great amount of interest in charismatic and transformational leadership with respect to leadership development, and called for a broadening of leadership development beyond these two models. However, we found no articles during our period of inquiry that investigated leadership development with charismatic leadership and only five of the 67 articles that investigated transformational leadership, suggesting that Day's call for a broadening of interest with respect to leadership development is being answered as the preponderance of leadership development research in our dataset (62 of 67) investigates other facets of leadership development.

Leadership emergence research, similar to research on leadership development, is also concerned with traits (Foti & Hauenstein, 2007; Wolff, Pescosolido, & Druskat, 2002) and experiences (Avolio, Rotundo, & Walumbwa, 2009) that predispose a person to emerge as a leader. Encouragingly, scholars are even investigating this question using a systems approach (Lichtenstein & Plowman, 2009) and in novel team contexts, such as shared leadership (Carson, Tesluk, & Marrone, 2007) and virtual teams (Balthazard, Waldman, & Warren, 2009). Again, it is promising that researchers are taking a broader view of leadership emergence, investigating traits, behaviors, and experiences in a variety of contexts.

Several scholars have noted increased concern with regard to the ethical/moral values-based content of a leader's behavior (80 instances). We noted four leadership theories, which together share common interest in positive, humanistic behaviors address another

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shortcoming of leadership research identified at the close of the last millennium. Most extant theories, even transformational leadership, failed to (sufficiently) investigate altruistic leader behaviors (Bass, 1999; Brown, Treviño, & Harrison, 2005; Ciulla, 1998; Yukl, 2008). House and Aditya (1997) suggested that extant theories assumed a hedonistic leader, rather than an altruistic one. Research on altruistic and deontic theories has shown increased activity over the period reviewed. Authentic leadership (Avolio & Gardner, 2005; Gardner, Cogliser, Davis, & Dickens, 2011) describes leaders who are self-aware, process positive and negative ego-relevant information in a balanced fashion, achieve relational transparency with close others, and are guided in their actions by an internalized moral perspective (31 instances). Though honesty, trust, and integrity are not new concepts within the leadership domain, ethical leadership theory (Brown & Treviño, 2006) builds on social learning theory and highlights the importance of these behaviors embodied within the leader who reinforces these values through role modeling, rewards and punishments, and communications about ethics in order to set the organization's moral tone (Mayer, Aquino, Greenbaum, & Kuenzi, 2012). Servant leadership theory (Liden, Panaccio, Meuser, Hu, & Wayne, in press; Liden, Wayne, Zhao, & Henderson, 2008), while older than transformational leadership theory, did not attract researcher attention until the present millennium (see Graham, 1991, for one exception). Perhaps servant leadership was slow to attract researcher interest because the theory was introduced by Robert K. Greenleaf (1970), a retired AT&T manager, rather than a member of the research community. While there exist many multi-dimension taxonomies and corresponding measures for servant leadership, Van Dierendonck (2011) argued that Liden and colleagues (2008; Hu & Liden, 2011) and Van Dierendonck and Nuijten (2011) present the most promising measures for continued research in this area. Spiritual leadership (Fry, 2003) encompasses the notion that leaders embody a vision, practice altruistic love, and instill hope, faith, and perseverance in attaining organizational goals. Fry (2003) suggests that spiritual leaders convey an organizational vision that is deeply and personally motivating to followers and develop a nurturing organizational culture of care, appreciation, and support for coworkers that inspires a sense of belonging. Although introduced in the present millennium, these leadership theories have seen an impressive quantity of research within a short time frame.

Identity based perspectives are seeing an impressive increase in interest as the millennium progresses (60 instances). In part, this thematic category consists of the newly introduced social identity theory of leadership (Hogg, 2001), which describes the emergence of a leader as being based on a group member's resemblance to a prototypical leader as determined by other group members. Given the recent introduction of this theory, it is notable that we discovered 31 instances of this approach. An alternative stream of research stems from Brewer and Gardner's (1996) articulation of three identity levels (individual, relational, and collective) that can be emphasized by leaders influencing a variety of organizational outcomes (Chang & Johnson, 2010). This area of research has observed comparable growth with 29 identified instances.

We noted a number of other emerging approaches that we could not easily classify into a larger thematic category, as can be seen at the bottom of Table 2. Three of these deserve special recognition because of their increasing popularity. The emotions and leadership category encompasses research investigating the relationship between leader and follower emotions and the practice and experience of leadership. It is notable that of the 59 instances found, 40 occurred during the second half of our period of inquiry (i.e., following the year 2006). Research into “negative” supervisors, such as destructive or abusive supervision and toxic leadership, investigates leaders who, by their treatment of subordinates, discourage and do harm to the subordinate and the organization. It is notable that of the 22 instances that emerged from our search, 21 of them were found during the second half of our period of inquiry, suggesting that this is a very new, but a very strong area of emerging research. Finally, we noted a modest 11 instances of leadership using biological or neuroscience approaches, a trend in its infancy (Lee, Senior, & Butler, 2012). This line of research utilizes genetic, biological, or neurological (e.g., electroencephalography) data, asking questions about the inheritability of leadership or how brain activity is associated with the memory of, or exercising of leadership behaviors. Exemplifying the contribution of LQ to the advancement of leadership research, 10 of those 11 instances can be found in LQ, and seven of those are in a 2012 a special issue dedicated to this topic. While assuming that all behavior can be explained using genetic and neurological data is a reductionist trap (Evans, 1977; Lee et al., 2012; Polanyi, 1959), it is important to recognize the complexity of human interaction in a social context, and the value that leveraging the advances in cognitive neuroscience can bring to the study of leadership.

2.5. Summary

Continuing from Gardner et al. (2010), leadership theory and research form an important cornerstone of organizational science, and this field has continued to grow in many top-tier publication outlets including LQ and others. Our review of the leadership literature shows that several theories continue to spark scholarly interest for understanding specific leadership phenomena (e.g., neo-charismatic leadership theories, leadership and information processing), while interest in other theoretical domains has waned in more recent years (e.g., contingency theory, behavioral approaches). We have also identified several research domains that have grown in popularity over the past five years, suggesting growth of new emergent theories (e.g., destructive leadership, leadership emergence). Together, our review demonstrates the enormity of the leadership field that has proliferated since the new millennium, which we foresee will continue to grow in the coming decades.

It is also important to recognize that there are critical voices examining both dominant theories and emerging theories. For example, Yukl (1999) critiqued the conceptual weaknesses of charismatic leadership theory, such as construct ambiguity and lack of description of explanatory process. In a more recent assessment, Van Knippenberg and Sitkin (2013) continued to question the ambiguity of the multi-dimensional definition of charismatic-transformational leadership, its construct validity, and the insufficient specification of causal processes. In an attempt to avoid these pitfalls of theory development and advancement, more vigilant efforts are needed to address these issues early on in the development of emerging theories. For instance, Cooper, Scandura, and Schriesheim (2005) and Gardner et al. (2011) provided comprehensive assessments of the construct development of authentic leadership and offered suggestions for future research. However, continued growth in theory and research also

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increases urgency for a method of organizing the extant literature. In the following sections, we present a process framework that focuses on forms of emergence and levels of analysis as a means for organizing theories of leadership.

3. A process framework for organizing theories of leadership

Along with others, we believe that significant contributions to leadership theory can be realized when research jointly considers the levels of analysis and the underlying processes described by leadership theories (Dansereau, Alutto, & Yammarino, 1984; Klein, Dansereau, & Hall, 1994). With regards to levels of analysis, leadership scholars have traditionally explored the effects of leadership at the person, dyadic, group, and/or organizational levels. Although attention to these levels of analysis is most common to leadership research, recent arguments have also highlighted the importance of events as an additional level of analysis (Dinh & Lord, 2012; Hoffman & Lord, 2013). In general, events refer to time-bounded episodes that happen in a specific place and time, and can be characterized by features such as being ordinary or unique (e.g., Ballinger & Rockmann, 2010). We maintain that attention to this finer-grained level of analysis, in addition to more commonly researched levels, is important because it allows scholars to capture the impact that momentary details have on dynamic structures (e.g., the structure of personality) and systems. For example, event-level methodologies have enabled leadership researchers to understand how the manifestations of personality may vary in response to different events (Fleeson, 2001; Read, Monroe, Brownstein, Yang, Chopra, et al., 2010), and how specific, timely leadership actions can affect leadership ratings of performance (Morgeson, 2005) or the momentum of complex organizational change processes (Plowman, Baker, Beck, Kulkarni, Solansky, et al., 2007; Tushman & Romanelli, 1985).

However, leadership scholars have recognized that leaders can be organizational architects who can influence the way inputs are combined across different levels of analysis to produce unit outputs, often by influencing the actions of others (Lord & Brown, 2004). In this regard, Lord and Dinh (2012) developed a process approach that addresses the nature of emergent processes as a means to understand an important aspect of many leadership theories. Though originally conceived to explain how leaders influence the combination of inputs to produce outputs such as group performance, this system is much more general and can be applied to leadership processes at multiple levels, from explaining how traits are combined to explain leadership perceptions, to explaining how group member attitudes are combined to produce group climates, to understanding the combination of group structures to create organizational structure. Although there are many aspects of leadership and social processes as shown by these examples, we focused specifically on the implications associated with how aspects of lower-level units can be combined to produce higher-level unit qualities. We believe attention to this issue addresses the core of what is important about leadership in organizations, which involves systems for combining various forms of inputs to create outputs with higher value. Many leadership articles discuss such issues, but do not test them explicitly. When that was the case we classified articles by their underlying theory. For empirical articles, we focused primarily on the presented theory because data handling and statistical procedures often presented a confusing picture when researchers did not explicitly focus on level of analysis issues.

We maintain that there are three types of emergent processes relevant to leadership, and these are global, compositional, and compilational forms of emergence. Briefly, global characteristics describe processes that are static, level-specific in nature, and do not apply to lower levels (e.g., a group's size and demographic diversity are constructs that do not apply to individual group members). That is, they reflect a wholes level of analysis where the primary focus is between units. In contrast, theories classified as having compositional or compilational characteristics describe alternative effects of emergent processes. In level of analysis terms, this is a question of how a parts perspective at a lower level becomes a whole or unit level characteristic at a higher level. Specifically, compositional characteristics reflect an aggregation of individual components that does not change its fundamental aspect or quality as a result of aggregation (Kozlowski & Klein, 2000). That is, lower and higher-level constructs are isomorphic. For example, individual members' emotions in a group may aggregate to group-level affective tone in a manner that preserves but amplifies the same emotion. As noted by Whetten, Felin, and King (2009), such aggregation maintains the same function for the sub-unit at higher and lower levels. In contrast, compilational forms of emergence reflect a fundamental change in qualities and functions of the sub-unit as aggregation from lower to higher levels occurs (Kozlowski & Klein, 2000). For example, a synergistic aggregation of group member ideas may spark innovation, and as this occurs, relevant functions of individual contributions may change as the collective solutions emerge. Because many of the newer leadership theories described in the previous sections involve emergent processes, this compositional/compilational distinction is important because it distinguishes between two key potential consequences of leadership processes.

A description of emergent unit properties at each level of analysis is provided in Table 3. As this table shows, organizational phenomena can be classified as having global unit-level properties (ULP) at many levels of analysis. For example, affective events, individual traits, group demographics, and organizational structures, each describe global aspects of organizational units and each of these properties are relatively stable over time (Lord & Dinh, 2012). Additionally, organizational phenomena can be classified as having compositional ULP when individual factors function independently to produce additive or pooled outcomes at a higher level. For instance, the process of developing knowledge structures or self-efficacy through the gradual accumulation of facts and interpersonal experiences each can be classified as compositional (e.g., DeChurch & Mesmer-Magnus, 2010; Judge & Bono, 2001). Last, organizational outcomes that emerge from the interaction among different sub-units to produce new phenomena are classified as having compilational ULP. These may include the combined effects that cognitions and emotions have on perceivers when constructing their perceptions of a leader or the combination of divergent group members' ideas to create a new group output (e.g., Hannah, Uhl-Bien, Avolio, & Cavaretta, 2009; Hannah, et al., 2009; Hogue & Lord, 2007). Here, the composition versus compilation distinction is particularly important because it differentiates between emergent processes that involve complicated

Table 3 Basis for formulation of emergent Unit Level Properties (ULP) by level of analysis.

Levels of analysis

Global ULP: Descriptive characteristic of unit does not apply to lower levels.

Compositional ULP: Property emerges from composition of lower-level unit properties.

Compilational ULP: Property emerges from compilation of lower-level unit properties.

Event 1. Affective events theory 1. Knowledge structures expanded by accumulation of facts

1. Conscious understanding emerges from interaction of different events

2. Adaptive response to events 2. Perfecting skills & abilities by learning from previous errors

2. Self-complexity increases by self- reflective processing of emotional events

3. Event-related motivational processing

Individual 1. Trait theory 1. Global self-efficacy 1. Increased self-complexity via CAPS & hot/cool networks

2. Chronic self-regulatory processes & leadership behavioral styles

2. Self-regulation from hierarchically organized motivational elements

3. Genetic determinants of leadership 3. Effects of default & affective networks on use of cognitive resources

Dyad 1. Leader–follower relationship quality 1. Development of mutual affective and cognitive trust from repeated interpersonal experiences

1. Affective and cognitive trust 2. Affective construal of an interactional partner’s emotional expressions and behavior 3. Leadership and followership perception due to implicit leadership or followership schema activation

Group 1. Group demographic diversity as resources for leadership complexity

1. Team mental models & team performance through addition of individual skills, actions & thoughts

1. Team transactive memory & specialized group-member functions that require frequent member-to-member interaction

2. Group affective tone, task knowledge, & motivation

2. Strong collective identities result in emergent group processes via cooperation (e.g., team efficiency)

Organization 1. Punctuated equilibrium (e.g., mergers, spinoffs, strategic choices made by leaders)

1. Attraction–selection–attrition models of organizational climate

1. Development of organizational ethical culture

2. Theory of organizational structure & culture

2. Collective values, goals & human resources

2. Organizational complexity & identity development

Common thread among theory

Stable attributes are important antecedents to processes at each level

Individuals function independently; individuals fulfill similar functions.

Outcomes emerge from interactions of different units; individuals & groups perform different functions

Notes: Replicated from Lord and Dinh (2012).

44 J.E. Dinh et al. / The Leadership Quarterly 25 (2014) 36–62

systems with many relatively independent units that are functionally similar (compositional aggregation) to those that involve complex systems, where the many interdependent units interact as outputs are created (compilational aggregation; Page, 2007). Increasing complexity is widely believed to increase the capacity of the higher level system to adapt to changing unit environments, so we expect that compilational aggregation offers adaptive advantages compared to compositional aggregation or stable global unit qualities.

These three emergence forms provide one way to group and link theories with potentially similar consequences. For example, the development of mental models and homogeneous organizational identities may involve similar compositional processes that are gradual and strengthen over time with employee experience and development (Day, 2011; Day, Harrison, & Halpin, 2009). In contrast, the processes that enable leader flexibility and shared leadership may be more dynamic and compilational, changing from one instance to the next as individuals experience different affective states and cognitive cues (DeRue & Ashford, 2010; Lord et al., 2011). An intriguing possibility is that different leadership skill sets and systems may be needed to effectively manage these different processes. As these examples show, attention to underlying processes is important because it demonstrates the potential diversity in requirements within specific levels of analysis as well as the continuity of phenomena occurring across different organizational levels.

3.1. Forms of emergence reflected in leadership theory and research

To shed more light on these forms of emergence, we examine the leadership literature to ascertain the forms of emergence for which leadership processes have been conceptualized and operationalized in this section. Specifically, we apply the framework described in Table 3 to indicate those theories that have most frequently been conceptualized using global, compositional, and compilational forms of emergence, and we apply this distinction across multiple levels ranging from events to organizations. Fig. 1 presents a graphical depiction of the trends over time regarding the form of emergence reflected in leadership theories. As Fig. 1 indicates, each form of emergence has shown an overall increase in terms of representation within the literature, although compositional processes have not dramatically increased in recent years. This reflects a trend toward increasingly complex theories of leadership that may overshadow the potential for using relatively simple rules and principles to explain complex behavior (Yammarino & Dansereau, 2011).

Notes: Data collection ended in September of 2012, resulting in a proportionally smaller number of coded articles. This is represented in the decline observed for 2012.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

N u

m b

e r

o f

A rt

ic le

s

Year

Global

Compositional

Compliational

Fig. 1. Trends in form of emergence between the years 2000 and 2012.

45J.E. Dinh et al. / The Leadership Quarterly 25 (2014) 36–62

Our findings from the application of our categorization scheme to leadership research are summarized further in Tables 4 and 5. The empirical results indicate that leadership theories have been predominantly conceptualized using global and compilational forms of emergence, whereas prior theoretical work (Lord & Dinh, 2012) also emphasized compositional forms of emergence. Additionally, we identify the level of analysis that is commonly associated with each theory within each table. It is important to recognize that different researchers may conceptualize a theory differently and so a specific theoretical category, such as trait theories of leadership, might be classified as being global for one article but compositional or compilational for another. In addition, researchers may focus on different levels of analysis for different articles. Nevertheless, there are some clear trends. First, a significant number of thematic leadership theory categories have been conceptualized using global properties. In fact, out of the 66 disparate leadership theory categories that had been identified, 29 (approximately 44%) emphasized a global ULP (see Table 4 for the top 20 global-oriented theories). Interestingly, an overwhelming majority of thematic leadership theory categories with a global ULP were also conceptualized at the individual, rather than event, dyad, group, or organizational level of analysis.

Table 4 Percentage of global leadership theories at event (E), individual (I), dyad (D), group (G), and organizational (O) level of analysis.

Theory (percent coded as global) % at each level of analysis

E I D G O

1. Normative decision model (100) 100 0 0 0 0 2. Multiple linkage model (100) 0 100 0 0 0 3. Inspirational leadership (100) 33 67 0 0 0 4. Entrepreneurial (100) 0 50 0 0 50 5. Idiosyncratic leadership theory (100) 0 100 0 0 0 6. Leader motive profile theory (100) 0 67 0 0 33 7. Pygmalion effect (86) 0 80 20 0 0 8. Aesthetic leadership (83) 50 50 0 0 0 9. Destructive/abusive supervision (80) 5 53 21 5 16 10. Neuro-biological theory (63) 20 70 0 10 0 11. Ideological and pragmatic leadership (58) 29 57 14 0 0 12. Cross-cultural leadership (56) 5 50 9 0 36 13. Self-sacrificing leadership theory (55) 20 80 0 0 0 14. Trait (dispositional) theories (52) 11 68 7 5 9 15. Behavioral approaches (52) 8 59 8 0 25 16. Leadership reward and punishment behavior (50) 0 60 20 0 20 17. Servant leadership theory (50) 0 60 10 20 10 18. Leadership skills/competence (49) 10 70 0 10 10 19. Public leadership (48) 14 57 0 0 29 20. Political theory of leadership influence (48) 0 72 0 7 21

aTheories appearing in this table were predominantly conceptualized using global, rather than compositional or compilational forms of emergence. However, each theory varied with respect to level of analysis used in research and theory. Percentages in bold indicate the level of analysis that was predominantly used for each theory.

Table 5 Percentage of compilational leadership theories at event (E), individual (I), dyad (D), group (G), and organizational (O) level of analysis.

Theory (percent coded as compilational) % at each level of analysisa

E I D G O

Adaptive leadership (100) 27 27 10 18 18 Outstanding leadership (100) 100 0 0 0 0 Complexity theory of leadership (90) 19 28 16 23 14 E-leadership (87) 29 14 14 43 0 Leadership flexibility (86) 16 33 17 17 17 Leadership for organizational learning and knowledge (82) 0 33 23 33 11 Vertical dyad linkage (VDL) (78) 18 14 23 27 18 Cognitive resource theory (68) 17 33 17 33 0 Integrative leadership (67) 6 6 19 38 31 Situational leadership theory (63) 10 30 20 30 10 Implicit leadership (62) 19 41 22 18 0 Path-goal theory (61) 23 15 8 31 23 Attribution theories of leadership (60) 12 44 20 24 0 Leading for creativity and innovation (60) 10 27 12 32 19 Decision process theory (60) 34 0 0 33 33 Leader error and recovery (59) 0 34 0 33 33 Participative, shared leadership (58) 10 22 17 44 7 Followership theory (57) 22 23 32 19 4 Life cycle theory (57) 13 32 26 26 3 Identity and identification process theory (55) 50 25 0 25 0

a Percentages in bold indicate the level of analysis that was predominantly used for each theory.

46 J.E. Dinh et al. / The Leadership Quarterly 25 (2014) 36–62

The literature's emphasis on individual levels is not surprising, as leaders are often understood as having direct influences on important individual and organizational level outcomes, such as performance (Lord & Dinh, in press). In contrast, thematic leadership theory categories that emphasize compilational processes are shown in Table 5. Although leadership theories with a compilational ULP are not often investigated at organizational levels of analysis, they are widely represented at event, individual, dyad, and group levels of analysis. As Tables 4 and 5 show, theories with a global or compilational ULP differ with regard to the underlying process used to explain a particular leadership phenomena. Whereas theories with a global ULP are often understood at a single level of analysis as processes are considered to be stable (see Table 4), theories with a compilational ULP are more likely multi-level, as processes are viewed to be dynamic and fluid across time (see Table 5). Indeed several theories in Table 5 are frequently conceptualized at many different levels of analysis, such as complexity theory, integrative leadership, and leading for creativity and innovation.

Rather than describe each theory in Tables 4 and 5, we show how describing the underlying processes associated with the form of emergence for a thematic theory category can help us understand how certain leadership processes emerge. We also use a finer grained analysis, which separates quantitative and theoretical works in Table 6. Often this distinction produced surprising results. For example, 60% of the quantitative studies of trait theories reflect global conceptualizations of leadership traits, whereas 61% of the analogous theoretical articles reflected compilational approaches to leadership traits. Thus, quantitative approaches seemed to be a bit less sophisticated than theoretical analysis with respect to trait theory. Further, this quantitative/theoretical difference is common in Table 6, with the percentage of theoretical articles reflecting compilational aggregation processes being higher than the corresponding percentage for quantitative articles for every comparison in Table 6. Attention to potential differences in how theoretical domains are conceptualized and investigated can help ascertain whether the methods used to test theory are appropriate for examining underlying processes.

3.1.1. Thematic leadership theory categories reflecting global forms of emergence A vast majority of thematic leadership theory categories identified from Gardner et al. (2010) emphasize global forms of

emergence, which also concentrate primarily on the individual level of analysis. Importantly, these theories describe leadership phenomena as using stable processes, such as dispositional factors to predict leadership outcomes. As shown in Table 4, they include trait theories, research on leadership skills and competence, and leadership style (e.g., transformational/transactional leadership, destructive leadership and ethical leadership), which identify specific leadership traits, behaviors, and characteristics that generally predict leader perceptions and effectiveness across many different contexts. Dispositional factors may be emphasized in other theories, such as entrepreneurial and cross-cultural leadership when they focus on individual factors (e.g., intelligence) to influence interpersonal outcomes. This perspective suggests that in order for leaders to influence individual and organizational outcomes, they must possess, or can influence, many of the characteristics described by these theories. Consequently, thematic theory categories with a global ULP are descriptive and offer parsimonious explanations of leadership (Lord & Dinh, 2012); however, they offer limited insight into the processes by which leaders affect organizational outcomes and they create difficulties for understanding how different thematic theory categories relate or affect one another.

Table 6 Form of emergence implied by theoretical and quantitative leadership research in top-tier publications, 2000–2012.

Established Leadership Theories Type of research

Quantitative only % Theoretical only %

Dispositional (Trait) Theories Trait (dispositional) theories – traits & attributes Global 60 Compilational 61 Leadership skills/competence Global 61 Compilational 58 Leader motive profile theory Global 100 Global 100

Behavioral Theories Behavioral approaches (OSU/LBDQ) Global 63 Compilational 100 Participative, shared leadership, delegation and empowerment Compilational 51 Compilational 94 Leadership reward and punishment behavior Global 50 - -

Contingency Theories Leadership for organizational learning and knowledge Compilational 67 Compilational 90 Contingency leadership theory Compilational 50 Compilational 57 Situational leadership theory Global 75 Compilational 82 Path-goal theory Global 50 Compilational 62 Cognitive resource theory Global 50 Compilational 100 Normative decision model – – Global 100 Life cycle theory Compilational 100 Global 100 Leadership substitute theory Global 86 – –

Social Exchange (Relational) Leadership Theories Vertical dyad linkage (VDL) Compilational 75 Compilational 100 Leader–member exchange (LMX) Global 52 Compilational 54 Relational leadership Global 44 Compilational 69 Individualized leadership – – –

Leadership and Informational Processing Leader and follower cognitions Global 46 Compilational 65 Implicit leadership Global 47 Compilational 82 Information processing and decision making theories of leadership Global 47 Compilational 82 Attribution theories of leadership Compilational 54 Compilational 72

Neo-Charismatic Theories Transformational leadership theory Global 50 Compilational 60 Transactional leadership Global 100 Compilational 81 Charismatic leadership Global 52 Compilational 64 Inspirational leadership Global 100 Global 100 Self-sacrificial leadership theorya Global 62 Compilational 100 Ideological and pragmatic leadership Global 67 – –

Power and Influence Theories Power and influence of leadership Global 69 – – Political theory of leadership/influence tactics of leadership Global 53 Global 50

Follower-Centric Theories Followership theory Global 53 Compilational 77 Romance of leadership Compilational 50 – – Idiosyncratic leadership theory – – Global 100

Leadership of Diverse and Cross-Cultural Relationships Leadership and diversity [gender (dis)advantages] Global 63 Compilational 75 Cross-cultural leadership (GLOBE) Global 61 Compilational 70

Team Leadership Leadership in teams and decision groups Compilational 42 Compilational 73

Strategic Leadership Strategic/top executive leadership Global 53 Compilational 73 Upper echelons theory Global 51 Compilational 86 Public leadership (e.g., presidential, professional politician) Global 75 Global 50

Ethical/Moral Leadership Theories Authentic leadership Global 22 Compilational 54 Ethical leadership theory Global 38 Global 58 Servant leadership theory Global 64 Compilational 50 Spiritual leadership theory Compilational 33 Compilational 48

Leadership Emergence and Development Leadership development Global 43 Compilational 59 Leadership emergence Global 61 Compilational 80

Identity-Based Perspectives Social identity theory of leadership Global 41 Compilational 61 Identity and identification process theory of leadership Compilational 43 Compilational 68

Contextual, Complexity, and Systems Perspectives of Leadership Contextual theory of leadership Global 46 Compilational 47 Complexity theory of leadership Compilational 86 Compilational 94 Social network approaches to leadership Global 43 Compilational 67 Integrative leadership Global 100 Compilational 69 Adaptive leadership – – Compilational 100 Multiple linkage modelb Global 100 – –

(continued on next page)

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Table 6 (continued)

Established Leadership Theories Type of research

Quantitative only % Theoretical only %

Leading for Creativity, Innovation, and Change Leading for creativity and innovation Compilational 54 Compilational 63 Leading change in organizations/change Compilational 46 Compilational 100

Other Established Theories Pygmalian effect Global 80 Global 100 Leadership flexibility – – Compilational 86 Emotions and leadership Compilational 48 Compositional 61 Destructive/abusive supervision/toxic leadership Global 67 Global 50 Neuro-biological approaches Global 73 Global 67 E-leadership (effects of task, technology, distance and virtuality) Compilational 75 Compilational 100 Aesthetic leadership – – Global 80 Leader error and recovery Global 100 Compilational 100 Decision process theory Global 40 – – Entrepreneurial leadership Global 100 Global 80 Outstanding leadership Compositional 100 – –

Cumulative Percentages Across Theories Global 66 24 Compositional 7 2 Compilational 27 74

Notes: Percentages were computed for quantitative and theoretical articles separately. Indicated form of emergence was predominantly used for quantitative and theoretical articles. Dashes indicate that no articles were identified for a theory. OSU = Ohio State University; LBDQ = leader behavior description questionnaire.

a Indicates an emergent theory classified under a larger group of established perspectives. b Indicates an established theory classified under a larger grouping of nascent perspectives.

48 J.E. Dinh et al. / The Leadership Quarterly 25 (2014) 36–62

3.1.2. Thematic leadership theory categories reflecting compositional forms of emergence Theories with a compositional ULP are those that emphasize the aggregation of units that preserve the same lower level aspect

or quality at higher levels of analysis. Although we coded compositional forms of emergence, and found 159 leadership articles emphasizing this form of emergence, there were no levels of analysis or specific thematic categories for which this form of emergence predominated. Consequently, it seemed inappropriate to classify any theory as compositional when either global or compilational forms of emergence were more commonly discussed. For this reason, we do not present a separate table for leadership theories with a compositional ULP, although we do discuss compositional forms of emergence at various points in this review, frequently contrasting it to compilational forms of emergence. We also discuss theoretical and methodological implications associated with the general absence of compositional forms of emergence in Section 4.2.

3.1.3. Thematic leadership theory categories reflecting compilational forms of emergence An examination of Table 5 reveals that theories with a compilational ULP are well represented at each level of analysis. This is

not surprising, given that a key characteristic of compilational forms of emergence is that phenomena at one level of analysis affects another level of analysis in such a way that a fundamental change in the nature of the phenomenon occurs (Lord & Dinh, 2012). In this way, leadership theories with a compilational ULP are inherently multi-level and reflect dynamic system processes. It is also informative to see that attention has been fairly evenly divided across the various levels of analysis among thematic theory categories with a compilational ULP.

An examination of Table 5 indicates that many thematic theory categories, including adaptive leadership (Hannah, Uhl-Bien, et al., 2009), complexity theory of leadership (Marion & Uhl-Bien, 2002), e-leadership (including leadership within virtual teams; Avolio, Kahai & Dodge, 2001; Purvanova & Bono, 2009), and leadership for organizational learning and knowledge (Berson, Nemanich, Waldman, Galvin, & Keller, 2006) address interactive compilational processes that operate across multiple levels of analysis. Therefore, thematic theory categories that adopt a compilational perspective on emergence go much further than traditional perspectives by acknowledging the complexity that realistically defines modern organizations.

To illustrate the types of insights that accrue from adopting compilational perspectives, we focus on two streams of research that exemplify these approaches: the complexity theory of leadership (Marion & Uhl-Bien, 2002), and leadership for organizational learning and knowledge (Berson et al., 2006; Vera & Crossan, 2004). With respect to the complexity theory of leadership, the focus on emergent processes within complex systems (Lichtenstein & Plowman, 2009; Plowman et al., 2007) casts the leader's role as one of enabling rather controlling the organization's future. Indeed, a central assertion of complexity leadership approaches is “that leadership is multi-level, processual, contextual and interactive” (Uhl-Bien & Marion, 2009, p. 631), reflecting compilational rather than compositional types of processes. Moreover, Uhl-Bien and Marion assert that event-level activities produce emergent innovations and learning that are introduced into complex adaptive systems and become entangled with formal structures. Within such a system, leaders perform administrative, enabling, and adaptive functions to facilitate the emergence of organizational processes that lead to goal attainment. However, the effects of leadership are never certain as they are continuously affected by evolving social–environmental constraints (Lord, Dinh, & Hoffman, in review). Thus, micro- and macro-level factors converge to impact leadership, and this presents a more complex view that is ignored by more simplistic perspectives.

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Compilational forms of emergence are also evident in thematic leadership theory categories that describe the emergence of organizational learning (Berson et al., 2006). This is because organizational learning can occur compilationally when it results from interactive multi-level processes. For example, Hannah and Lester (2009, p. 34) advance a multilevel model that proposes “organizational learning is an interdependent system where effective leaders enact intervention strategies at the individual (micro), network (meso), and systems (macro) levels.” Their central argument is that leaders support organizational learning by establishing the structure and conditions for learning to accrue, while shielding organizational members from interference with creative processes. In the process of enhancing the developmental readiness of followers, leaders can raise their follower's motivation, ability to learn, and refine their mental models. Leaders also engage in system-level activities to facilitate the diffusion and institutionalization of knowledge across the organization. However, the direct effects of leadership on organizational learning are complicated by additional factors, such as the influence of followers and social–relational networks. In fact, followers' positioning within networks allow certain individuals to catalyze information and influence resource diffusion within and across social networks (Balkundi & Kilduff, 2006), and this affects collective learning. Additionally, organizational learning may be affected by temporal factors, such as employee absenteeism and social network reconfigurations, which impact the types of resources that are available to organizational members (Smith-Jentsch, Kraiger, Cannon-Bowers, & Salas, 2009; Zaheer & Soda, 2009).

3.2. Strengths and limitations of theory with global, compositional, and compilational ULPs

Our review of the leadership literature shows that leadership theories can be classified by form of emergence and by level of analysis. In this framework, attention to process is important and reveals possible limitations of a theory based on how processes are conceptualized. As we have described, theories with a global ULP are descriptive and parsimonious. However, by emphasizing stable aspects of leaders and organizational units, such theories may oversimplify and romanticize leadership, and they may draw too heavily on naïve, common-sense understanding of processes that are encoded into natural language (Uher, 2013).

Typically, theory provides a foundation that guides research methods. Therefore, another issue with focusing on global processes is that it may perpetuate methods that stress stability in phenomenon by aggregating over many events. Indeed, the use of cross-sectional methods that include retrospective questionnaires and field surveys, was common in empirical works across top-tier journal outlets, making up roughly 62% (334 cases) of the coded research (see Table 7). Such operationalization can also introduce a variety of rating errors (e.g., primacy or recency effects, an overemphasis on salient behaviors and outcomes, halo or liking effects, etc.; Brown & Keeping, 2005; Shondrick, Dinh, & Lord, 2010), as well as create difficulty for understanding how different theoretical domains relate or affect one another. In fact, one common problem is that theories with a global ULP ignore event-level processes that provide insight into the observed variability that occurs in leader and follower decision-making and behavior (e.g., Johnson, Venus, Lanaj, Mao, & Chang, 2012; Kuppens, Oravecz, & Tuerlinckx, 2010). Indeed, research using experience sampling has shown that people experience a wide range of affective experiences and trait behaviors during a normal day (Fleeson, 2001; Kuppens et al., 2010). Also, seemingly stable intrapersonal constructs, such as semantic schemas for personal and team work routines (Dionysiou & Tsoukas, 2013) and self-perceptions (Slotter, Lucas, Jakubiak, & Lasslet, 2013), can change in response to interpersonal social cues, thereby affecting subsequent decisions and choices. At higher levels, event-level variability is also reflected in interpersonal team dynamics (Crawford & LePine, 2013; Smith-Jentsch et al., 2009), group processes (Klein, Ziegert, Knight, & Xiao, 2006; Morgeson, 2005), and organizational systems (Gulati, Sytch, & Tatarynowicz, 2012; MacKay

Table 7 Summary of methodology for quantitative articles.

Frequency %

Time Cross-sectional 334 62 Cross-sectional w/CMV time lag 37 7 Longitudinal 206 38

Data source Field survey (primary data) 365 67 Field survey (secondary data) 122 23 Laboratory experiment 98 18 Content analysis 74 14 Review (non-meta-analytical review) 53 10 Field experiment 23 4 Meta-analysis (quantitative review) 15 3 Sample survey 9 2 Observation 6 1 Diary study/experiential sampling 5 b1 Experimental simulation 5 b1 Computer simulation 4 b1 Judgment task 3 b1 Methodology study (e.g., psychometric methods) 3 b1

Notes: 1. The total frequency exceeds the number of quantitative articles because articles often employ multiple studies and data sources. 2. Percentage is calculated by using the total quantitative article count, 542, as denominator.

50 J.E. Dinh et al. / The Leadership Quarterly 25 (2014) 36–62

& Chia, 2013) that require leaders (and followers) to continuously adjust to environmental uncertainty. Hence, narrowly focusing on global forms of emergence runs the risk of codifying lay theories that overemphasize the stability in processes by using language that masks the dynamics of organizational phenomenon.

Specific to individual global perspectives of leadership, which dominated the literature, these types of theories assume away both the influence of the event-level and contextual influences to produce a more simplistic, outcome-oriented perspective of leadership. By positing direct relationships between leadership and outcomes, such as performance (i.e., L → P), these leader-centric theories overemphasize the role of leaders by attributing the success and failure of organizations to the agency of specific individuals as depicted by fundamental attribution theories (Kelley, 1973).

In contrast, theories that conceptualize leadership processes as compilational are better able to address the nonlinear dynamics that characterize organizational phenomenon through which higher-level outcomes emerge from the cyclical interaction of lower-level units. In fact, theories with a compilational ULP are inherently multi-level and evolve over many temporal orders. As such, leadership theories with this ULP advance an understanding of leadership that is much more consonant with the complexity that defines real people and organizations by considering the importance of time (Bluedorn & Jaussi, 2008; Langley et al., 2013; Sonnentag, 2012), the interactive nature of social–relational systems (Kahn, Barton, & Fellows, 2013; Valcea, Hamdani, Buckley, & Novicevic, 2011), and how environmental contexts shape leadership (MacKay & Chia, 2013). This perspective invites scholars to consider how seemingly independent processes may operate together to affect leadership and organizational outcomes, and so it offers a way to unify multiple thematic theory categories by encouraging the development of more integrative leadership theory.

Critically, leadership theories that stress compilational forms of emergence help scholars to see leadership as operating with social–relational systems that define modern organizations (Kahn et al., 2013). Within this context, leaders may achieve their goals indirectly through followers (Lord & Dinh, in press), and followers may have reciprocal effects on leadership and leader development (Day et al., 2009; Hoyt, Price, & Poatsy, 2013). Additionally, because the influence of leadership may require weeks, months, to years to fully manifest, it cannot be evaluated within short spans of time (Jaques, 1990; Kaiser et al., 2008). Hence, theories with a compilational ULP invite scholars to step outside of leader-centric perspectives by considering the impact that simultaneously occurring processes operating at higher and lower levels, such as followership (Valcea et al., 2011; Van Knippenberg, van Knippenberg, De Cremer, & Hogg, 2004) and group and system dynamics (Crawford & LePine, 2013; Gulati et al., 2012; Polyhart & Moliterno, 2011), have on the emergence of leadership phenomena.

Interestingly, research that emphasizes compilational processes is more common to theoretical rather than quantitative articles, which concentrate on global processes. Theoretical and quantitative articles were compared separately for each thematic theory category in Table 6. This table shows that approximately 66% of theories examined by quantitative research emphasized global forms of emergence, whereas 27% focused on compilational processes. In contrast, 74% of purely theoretical research stressed compilational forms of emergence, while 24% focused on global processes. These findings illustrate a fundamental difference between quantitative and theoretical articles with respect to their attention to processes and outcomes. Because quantitative research stresses global, stable processes, this type of research may be more focused on understanding outcomes. However, theoretical articles are more process oriented as they explicate how underlying processes contribute to emergent leadership phenomena. We discuss this implication in greater detail in Section 4.1.

We should also comment on the tendency for compositional forms of emergence to be underemphasized in the literature. They were not the predominant focus for any thematic theory category, with the percentage of compositional theories ranging between 0 and 40% across all theories. However, this result does not mean that compositional theories are unimportant. They still characterized 159 articles in the leadership field and help describe how complex multi-level processes unfold over time (Ashforth, Rogers, & Corley, 2011). In addition, compositional processes were part of the data we used to calculate the percentages in Tables 4–6.

We suspect that the under-emphasis of compositional theories reflects a general bias in the leadership literature to focus on issues with closer relations to compilational forms of emergence such as adaptation and change, which are associated with the most popular research stream, transformational leadership theory. In contrast, efficiency issues, that may be more closely related to transactional leadership theories and may be more reflective of compositional forms of emergence, tend to be underemphasized in the leadership literature. It should also be recognized that each article reflects the authors' own interpretation of theory and processes, and there may be a bias toward noticing and discussing compilational forms of emergence rather than compositional forms of emergence, even though many organizational phenomena have both compositional and compilational aspects.

There was also another curious aspect related to compositional forms of emergence that is discussed in the following section. Specifically, many empirical articles started with theory that emphasizes compilational forms of emergence, but treated the data as having a global or compositional ULP where individual responses and variables were aggregated to a group level or were combined linearly using multiple regression without concern for potential interactions among variables. Yet, dynamic interactive processes are a fundamental feature of compilational theories. Consequently, in many instances we found that theory and measurement or analytic procedures were mismatched.

3.3. Form of emergence emphasized by journal and emergence match/mismatch

After describing the forms of emergence that have been predominantly implied by theory, we examined whether certain forms of emergence were emphasized across the 10 journals as shown in Table 8. This table shows that of the three forms of emergence, global processes were commonly emphasized in half of the journals. However, compilational processes were investigated at a frequency that equally or exceeded global processes in the remaining journals. In addition, compositional

Table 8 Frequency (instance) and percentage of form of emergence emphasized by journal.

Journal Form of emergence

Global % Compositional % Compilational %

Academy of Management Journal 31 61 8 16 12 23 Academy of Management Review 4 44 1 11 4 44 Administrative Science Quarterly 14 36 10 26 15 38 American Psychologist 4 33 1 8 7 58 Journal of Applied Psychology 61 45 25 19 49 36 Journal of Management 9 29 4 13 18 58 Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 18 45 6 15 16 40 Organizational Science 1 10 3 30 6 60 Personnel Psychology 12 50 4 17 8 33 The Leadership Quarterly 244 46 62 12 219 42

Note: Articles can have more than one form of emergence. As such, data reflects the number of instances a form of emergence was implied.

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processes were not commonly addressed by theory and research in any of the 10 top-tier publication outlets. Interestingly, the form of emergence emphasized by a journal can reflect the journal's focus or interest. For example, nearly half of the research published in Personnel Psychology investigated leadership phenomenon as global processes, which may reflect the journal's emphasis on individual dispositions, strategy, and behaviors. In contrast, 58% of the research published in American Psychologist emphasized compilational processes, and this may be due to the fact that articles in this journal are theoretical, rather than quantitative, and examined dynamic multilevel processes.

We also examined the types of leadership theories that had the highest percentage of studies with matches or mismatches in terms of correspondence between form of emergence/level of analysis and methods within a specific study. As described previously, matches occurred when processes implied by the theory of an article were investigated at the theorized level of analysis and used methods that appropriately captured the process described by theory. Using a 25% cut-off score, we identified those theories with the highest mismatches in Table 9. This table shows that mismatches were common in research investigating certain theories, and especially for the leading for the creativity and innovation thematic category. In fact, the use of cross-sectional field surveys that aggregated within-person processes was common to research investigating this leadership phenomenon (57%), which may be inappropriate for investigating dynamic intrapersonal and interpersonal processes responsible for creative insight as implied by theory. Mismatches also occurred in research on relational leadership, ethical leadership, and transformational leadership theory that predominantly used cross-sectional field surveys at one point in time (41–65%) to understand leadership phenomena that likely involve multi-level compilational processes (Crawford & LePine, 2013; Schaubroeck et al., 2012).

4. General discussion

Our critical review of the leadership literature that included LQ and nine other top-tier publication outlets demonstrates the continued growth and interest in leadership theory and research in the new millennium. In this review, we have identified 752 articles that focused on the topic of leadership, which include and extend beyond the 353 articles that had been identified by Gardner et al. (2010) in LQ alone between the years 2000–2009. Moving forward, leadership scholars and practitioners now face

Table 9 Frequency and percentage of match/mis-matched quantitative research to form of emergence within established theories.

Theory Emergence-LoA/theory (mis)-match

Match Mis-match % mis-match

Behavioral approaches (OSU/LBDQ) 9 3 25% Leadership skills/competence 15 7 32% Transformational leadership theory 80 32 29% Transactional leadership 17 8 32% Authentic leadership 8 4 33% Contextual theory of leadership 18 9 33% Emotions and leadership 27 9 25% Ethical leadership theory 8 5 38% Leader and follower cognitions 51 18 26% Leadership in teams and decision groups 64 22 26% Leading change in organizations/change 12 5 29% Leading for creativity and innovation 13 13 50% Relational leadership 10 6 37% Social identity theory of leadership 13 6 32%

Note: OSU = Ohio State University; LBDQ = leader behavior description questionnaire.

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the challenge of integrating this diverse body of knowledge to explain how leaders shape organizational processes and systems. In this article, we argued that this challenge can be approached by focusing on the forms of emergence that influence, or are influenced by, leaders. Specifically, by classifying leadership theory into broad thematic categories using a framework advanced by Gardner et al. (2010), with a process framework proposed by Lord and Dinh (2012), we provide a structure that organizes the leadership literature based on how leadership phenomena occur at different levels of analysis can combine to influence the emergence of phenomena at higher or lower levels.

Although there are many other useful frameworks that can organize leadership theory (e.g., Hernandez, Eberly, Avolio, & Johnson, 2011), this framework stands apart by emphasizing the continuity among disparate leadership phenomenon by focusing on process. In doing so, this framework can facilitate the development of more integrative research agendas that explore how leaders, followers, and larger social systems jointly influence the unfolding of organizational events. In many instances, it is the combined effects of intrapersonal and interpersonal processes that produce emergent phenomena in organizations. For example, cognitions, emotions, and aspects of physical embodiment simultaneously operate within individuals (Damasio, 1994; Dinh, Lord, & Hoffman, 2013) to produce emergent phenomenon such as decisions. Similarly, social obligations and contractual norms operating at more interpersonal levels (Crawford & LePine, 2013; Kahn et al., 2013) work together to influence the emergence of collective resources, knowledge, and skill that constrain an organization's adaptive potential (Gulati et al., 2012; Zaheer & Soda, 2009). However, this dynamic systems perspective is largely unexplored in leadership theory and research that tends to be cross-sectional rather than longitudinal, as shown in Table 7. Yet skilled practitioners must address these intertwined processes when they are leading.

In addition, this framework has an advantage over traditional narrative reviews of the literature in that it provides an empirically based approach that groups theories using a particular form of emergence. This helps to identify a common process-related thread linking otherwise divergent theories. For example, a common thread among global theories is that they emphasize stable processes that exist at the level of wholes. That is, theories such as inspirational leadership, leader motive profile theory, aesthetic leadership, neuro-biological theory, and destructive/abusive leadership are those that emphasize enduring aspects of individuals. Perhaps leadership theory could be advanced by consolidating or integrating such theories. Other global theories, although framed as wholes in terms of the level of analysis, seem to reflect differences in contexts (entrepreneurial, cross-cultural leadership, public leadership, political influence), even though they are conceptualized at the individual wholes level.

In contrast, theories that adopt a parts perspective and describe emergent processes may differ depending on whether they emphasize compositional or compilational forms of emergence. For example, theories that emphasize compositional processes share a common thread that focuses at the unit level (e.g., events, individuals, dyads, groups, organizations) and assumes that each unit fulfills a similar function across relevant levels. Although this approach reflects a parts perspective, the fundamental characteristics of units do not change as processes emerge to higher relevant levels. Therefore, it suggests that theories operating at different levels use the same functional processes. For instance, theories focusing on transformational leadership theory, leadership in teams and decision groups, and top management team leadership, sometimes emphasize compositional forms of emergence.

Finally, theories that emphasize compilational processes are similar in that they focus on how processes occurring at one level of analysis can create an emergent construct at the next highest level. These theories show considerable heterogeneity in terms of the level at which they are formulated. For example, complexity theories are fairly evenly distributed across events, individual, dyad, group, and organizational levels of analysis, but at each level they imply that lower level constructs interact (across time or across units) as they are combined to create higher-level constructs. That is, events may interact as they are remembered and combined to create leadership skills or identities, and individual contributions interact as they are combined to create group products. Importantly, this form of emergence emphasizes the cross-level aspects of leadership, and it suggests that the leadership processes that span multiple levels may operate in a different fashion for lower and higher level constructs even though they may not explicitly address such differences. A more careful specification as to how leadership influences such integrative processes might help advance theories such as adaptive leadership, outstanding leadership, and complexity leadership theories.

Organizing leadership research by the nature of emergent processes also signifies the need to understand how leadership occurs within social systems that continually change. Importantly, emergent processes are not bounded within a particular level of analysis as our framework has shown. Additionally, aggregation processes take time, such that processes can have cascading effects that extend into the future (Wickham & Knee, 2013). These findings have important implications for advancing leadership theory in the new millennium in a manner that is both context and time sensitive. To provide a guide for the development of future research, we discuss several notable findings that have been obtained from this extensive review.

4.1. Implications for theory and practice

We argue that advancing leadership theory and research will require that scholars critically examine several foundational assumptions that have defined leadership and organizational research in the last century. As our review has shown, global processes, which emphasize stability in seemingly stable structures (e.g., personality, semantic knowledge, social networks) provided the thrust for much of the theory. As a reviewer astutely noted, the emphasis on global processes may have been perpetuated by early authoritative reviews in the literature (e.g., Mann, 1959), thereby blocking efforts to reconceptualize leadership theory to consider more dynamic processes. However, changing perspectives in the recent literature have shown that changing contexts (Ryan, Haslam, Hersby, & Bongiorno, 2011; Sy, Shore, Strauss, Shore, Tram, et al., 2010), and the temporal dynamics that occur within individuals (e.g., Kuppens et al., 2010; Read et al., 2010), teams (Crawford & LePine, 2013;

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Smith-Jentsch et al., 2009), and social systems (Zaheer & Soda, 2009) vary over time. This perspective differs from leader-centric approaches that instill a false sense of certainty for understanding how leaders affect the performance of individuals and organizations. At a minimum, this perspective suggests that leadership theory that is built on retrospective constructs and data tends to overestimate the direct effects of leadership. In addition, it raises concerns related to the utility of retrospective measures that use past judgments or events to predict future outcomes if the underlying goal is to understand how leaders influence (or are influenced) by environments that are complex, variable, and continually changing (Langley et al., 2013; MacKay & Chia, 2013; Uhl-Bien & Marion, 2009). Instead, this perspective highlights the need for theory and research to consider how the dynamics among multi-level processes lead to outcomes of interest by imposing constraints on the manifestation of leadership. Here a critical issue is that leadership, particularly top-level leadership, may be a relatively distal cause of organizational adaptation or change as a leader's influence is affected by intermediate social–environmental processes. As such, future leadership theory needs to better link aspects of leadership with intervening processes that ultimately create outcomes of interest, and it needs to do this in a manner that does not confuse leadership perceptions with the effects of leaders or unit performance (Kaiser et al., 2008; Lord & Dinh, in press).

Organizational processes also operate on multiple levels and time scales (i.e., some occurring faster or slower than others), making it difficult for leaders to foresee how processes may interact and evolve over varying periods of time (Kaiser et al., 2008). Further, leadership may be qualitatively different at different organizational levels, requiring multiple ways to think about leadership processes. As research on leadership and teams has shown, the duration of leadership processes and the temporal ordering for when and how leadership occurs affects leadership effectiveness (DeChurch et al., 2011; Morgeson, 2005). Organizational scholars have also noted that individual, group, and organizational processes unfold differently across time spans of seconds, minutes, days, months, and years (Bluedorn & Jaussi, 2008; Langley et al., 2013; Sonnentag, 2012). In fact, research on self-managing teams (Klein et al., 2006; Morgeson, 2005) and organizational change (Klarner & Raisch, 2013) have identified distinct temporal phases, each with specific kinds of leadership interventions and behaviors that would help optimize group and organizational performance outcomes. For example, leaders can control the pace and speed at which organizational processes occur; the synchrony among similar or different work activities (entrainment); worker's temporal focus (attending to the past, present, and future); and the duration of work processes (Bluedorn & Jaussi, 2008; Sonnentag, 2012). In addition, leaders can influence others instantaneously (within seconds) through processes of emotional contagion (Bono & Ilies, 2006; Sy, C té, & Saavedra, 2005), or after a period of months or years as leadership actions cascade downwards in hierarchically structured organizations (Jaques, 1990). Hence, continuously evolving intra- and interpersonal processes can exhibit non-linear change when the consequences of leadership (or external processes) are combined over time (MacKay & Chia, 2013; Plowman et al., 2007). This perspective presents a critical examination of cross-situational methods for investigating leadership, and it suggests that attention to time and level of analysis are needed for the development of compositional and compilational leadership theory.

4.2. Advances in methodological approaches

Attention to process is important as it affects how leadership is researched. For instance, conceptualizing leadership phenomenon as reflecting stable, global processes invites the use of methods (e.g., questionnaires, surveys) that are event non-specific as measures aggregate within person and across different contexts and situations. While the use of retrospective questionnaires and surveys offer a summary evaluation of leadership outcomes, these types of measures also overlook the significance of dynamic event-level processes that create the uncertainty and variability that characterize leadership behavior and organizational phenomenon (Dinh & Lord, 2012; MacKay & Chia, 2013; Plowman et al., 2007). As findings from our review had shown (Table 6), there is an important disconnect between quantitative and theoretical research. Quantitative research typically conceptualizes leadership processes globally and so investigates leadership cross-situationally and within a single level of analysis. However, theoretical frameworks more often advance compilational forms of emergence that consider how different leadership phenomenon evolve as a result of dynamic interactive social processes that span multiple levels of analysis. Hence, quantitative research frequently tests leadership phenomenon in a piece-meal fashion, and it often does so without attention to the importance of temporal ordering or the effect that time has on leadership and organizations (Lord et al., 2013; Langley et al., 2013; Sonnentag, 2012).

We also suspect that this issue reflects the way science progresses, such that the pace at which theory and methodological approaches are developed can occur asynchronously depending on the perspectives and technology that are available at the time. But it also likely that for most researchers, taken-for-granted methodological approaches reflecting common practices receives far less scrutiny than the theoretical issues guiding hypotheses and interpretations of results. We should stress, however, that there can be substantial gains from adopting methods that better align with theory. For example, categorization theories of leadership perception were developed in the 1980s (Lord, Foti, & De Vader, 1984) and posited that perceivers responded to patterns of characteristics, yet it took 15 years to empirically investigate the effects of actual patterns (Smith & Foti, 1998). Recent research shows that including patterns increased the ability to predict leadership perception from an R2 of .21 to an R2 of .38 (Foti & Hauenstein, 2007). As we described, discrepancies between theory and methods have also occurred in several areas of research such as leading for creativity and innovation. Thus, we would encourage researchers to think more carefully about whether their methodological approach adequately reflects underlying theory and to explore alternative methodological approaches.

Table 6 also shows that very few quantitative and theoretical articles were characterized with a compositional ULP, which describe processes that emerge isomorphically from lower to higher organizational levels (e.g., the emergence of shared team mental models from individual procedural knowledge; see Table 3). However, the absence of compositional forms of emergence is perhaps unsurprising given that isomorphic forms of aggregation occur gradually over time. For example, the emergence of unethical

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organizational climates from the actions of “bad apples” (Ashforth, Gioia, Robinson, & Treviño 2008) may take months and years to emerge, where isomorphic changes from individual to group to organizational level practices appear gradually, and thereby, are imperceptible to observers (Gino & Bazerman, 2009). Similarly, the emergence of organizational climates and cultures may involve compositional processes that emerge through socialization processes (Morrison, 2002), repeated enactment of leadership behaviors (Dragoni, 2005), collective sensemaking (Balogun & Johnson, 2004), and the sharing of stories and narratives within larger social networks (Zohar & Tenne-Gazit, 2008). As these examples show, compositional processes require time and may not be easily captured by research that ignores the longitudinal, multi-level processes that are inherent within leadership.

In light of these findings, efforts to advance leadership theory and research by moving from global to compositional and compilational perspectives will require methodological approaches that enable the testing of dynamic processes that span multiple levels of analysis and over different periods of time. As Weinhardt and Vancouver (2012) suggest, one viable approach to understanding dynamic multi-level processes associated with leadership and organizational systems is to use computational modeling, which are mathematical models that can be specified to simulate the evolution of complex, non-linear systems. Computational models have been employed to understand how interactive processes among intrapersonal variables affect the dynamics of person construal (Freeman & Ambady, 2011), personality (Read et al., 2010), and leadership perception (Dinh & Lord, 2013). Computational modeling has also been used to investigate the emergence of leadership learning and development (Black, Oliver, Howell, & King, 2006) and a leader's role in facilitating team dynamics (Dionne & Dionne, 2008; Dionne, Sayama, Hao, & Bush, 2010). Because computational modeling can simulate the changing dynamics among simultaneously occurring processes in real time, it can account for the uncertainty that characterizes real organizational systems (MacKay & Chia, 2013), and thereby, explain how leadership processes and contexts interact to create unintended consequences in the present and future (Lord et al., in review). In this way, computational modeling offers a means to incorporate context into leadership theory and its analytical capacities can advance findings offered by event-level methodological approaches and more typical statistical analyses.

Additionally, the use event-level methodologies (e.g., Fleeson, 2001; see also Dinh & Lord, 2012; Morgeson, 2005) and network analysis (e.g., Balkundi et al., 2011; Fowler & Christakis, 2008; Zohar & Tenne-Gazit, 2008) can offer additional technologies for understanding dynamic individual and group processes. In fact, by sampling specific points in time, scholars can clarify how specific contexts, events, and processes that occur internally (e.g., emotions, embodiment) and interpersonally (e.g., emotional contagion) impact how leadership relates to phenomena like leader flexibility (Lord et al., 2011), leader perception and influence (Giessner & Schubert, 2007; Sy et al., 2005, 2010), and performance in dynamic team and organizational contexts (Crawford & LePine, 2013; Klein et al., 2006; Plowman et al., 2007). Examining event-level processes may help separate leadership performance and leadership perception processes, which have heretofore been confounded in much leadership research (Kaiser et al., 2008). Although these methodological approaches depend on measures that are assessed explicitly or reflectively, recent leadership research has employed implicit measures that capture processes occurring automatically, operating below the level of conscious awareness (e.g., Johnson & Lord, 2010; Leavitt, Reynolds, Barnes, Schilpzand, & Hannah, 2012; Randolph-Seng & Gardner, 2013). Importantly, the use of implicit and explicit measures can provide insight on how interactive processes occurring within relatively short temporal time scales (milliseconds to minutes) affect leadership decision-making and organizational behavior (e.g., Kleiman & Hassin, 2011; Verplanken & Holland, 2002).

Researchers can implement techniques more common in neurological and social-cognitive studies to explore how rapidly occurring individual and interpersonal processes can create cascading effects on leadership outcomes. For example, visualization techniques have been employed to explore how affective experiences affect memory and cognition (Naidoo, Kohari, Lord, & DuBois, 2010); verbal patterns and voice quality have been analyzed using computer technology, predicting historians' ratings of U.S. presidents and Canadian prime ministers (DeGroot, Aime, Johnson, & Kluemper, 2011); and research that creatively manipulates subtle environmental cues (e.g., Ashton-James, van Baaren, Chartrand, Decety, & Karremans, 2007; Giessner & Schubert, 2007) has begun to explore how physical embodiment affects leadership emergence and social influence. Other methodological approaches might include neuroimaging technology, which has unraveled the neurological basis for leadership complexity in decision-making and influence (Hannah, Balthazard, Waldman, Jennings, & Thatcher, 2013). It is also likely that greater use of EEG and fMRI technologies will allow future research to test theories in more sophisticated ways. Neuroscience has made impressive progress in understanding emotional and self-relevant circuits, and it may be possible to understand reactions to leadership in terms of relevance to such circuits.

Despite our recommendations for dynamic research designs that capture events occurring across time, we do not intend to argue that well-designed cross-sectional research should be abandoned. Such designs, especially at initial stages of inquiry on specific research topics, may be very beneficial. Indeed, before pursuing refined longitudinal research on a topic of interest, it is useful to determine if a specific research topic offers promise for better understanding leadership. For example, if a new approach to leadership is found to explain no incremental variance in outcomes beyond existing approaches, it may not be worth pursuing. Cross-sectional research employing multiple sources of data and adequately controlling for established leadership approaches could certainly serve such purposes. If such research does in fact reveal potential for a new approach to leadership via the discovery of non-redundant relationships to salient outcomes, then longitudinal research methods using varying time intervals advocated in the current article may be employed. Indeed, the use of multiple methods for testing hypotheses is a hallmark of solid scientific research. Additionally, it is not within the realm of possibility to test entire theories in a single investigation. Although doing so may be valuable for addressing some hypotheses, it certainly should not be a requirement for all leadership research. Thus, our recommendations for creative new research designs for the study of leadership are not meant to suggest that there no longer remains value in cross-sectional field research. Instead, we contend that the methods recommended complement cross-sectional designs by providing an enhanced level of detail and incorporation of contextual variables.

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4.3. Limitations

In this article, we developed a framework that emphasizes the importance of process, which we used to organize and describe a vast array of leadership theories. Although the framework's underlying structure could be applied towards the classification of any leadership theory, there are several limitations that apply to how this framework was described and applied within the context of this article. First, due to the extensive reach of the leadership literature, it is impossible to thoroughly describe how this framework could be applied to each leadership theory. As such, we note that the select leadership theories that we used to illustrate each form of emergence represent areas of research that are especially familiar to the authors and serve only to illustrate the application of our framework rather than to signify the relative importance of one theory to the next.

Another limitation worthy of mention is that we focused on classifying leadership theories in top-tier research outlets, which may have excluded theory and research on leadership domains that are flourishing in other publication journals. For example, leadership research can also be found in many educational journals and those that focus on management in the public sector (e.g., Human Relations, Journal of Management Studies). Hence, although our review makes an effort towards unifying leadership theory and offers general conclusions on the state of the field, we note that a far more comprehensive understanding of the field and its development can be obtained by including perspectives provided by both academic and organizational practitioners. This approach can offer a more balanced perspective for understanding the kinds of processes that impact leaders or are used by leaders to affect organizations, organizational members, and societies.

One final limitation of our approach is that we often compare the recent growth of leadership research to trends identified by prior scholars who utilized a traditional non-quantitative review approach (e.g., House & Aditya, 1997), rather than our data driven approach. It may be the case that some different conclusions would be drawn if we employed a comparison using a data driven approach over a longer period of time, rather than comparing traditional reviews to our data driven review method.

5. Conclusion

As Kaiser et al. (2008) acknowledged in their review, leaders are influential in determining the fate of their organizations through their decisions, strategies, and influence on others. This sentiment has been shared by many scholars across multiple disciplinary fields, which has contributed to the rapid proliferation of leadership research over the last decade. As our review of the leadership field has shown, leadership theory and research, while primarily published in LQ (59% of the coded articles), has extended beyond LQ and into the purview of other top-tier publication outlets over the last decade. Our review has also shown that since the start of the new millennium, we have witnessed the growth of emerging leadership theories such as neurological perspectives on leadership, and the continued proliferation of theories relating to leading for creativity and innovation, toxic/dark leadership, and strategic leadership. Several established leadership theories continue to capture the interest of the field including neo-charismatic, information processing, trait, and leader–follower exchange theories. However, other leadership theories have not witnessed significant growth, including behavioral approaches, contingency theory, and path-goal theory. Overall, the growth and development of the leadership field presents both exciting new possibilities and challenges that confront scholars as they navigate the complexities of a field that has become increasingly diverse and rich in theoretical insight.

Our review also shows how much the leadership field has developed in recent decades. To date, we have identified a total of 66 different leadership theory domains. Although this diversity has brought forth novel perspectives that enrich our knowledge of leadership, it also presents several challenges that future research must address. Notably, future research needs to develop integrative perspectives that consider how disparate leadership theories relate or operate simultaneously to influence the emergence of leadership phenomena. We have argued that attention to these dynamic processes as they unfold over time and across different levels of analysis is critical because it helps capture the complexity that defines real individual, group, and organizational systems. However, efforts to advance leadership theory and research will require that we pay attention to the processes that underlie phenomenon and occur at multiple levels of analysis. By understanding how leaders influence underlying processes that lead to organizational outcomes, scholars can also develop integrative perspectives that unify diverse theories and stimulate novel leadership research in the new millennium. Yet, attention to non-linear forms of emergence may also require that our technologies and methodologies advance in order to capture or simulate the dynamics postulated by compositional and compilational theories.

As a field, we have amassed an extensive body of research and theory that has solidified the importance of leadership in organizational science. However, we also know much more about the outcomes of leadership than the processes that affect the emergence of these outcomes. For example, these processes include followers, as well as momentary (e.g., active identities) and more enduring structures (e.g., goal orientation climate, ethical culture), that are influenced by leaders. Additionally, leaders are embedded within organizational systems that are continually evolving, creating a more complex picture for understanding how individuals think, feel, and behave in response to changing events. Leadership may also involve collaborative team processes, bottom-up follower-based processes, as well as more typical hierarchical, top-down influences. This view challenges the stability and certainty that is typically found within the dominant leader-centric, global, trait-oriented thematic category that have defined the field. By inviting scholars to consider how processes change and evolve as they are influenced by context, as well as by leadership occurring from multiple sources within organizations, leadership theory can move closer to the outcomes we seek to explain. Linking processes to outcomes can advance theory, and it will also provide a firmer basis for leadership interventions.

Finally, it is important to recognize the reasons no unified theory of leadership currently exist. Leadership theory emphasizes many outcomes, from how leaders are perceived to how leaders affect unit performance; it involves actions of group members

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(Day, 2000) as well as those of formal leaders; it has been applied to levels that include events, individuals, dyads, groups, organizations, and political systems; it has focused on immediate and delayed effects; and it often incorporates contextual differences. Thus, it is not surprising that leadership involves 66 different theoretical domains and a wide variety of methodological approaches. A unique aspect of LQ is that it welcomes this diversity in conceptualization and approaches to leadership, helping to create a vibrant, developing, and relevant scientific domain. We have provided a summary of the field in the first 12 years of this millennium, along with a variety of assessments and recommendations. We hope that it will provide a useful cornerstone for future developments in leadership in the years to come.

Thematic category number

Thematic category title Leadership theories & content within thematic category

1 Neo-charismatic theories These articles discussed transformational and/or charismatic leadership topics, e.g., concepts of charisma, consequences of charismatic leadership. Sometimes the focus was on transformational leadership; at other times the only focus was charismatic leadership. Frequently, both transformational and charismatic leadership were mentioned, resulting in a category that combined these two. This thematic category also includes inspirational, Pygmalion effects, visionary, self-sacrificing and ideological/pragmatic, full-range and outstanding leadership theories. (Representative articles: Antonakis, Avolio, & Sivasubramaniam, 2003; Bono & Judge, 2004; Judge et al., 2004; Mumford, Antes, Caughron, & Friedrich, 2008)

2 Information processing theories This thematic category includes articles which pertained to cognitive approaches to information processing and decision making processes in leadership including attribution theories, leader and follower cognitions (e.g., perceptions), the connectionist approach, and implicit leadership theories. (Representative articles: Lord & Hall, 2005; Lord & Shondrick, 2011; Martinko, Harvey, & Douglas, 2007)

3 Social exchange/relational leadership theories

This thematic category includes leadership theories with a relational focus, including Leader– Member Exchange Theory (LMX), individualized leadership, vertical dyad linkage and related relational leadership theories. (Representative articles: Uhl-Bien, 2006; Brower, Schoorman, & Tan, 2000; Shin & Zhou, 2003)

4 Dispositional/trait theories This thematic category includes articles that looked at individual differences in leaders and investigated specific traits, abilities or clusters of abilities that contribute to leadership effectiveness. It includes the traditional trait approach, as well as other newer approaches, i.e., nature of managerial traits, managerial attributes, skills and competence, situational relevance of skills, and leader motive profile theory (LMP). (Representative articles: Judge & Bono, 2000; Zaccaro, 2007)

5 Diversity & cross-cultural leadership theories

The focus of this thematic category is on domestic and cross-cultural issues of leadership. Diversity theories investigate the experiences of women and minorities in leadership positions, and of diverse followers within domestic borders, e.g., the benefits of more women leaders, the challenges facing women in leadership roles. The cross-cultural thematic category includes articles comparing the leadership processes of one culture to another, or looking at leadership in non-US populations to discern if European/US leadership theories applied in such settings/culture, country & attributes of leadership, universality, cultural & institutional changes, differences in Leadership across cultures, leadership in the multinational firm, and the GLOBE Project. (Representative articles: Eagly & Chin, 2010; Kirkman, Chen, Farh, Chen, & Lowe, 2009; Walumbwa, Lawler, & Avolio, 2007)

6 Follower centric theories Theories that prioritize the follower in the leader–follower pairing comprised this thematic category. Specifically, it includes articles investigated follower attributes related to the leadership process (e.g., identity, motivation, and values), the active roles follower play in leader–follower dynamics, romance of leadership (RoL), and follower outcomes. Articles with aesthetic perspectives in leadership that investigated follower's subjective evaluation of leader qualities through aesthetic senses were included in this category. (Representative articles: Bligh, 2011; Hansen, Ropo, & Sauer, 2007; Howell & Shamir, 2005)

7 Behavioral theories This thematic category focuses on research using the leadership behavior frameworks of The Ohio State University Leadership Studies (OSU/LBDQ), and Michigan Leadership Studies, nature and consequences of participative, shared leadership, delegation, empowerment of leadership, studies on task-oriented behavior and initiating structure, and people or relations-oriented and individualized consideration behavior, critical incidents, the high-high leader, leadership behavior taxonomies, and specific task behaviors. Studies that focused on leadership punishment or reward behaviors were included as well. (Representative articles: Carson et al., 2007; Podsakoff, Bommer, Podsakoff, & MacKenzie, 2006)

8 Contingency theories This thematic category includes articles where the leader adjusted to the situation, or adjusted the situation to fit him- or herself. This included the Lease Preferred Coworker (LPC) contingency model, path-goal theory of leadership, leadership substitution theory, situational leadership theory, multiple linkage model, cognitive resources theory, applications for adaptive leadership, life cycle theory of leadership, and normative decision model, and flexible leadership theory. (Representative articles: Keller, 2006; Vroom & Jago, 2007; Yukl, 2008)

9 Power and influence theories The focus of this thematic category is on the concepts of power and influence, power types and sources, consequences of position and personal power, impression management and influence

Appendix A. Leadership theory coding scheme

Appendix A (continued)

Thematic category number

Thematic category title Leadership theories & content within thematic category

tactics, and political skills. The focal level of analysis for these influence and political tactics is dyadic, group and organizational as opposed to institutional, regional, and societal. (Representative articles: Ammeter, Douglas, Gardner, Hochwarter, & Ferris, 2002; Treadway, Hochwarter, Ferris, Kacmar, Douglas, et al., 2004)

10 Strategic leadership This thematic category addresses leadership phenomena at the highest levels of organizations and how executive leaders influence organizational performance. The focal level of analysis involves CEO or other top leader and/or top-management teams (TMT) at the upper echelon levels of the organization. Topics include constraints on executives, top management teams and leadership succession, upper echelon theory, conditions affecting the need for strategic leadership, and effects of CEO leadership. This category also includes research on public leadership, e.g., president, professional politicians, as these individuals direct large bureau- cracies, determine strategy, and are commonly viewed as reasons for success or failure of public initiatives in parallel with their corporate counterparts. (Representative articles: Boal & Hooijberg, 2001; Vera & Crossan, 2004)

11 Contextual leadership theories This thematic category addresses leadership in specific arenas, such as the military or education setting and how leadership practices often are constrained by contextual variables (i.e., period of time in organizational processes), or environmental characteristics (i.e., whether conflict pervades). Articles dealing with the contextual theory of Osborn et al. (2002) were also placed in this category. To contribute to this thematic category, authors must explicitly indicate that the primary article focus is on contextual factors. (Representative articles: Osborn et al., 2002; Porter & McLaughlin, 2006)

12 Complexity and systems leadership theories

Articles in this thematic category encompass catastrophe or complexity theory, with the concept of complex adaptive systems (CAS) and encompassed how complexity theory was useful in describing how leaders can be successful in turbulent environments. Social network and integrative perspectives of leadership were also included. (Representative articles: Avolio, 2007; Balkundi & Kilduff, 2006; Marion & Uhl-Bien, 2002; Schneider & Somers, 2006; Uhl-Bien, Marion, & McKelvey, 2007)

13 Team leadership This thematic category includes articles where teams were the primary focus, or the articles attempted to apply one or more leadership theories to team settings in a novel fashion. The focal level of analysis involves teams and groups at the mid- and lower-level echelons of the organization. Topics include the nature of leadership in different types of teams, determinants of team performance, procedures for facilitating team learning, guidelines for team building, and leadership function in decision making in groups. (Representative articles: Mehra, Smith, Dixon, & Robertson, 2006; Zaccaro, Rittman, & Marks, 2002)

14 Leadership emergence & development

Articles that prescribed or described pathways or processes by which leaders came to possess leadership capacity, follower recognition of leadership status, and a systems perspective of leadership development defined this thematic category. Specific topics include leadership training programs, designing effective training, specific techniques of leadership training, learning from experience, developmental activities, self-help activities, facilitating conditions for leadership development, development and identification of leaders, and leadership assessment, appraisal and selection. (Representative articles: Day, 2001; Wolff et al., 2002)

15 Ethical/moral leadership theories

This thematic category encompasses leadership theories that have in common a core focus on altruistic behaviors. These theories of ethical leadership investigate leader moral priorities, including how an ethical orientation toward leadership is developed; how an ethical approach to leadership is important; the consequences of ethical leadership and how it can be sustained. Authentic servant and spiritual leadership theories are also classified in this thematic category. (Representative articles: Avolio & Gardner, 2005; Brown et al., 2005; Fry, 2003; Liden et al., 2008)

16 Leading for creativity & change Articles in this thematic category investigated creative leadership processes from a variety of perspectives, covering topics like innovation and organizational learning. Articles in this thematic category also dealt with leader's roles in organizational change, or larger social changes in society or government, e.g., developing a vision, implementing changes, and influencing organizational culture. These changes were spurred by direct or indirect actions of leaders. (Representative articles: Denis, Lamothe, & Langley, 2001; Jaussi & Dionne, 2003; Mumford, Scott, Gaddis, & Strange, 2002)

17 Identity-based leadership theories This thematic category includes self-concept and social identity approaches to leadership, i.e., studies adopting the work of Hogg and colleagues on leader categorization theory and studies adopting other social identity and self-concept frameworks. (Representative articles: Hogg, 2001; Van Knippenberg et al., 2004)

18 Emotions and leadership Articles in this thematic category encompass leaders' and followers' affect, and a variety of influences that emotions, positive and negative, have at all levels of leadership both on the leader and follower. (Representative articles: Bono & Ilies, 2006; Dasborough & Ashkanasy, 2002; Humphrey, 2002)

19 Destructive leadership This thematic category encompasses cases where leaders misbehaved, acted in ways contrary to the well-being of followers and/or the organization, and the setting where they were leaders, including abusive leadership, toxic leadership, and followers' susceptibility and

(continued on next page)

57J.E. Dinh et al. / The Leadership Quarterly 25 (2014) 36–62

Appendix A (continued)

Thematic category number

Thematic category title Leadership theories & content within thematic category

destructive followership as well. (Representative articles: Einarsen, Aasland, & Skogstad, 2007; Padilla, Hogan, & Kaiser, 2007)

20 Biological approaches to leadership This thematic category includes articles using a biological approach to examine the genetic and environmental impacts on leadership emergence, development and effectiveness such as articles using behavioral genetics work with twin designs. This category also includes articles investigated leader quality and behaviors using applications of social cognitive neuroscience to study the mechanisms of human brain in cognition, emotion and behavior such as studies with EEG, fMRI or somatic marker detection designs. (Representative articles: Boyatzis et al., 2012; Lee et al., 2012; Waldman, Balthazard, & Peterson, 2011)

21 E-leadership theories This thematic category encompasses the study of leadership effects of task, technology and distance in virtual space. Specifically, leadership in a technology-enabled working environ- ment, leader's competence and the requirements of tasks, important dimensions and effects of type of tasks, sociotechnical systems, interaction potential, leadership and physical space and distance, leadership and psychosocial space, networks, electronic communication networking, e-Leadership, and leadership in experimental communication networks. (Representative articles: Avolio et al., 2001; Golden, Veiga, & Dino, 2008).

22 Leader error and recovery This thematic category encompasses investigation of the nature (e.g., action or inaction) and antecedents of leader errors. Topics also include error taxonomy, and effects of leader errors. (Representative articles: Hunter, Tate, Dzieweczynski, & Bedell-Avers, 2011).

23 Entrepreneurial leadership This thematic category encompasses the convergence and intersection between the leadership and entrepreneurship literature and how each stream of research can inform the other. It also includes the articles exploring specific components of entrepreneurial leadership process, e.g., entrepreneurial leadership vision and behaviors. (Representative articles: Cogliser & Brigham, 2004; Ruvio, Rosenblatt, & Hertz-Lazarowitz, 2010).

Notes: The coding scheme is adapted and expanded from Gardner et al. (2010). The category that was not included in that scheme was marked with its respective sources. There categories are not mutually exclusive. Articles often employed multiple theoretical frameworks while investigated the phenomena of interest.

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  • Leadership theory and research in the new millennium: Current theoretical trends and changing perspectives
    • 1. Introduction
    • 2. Content analysis methods
      • 2.1. Sample
      • 2.2. Coding procedure and categories
      • 2.3. The status of the established leadership theories
      • 2.4. Emerging leadership theories
      • 2.5. Summary
    • 3. A process framework for organizing theories of leadership
      • 3.1. Forms of emergence reflected in leadership theory and research
        • 3.1.1. Thematic leadership theory categories reflecting global forms of emergence
        • 3.1.2. Thematic leadership theory categories reflecting compositional forms of emergence
        • 3.1.3. Thematic leadership theory categories reflecting compilational forms of emergence
      • 3.2. Strengths and limitations of theory with global, compositional, and compilational ULPs
      • 3.3. Form of emergence emphasized by journal and emergence match/mismatch
    • 4. General discussion
      • 4.1. Implications for theory and practice
      • 4.2. Advances in methodological approaches
      • 4.3. Limitations
    • 5. Conclusion
    • References

Mandatory Assignment Resources/Reconciling Different Views on Responsible Leadership.pdf

Reconciling Different Views on Responsible Leadership: A Rationality-Based Approach

Christof Miska • Christian Hilbe • Susanne Mayer

Received: 9 July 2013 / Accepted: 6 October 2013 / Published online: 17 October 2013

� Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Abstract Business leaders are increasingly responsible

for the societal and environmental impacts of their actions.

Yet conceptual views on responsible leadership differ in

their definitions and theoretical foundations. This study

attempts to reconcile these diverse views and uncover the

phenomenon from a business leader’s point of view. Based

on rational egoism theory, this article proposes a formal

mathematical model of responsible leadership that con-

siders different types of incentives for stakeholder

engagement. The analyses reveal that monetary and

instrumental incentives are neither sufficient nor necessary

for business leaders to consider societal and environmental

stakeholder needs. Non-monetary and non-instrumental

incentives, such as leaders’ values and authenticity, as well

as their planning horizons, counterbalance pure monetary

and instrumental orientations. The model in this article

complements the growing body of research on responsible

leadership by reconciling its various conceptual views and

providing a foundation for future theory development and

testing.

Keywords Responsible leadership � Rational egoism theory � Stakeholder–stockholder dichotomy

List of Symbols

S Business leader’s stakeholder engagement

p Present value of the company’s profits a Relative strength of non-monetary and non-

instrumental incentives

pCðSÞ Company’s current profits pFðSÞ Present value of the company’s future profits d Business leader’s planning horizon

Introduction

Business leaders are increasingly accountable for the

stakeholders outside their immediate economic spheres,

and their responsibilities extend to their companies’ soci-

etal and environmental influences (Wade 2006). According

to Carroll and Shabana (2010), these new responsibilities

are part of discretionary and ethical domains and represent

the broader social contract between society and business.

Although business leaders usually have certain degrees of

discretion in their actions (Carroll 1979; Crilly et al. 2008;

Maak and Pless 2006; Treviño et al. 2008; Waldman and

Galvin 2008), their specific responsibilities are not always

clearly defined and constantly prompt questions with

regard to their legitimacy.

Any business leader’s pursuit of responsible leadership

includes considerable challenges, pressure, and complexi-

ties. In particular, the probable trade-offs between achiev-

ing profit maximization and undertaking societal or

environmental responsibilities (Henriques and Richardson

2012) illustrate the inherent difficulties of responsible

C. Miska (&) Department of Global Business and Trade, Institute for

International Business, WU Vienna, Welthandelsplatz 1,

Building D1, 1020 Vienna, Austria

e-mail: [email protected]

C. Hilbe

Faculty of Mathematics, University of Vienna,

Nordbergstraße 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria

e-mail: [email protected]

S. Mayer

Department of Socioeconomics, Institute for Social Policy, WU

Vienna, Welthandelsplatz 1, Building D4, 1020 Vienna, Austria

e-mail: [email protected]

123

J Bus Ethics (2014) 125:349–360

DOI 10.1007/s10551-013-1923-8

leadership. An essential question these trade-offs imply has

to do with whether responsible leadership can ever be truly

responsible (Waldman and Siegel 2008). On this issue

there is a gap in the literature; nurtured by various nor-

mative, descriptive, and paradigmatic points of view (Pless

and Maak 2011), extant work is inconclusive in defining

the extent and scope of responsible leadership. Waldman

(2011) points out the caveats and dangers of these varia-

tions risking ‘‘confusion and even biases in the pursuit of

an understanding of responsible leadership’’ (p. 77). We

aim to address this gap by taking a business leader’s point

of view and analyzing the various drivers of responsible

leadership. With a foundation of rational egoism theory

(Peikoff 1991; Rand 1964; Smith 2000), we assume that

business leaders opt for strategies that optimally serve their

individual objectives. We first review various theoretical

and conceptual views on responsible leadership and iden-

tify two contrasting perspectives: agent and stakeholder

views. Mirroring these perspectives, we discuss various

incentives for stakeholder engagement, which many

understand as actions that aim to ‘do good’ (i.e., enhancing

societal and environmental welfare for stakeholders) and

‘do no harm’ (i.e., avoiding harmful consequences for

stakeholders other than shareholders) (e.g., Crilly et al.

2008; Miska et al. 2013; Stahl et al. 2013). On this

foundation, we propose a formal, rationality-based model

of stakeholder engagement that uncovers the decision-

making mechanisms of responsible leadership. This

rational perspective aims to complement extant literature

on responsible leadership by reconciling the various views

on this increasingly important phenomenon, as well as to

provide a foundation for further theory development and

testing.

Responsible Leadership Views

Extant literature does not conclusively define the concept

of responsible leadership. Scholars suggest different per-

spectives that arise from various normative, descriptive,

and paradigmatic points of view (Pless and Maak 2011).

These points of view rest on long-standing debates and

arguments regarding the responsibilities of business and the

varied history of the concept of corporate social responsi-

bility (CSR) (Carroll 1999). Waldman and Galvin (2008)

remark that ‘‘responsible leadership is not the same concept

in the minds of all’’ (p. 328). According to Pless and Maak

(2011), the field is fluid, and ‘‘the tentative answer to the

question ‘What is responsible leadership?’ must be ‘It

depends.’’’ (p. 5). Therefore, it is possible to classify lit-

erature on responsible leadership systematically alongside

two interrelated dimensions: (1) the degree of stakeholder

inclusion and (2) the scope of responsibility. The first

dimension defines the degree to which notions of respon-

sible leadership comprise different sets of stakeholders.

The second dimension describes the bandwidth of diverse

types of responsibilities. This distinction mirrors recent

findings from an empirical study by Pless et al. (2012),

who, based on interviews with 25 business leaders, found

differences in these leaders’ responsible leadership orien-

tations. The orientations varied along with the breadth of

the constituent groups on which they focused, and the

degree of accountability toward stakeholders extended

beyond shareholders and owners.

By examining extant work alongside the two dimensions

of stakeholder inclusion and scope of responsibility, we

identify three comprehensive perspectives on responsible

leadership: agent, stakeholder, and converging views. The

key roles and loci of responsible leadership shift across the

two dimensions. They extend from business leaders with

agent roles with business owners and predominantly

internal organizational loci to business leaders with mul-

tiple roles with diverse stakeholders and both internal and

external loci. Figure 1 illustrates this continuum.

Agent Views

According to agent theory, one or several persons (princi-

pals) assign decision-making power to one or several other

persons (agents), who then act on their behalf (Jensen and

Meckling 1976; Ross 1973). From an agent perspective,

responsible leadership aligns with Friedman’s (Friedman

1970, 2007; Friedman and Friedman 2002) doctrine that

‘‘the social responsibility of business is to increase its

profits’’ (Friedman 2007, p. 173). Within the boundaries of

societal rules embodied in law and ethical custom, business

leaders’ primary responsibility is to safeguard economic

returns. Waldman and Galvin (2008) suggest three key

principles of such economic-based responsible leadership:

Business leaders are solely responsible to shareholders,

their behavior is strategic and calculable to benefit share-

holders, and reward and monitoring systems ensure that

they fulfill their economic responsibilities. Low degrees of

diverse stakeholder inclusion consequently characterize

agent views of responsible leadership and focus on eco-

nomic responsibilities. Various critics have found fault

with Friedman’s thinking. One criticism is that his ideas

are logically unsound and lack clarity (McAleer 2003;

Mulligan 1986). Schaefer (2008) notes that Friedman’s

economic-focused view exempts shareholders from exer-

cising social responsibility. Nonetheless, Voegtlin et al.

(2012) remark that literature on the enhanced responsibility

of business leaders, beyond the narrow economic scope, is

relatively rare.

350 C. Miska et al.

123

Stakeholder Views

Hill and Jones (1992) propose stakeholder–agency theory,

a combination of agency theory and stakeholder theory, to

explain the characteristics of contractual relationships

between a firm and its stakeholders. According to the

theory, business leaders reconcile various stakeholders’

interests through their actions. Stakeholder–agency theory

is conceptually aligned with more contemporary leadership

theories. These extend beyond the classical leader–follower

dyad within organizations and focus on how business

leaders affect the various social systems in which they and

their companies are embedded (Komives and Dugan 2010).

Parallel to this idea, stakeholder views on responsible

leadership tend to consider broad stakeholder networks

through an ethical lens. Maak and Pless’s (2006) under-

standing of responsible leadership as a ‘‘social-relational

and ethical phenomenon, which occurs in social processes

of interaction’’ (p. 99), is representative of the stakeholder

view paradigm. It implies that business leaders attempt to

contribute to sustainable societal and environmental

developments by taking responsibility for pressing prob-

lems such as poverty and global warming. High degrees of

diverse stakeholder inclusion consequently characterize

stakeholder views of responsible leadership and encompass

economic, societal, and environmental responsibilities.

Critics tend to accuse them of having a Pollyannaish stance

(Waldman and Galvin 2008)—that is, an overly optimistic

pursuit of responsibility at the expense of ‘true’ responsi-

bility toward business owners.

Converging Views

These perspectives converge between the agent and

stakeholder views we have already described. They rep-

resent attempts to reconcile business leaders’ economic

with ethically driven societal and environmental responsi-

bilities. Oftentimes, converging views on responsible

leadership follow strategic considerations along the lines of

‘‘good ethics is good business’’ (Schwartz and Carroll

2003, p. 516). For example, Porter and Kramer (2006)

suggest that because business leaders are not responsible

for all global problems, they should identify the issues their

companies can resolve most effectively and from which

they can earn the greatest competitive advantage. In addi-

tion, Waldman and Siegel’s (2008) argument about what

should drive business leaders in the area of CSR converges

between the economic perspective and the stakeholder

view. They conclude that a combination of instrumental,

calculative behavior and business leaders’ values and eth-

ical motives is probably best for combining the two per-

spectives. Converging views on responsible leadership

therefore vary in both their degrees of stakeholder inclu-

sion and their scopes of responsibility. They attempt to

reconcile the economic and stakeholder views but do so in

various ways.

Although agent, stakeholder, and converging views on

responsible leadership display the characteristics and dif-

ferences we have mentioned, they share two key com-

monalities. First, they assume that responsible leader-

ship complies with legal regulations and law. Second,

high degree/broad scope

low degree/narrow scope

degree of stakeholder inclusion

scope of responsibility

Agent views

Converging views

Stakeholder views Leader’s role: multiple roles according to various stakeholders Locus: within and outside a company Representative work: Maak and Pless (2006, 2009), Stahl et al. (2013)

Leader’s role: reconciling economic, societal, and environmental responsibilities Locus: within and outside a company Representative work: Porter and Kramer (2006), Waldman and Galvin (2008), Waldman and Siegel (2008)

Leader’s role: agent of business owners Locus: within company Representative work: Friedman (1970, 2007); Friedman and Friedman (2002)

Fig. 1 Overview of perspectives on responsible leadership

Responsible Leadership 351

123

they assume that business leaders have discretionary choices

in meeting their responsibilities (Carroll and Shabana 2010).

These are relatively restricted, as the agent views maintain,

or considerably expanded, according to the stakeholder

perspectives. Because business leaders’ discretionary choi-

ces within regulatory boundaries are so important, we next

draw on literature about ethical decision making—on which

we later build our analyses of the viability of responsible

leadership from a business leader’s perspective.

Decision-Making Mechanisms and the Theory

of Rational Egoism

Sonenshein (2007) classifies several influential studies as

‘rationalist approaches’, because the underlying theories

assume that decision makers cautiously evaluate evidence

and apply moral principles in response to ethical issues

(e.g., Hunt and Vitell 1986; Jones 1991; Treviño 1986).

Although Sonenshein finds these rationalist approaches

popular and influential—partly because of the absence of

alternative explanations and theories—he points out their

limitations. In particular, rationalist approaches tend to

ignore uncertainty inherent in organizational settings and in

people’s intuitive choices and judgment.

Woiceshyn (2011) asserts that several researchers find

rational and intuitive components to contribute relatively

equally to people’s ethical decision making (Reynolds 2006;

Simon 1987). With a dual processing model, she argues that

decision makers responding to ethical dilemmas spiral back

and forth between rational and intuitive processing, but the

underlying key process consists of integration by essentials.

Based on interviews with CEOs, she finds that rational egoism

is the moral code they apply when integrating conscious and

subconscious processing and pursuing long-term success. The

premise of rational egoism implies that maximizing one’s own

good and self-interest is the primary aim in life, because ‘‘Only

self-preservation can be an ultimate goal, which serves no end

beyond itself.’’ (Peikoff 1991, p. 211). Although conflicting

views exist (e.g., Bowie 1991), rational egoism does not have

a cynical intent, nor does it suggest that a person should realize

whatever serves his or her self-interests. Rather, the virtue of

rationality implies the ‘‘acceptance of reason as one’s only

source of knowledge, one’s only judge of values and one’s

only guide to action’’ (Peikoff 1991, p. 221). Rational egoism

is thus compatible with a common sense view of ethics as

guide for living and thriving without harming others (Don-

aldson and Dunfee 1994; Woiceshyn 2011). Whereas ratio-

nality is the key virtue of rational egoism, several derivative

virtues implicit in rationality emerge from it: productiveness

as creating value by adjustment of nature to humans; honesty

as not faking facts in the pursuit of values; justice as assessing

persons objectively and granting them what they deserve;

independence as the main orientation to reality; integrity as

being loyal to rational principles; and pride as achieving one’s

own moral perfection (Peikoff 1991; Rand 1964; Woiceshyn

2011).

The theory of rational egoism is compatible with the agent,

stakeholder, and converging views on responsible leadership.

Although these perspectives differ in their degrees of stake-

holder inclusion and their scopes of responsibility, the the-

ory’s emphasis on rationality as the primary decision-making

guidepost is appropriate for all three to explain the viability of

responsible leadership from a business leader’s point of view.

In the common sense view of ethics, the theory is compatible

with the ‘do good’ and ‘do no harm’ (Crilly et al. 2008; Miska

et al. 2013; Stahl et al. 2013) dimensions of stakeholder

engagement. It therefore provides an integrative framework

applicable to the various views on responsible leadership. We

thus discuss the foundations for applying the theory to

responsible leadership.

Incentives for Stakeholder Engagement

The virtue of rationality involves recognizing and accepting

reasons as the only foundation of knowledge and as the only

guidance for judgments and actions (Peikoff 1991). The dif-

ferent views on responsible leadership provide a variety of

reasons for stakeholder engagement. Depending on the

underlying perspective of responsible leadership and the

implied degree of stakeholder inclusion and scopes of

responsibility, business leaders may or may not consider these

reasons relevant. We therefore label these reasons ‘incentives’,

referring to their discretionary nature (Carroll and Shabana

2010). Based on our literature review, we suggest two broad

categories of such incentives: (1) monetary and instrumental

incentives and (2) non-monetary and non-instrumental incen-

tives. Both categories mirror the two views at the ends of the

continuum we describe: agent views and stakeholder views.

Although monetary and instrumental incentives for stake-

holder engagement directly or indirectly contribute to a com-

pany’s economic returns, non-monetary and non-instrumental

incentives correspond to the ethical foundations of the stake-

holder views and, in addition to economic goals, target societal

and environmental responsibilities. Because a full list of

incentives is beyond the scope of this article, we limit ourselves

to discussing a handful of illustrations to demonstrate the

viability of the two-type categorization.

Monetary and Instrumental Incentives

The incentives for stakeholder engagement to directly or

indirectly increase or maintain a company’s economic

gains are distinctive in this category. Examples include

strategic considerations, anticipated negative costs and

352 C. Miska et al.

123

sanctions in case of irresponsible leadership, and societal

expectations.

Strategic Considerations

Several authors (e.g., Burke and Logsdon 1996; Schalteg-

ger and Wagner 2006; Weber 2008) identify the strategic

benefits of CSR: Responsible leadership can benefit a

company’s reputation positively, help attract and retain

talent more easily, or justify premium prices for products

(Waldman and Siegel 2008). Although it is difficult for

business leaders to assess the exact monetary value of their

stakeholder engagement, this engagement might increase a

company’s economic gains and incentivize related behav-

ior. In this regard, Barnett (2007) remarks that even if not

all socially responsible activities maximize profits, some

will. Porter and Kramer (2006) systematically guide busi-

ness leaders to pursue strategies that leverage the benefits

of responsible leadership to their companies’ competitive

advantage.

Anticipated Negative Costs and Sanctions

A plethora of evidence suggests that irresponsible leader-

ship (i.e., business leaders who intentionally or uninten-

tionally harm stakeholders) can result in negative effects

for entire companies (e.g., Bansal and Candola 2004;

Detert et al. 2007). The costs and consequences of such

irresponsible leadership include alienated customers and

suppliers, damaged corporate reputations, and a need for

surveillance mechanisms (Cialdini et al. 2004; Waldman

and Galvin 2008). Although such anticipated negative costs

may not be tangible and are likely incalculable, the mag-

nitude and consequences can be enormous. More generally,

Devinney (2009) considers the principle of social sanctions

to be a central concept of corporations’ socially responsible

actions. Although it may be difficult for business leaders to

specify the costs of irresponsible leadership, the possibility

that societal sanctions could affect a company’s profits may

incentivize stakeholder engagement. Campbell (2007),

from an institutional perspective, claims that industry self-

regulations are frequently a result of anticipating inter-

vention by the state or else from governmental regulations

that are insufficient to protect the industry from itself.

Business leaders who anticipate stringent regulatory envi-

ronments or increased involvement from the outside, and

probably higher monetary burdens, likely perceive a need

for stakeholder engagement.

Societal Expectations

General attitudes and resulting regulations are not the only

ways in which society demands responsible leadership.

Shareholders are increasingly concerned about the effects

of leadership on companies’ economic conditions. A

growing proportion of mainstream institutional investors,

who are members of important ownership groups of listed

companies in many developed economies, are adopting

socially responsible investment practices (Sparkes and

Cowton 2004). Guay et al. (2004) assert that non-govern-

mental organization (NGO) shareholder activism directly

challenges corporate boards, because it can point out

inadequate leadership actions. Such movements and soci-

etal activism therefore may lead to severe consequences for

business leaders and their companies, which could incen-

tivize stakeholder engagement.

Non-monetary and Non-instrumental Incentives

Examples of this category represent incentives for stake-

holder engagement that go beyond economic responsibili-

ties and target societal and environmental goals. Such

incentives have a strong ethical foundation and are directly

linked to individual business leaders. Examples include

business leaders’ values and authenticity, sense of care and

duty to help, and personal corporate citizenship.

Values and Authenticity

Whetstone (2001) argues that business leaders might have

several reasons for their actions, including personal values,

such that ‘‘moral reasons can include […] the belief that so acting is characteristic of the kind of person one wants to

be’’ (p. 102). Leadership scholars frequently link leaders’

values to authenticity. Freeman and Auster (2011) propose

that the concept of authenticity means acting on the basis

of not only one’s perceived values but equally ‘‘one’s

history, relationships with others, and aspirations’’ (p. 15).

This extended idea of authenticity implies that past expe-

riences, current values, and future aspirations shape busi-

ness leaders. This idea further suggests that acting

authentically involves reflecting on one’s past and values

critically and adjusting behaviors according to future

aspirations. For business leaders, such alterations may lead

to reflections that contradict monetary and instrumental

aspirations in favor of societal and environmental ones.

Sense of Care and Duty of Assistance

Maak and Pless (2009) describe sense of care and duty of

assistance as two important elements of responsible lead-

ership. The first element refers to a sense of care for others’

basic needs. It builds on the concept of empathy for people

within as well as outside of companies. The second ele-

ment refers to the obligation to care for those in need and to

create basic, reasonable conditions (Rawls 2001). Both

Responsible Leadership 353

123

elements represent characteristics of business leaders and

may support behavior beyond monetary or instrumental

considerations.

Personal Corporate Citizenship

Grit (2004) describes the concept of personal corporate

citizenship, in which people rather than organizations and

structures drive corporate citizenship. This citizenship

appeals to attitudes and actions of business leaders instead

of institutions that authoritatively provide moral guidelines.

The ‘democratization’ of values involves business leaders

continually developing their own moral frameworks and

guidelines. Consequently, business leaders reach beyond

their traditional roles and make choices to help improve

society and the environment.

Table 1 summarizes monetary and instrumental incen-

tives and non-monetary and non-instrumental incentives

for stakeholder engagement. We analyze the relevance of

these incentive types for business leaders and how they

make stakeholder engagement reasonable from a leader’s

perspective—that is, how incentives follow the principles

of the theory of rational egoism. To this end, we propose a

streamlined mathematical model and describe how the

various incentives for stakeholder engagement affect

business leaders’ decisions.

A Formal Model of Responsible Leadership

Mathematical models and economic-oriented analyses

allow decision makers to incorporate logical considerations

and rational deliberation. Although Hermalin (1998)

observes that such approaches have not charted leadership

research, scholars agree that formal analyses are useful at

the firm level (e.g., Husted and de Jesus Salazar 2006;

Jones 1995; McWilliams and Siegel 2001). We believe that

such a formal, rationality-based analysis at the individual

level is equally useful for two reasons. First, it allows

incorporating business leaders’ deliberations and consid-

erations in accordance with the theory of rational egoism.

Second, it is capable of reflecting how the two types of

incentives for stakeholder engagement interact. We first

describe a basic model of responsible leadership, which we

then extend by including the two types of incentives for

stakeholder engagement. We refine this model and incor-

porate considerations related to business leaders’ time and

planning horizons.

Basic Model of Responsible Leadership

To derive the business leader’s objective function, we

assume that it is possible to measure the extent to which a

business leader considers stakeholder demands with a

single variable S, which is presumed to be equal to or larger

than zero, S�0. This variable S represents a business leader’s stakeholder engagement, and we interpret high

values of S as an indicator of strong consideration for

stakeholders. The assumption that a business leader’s

stakeholder engagement is measureable with a single var-

iable represents a simplification, because most companies

interact with various stakeholders who may have compet-

ing interests. However, this study does not aim to investi-

gate which stakeholders’ interests receive primary

consideration; rather, we are interested in the conditions

that are generally favorable for stakeholder engagement.

A business leader’s stakeholder engagement S is not an

independent variable because it (directly or indirectly)

affects the company’s current and future profits. We

account for this dependence by modeling the company’s

present value of profits p as a function of the leader’s stakeholder engagement: p ¼ pðSÞ, which means that a company’s profits are related to a business leader’s stake-

holder engagement. With respect to this relationship, it is

possible to distinguish two cases: If profits increase with

stakeholder engagement, profit maximization and stake-

holder engagement align perfectly. Mathematically, this

case may be identified by examining the slope—or the first

derivative—of the profit function, which will then be

positive: p0ðSÞ[ 0. Under such conditions, a marginal increase in stakeholder engagement is profitable. A prac-

tical example of this condition is Better World Books, a

triple-bottom-line company that aims to harness the value

of books and fund literacy initiatives around the world

(Better World Books 2013). This business model helps the

company differentiate and survive in the highly competi-

tive industry of online booksellers. Thus, Better World

Books’ triple-bottom-line approach implies that stake-

holder engagement complements economic objectives.

Table 1 Types of incentives for responsible leadership and business leaders’ stakeholder engagement

Category Monetary and instrumental

incentives

Non-monetary and non-

instrumental incentives

Description Incentives for stakeholder

engagement with the

purpose of directly or

indirectly increasing or

maintaining a company’s

economic gains

Incentives for stakeholder

engagement that go

beyond economic

responsibilities and

target societal and

environmental goals

Examples Strategic considerations

Anticipated negative costs

and sanctions in case of

irresponsible leadership

Societal expectations

People’s values and

authenticity

Sense of care and duty of

assistance

Personal corporate

citizenship

354 C. Miska et al.

123

Alternatively, there may be a trade-off between profit

maximization and societal and environmental engagement,

such that a marginal increase in stakeholder engagement

comes at the expense of profits. Formally, this means that

the respective profit function has a negative slope,

p0ðSÞ\0. In such a case, it appears—at least at first glance—unlikely that a business leader will realize stake-

holder engagement, because doing so would lead to eco-

nomic losses. For example, Shell’s leaders have not taken

into consideration either the local Ogoni people or the

environmental impacts when the company started operat-

ing in the Niger Delta (Boele et al. 2001). Shell probably

ignored societal and environmental concerns in favor of

profits.

Extended Model

Because of such potential divergences between profit

maximization and societal and environmental stakeholder

engagement, we need to extend our model and include the

two types of incentives for stakeholder engagement:

monetary/instrumental and non-monetary/non-instrumental

incentives. We assume monetary and instrumental incen-

tives to be proportional to the company’s profit function,

pðSÞ. In contrast, non-monetary and non-instrumental incentives are independent of potential economic effects.

Business leaders likely weight the two types of incentives

for stakeholder engagement differently—which responsible

leadership theory reflects. Thus, we assume that we can

express the relative strength of non-monetary and non-

instrumental incentives with a parameter a, grounded in the business leader’s individual, person-related, and ethical

considerations. In the simplest case, we may therefore

model the business leader’s overall objective function

(u Sð Þ) as follows: u Sð Þ¼ ð1 � aÞpðSÞþ aS: ð1Þ

If the business leader’s decisions are affected only by

monetary and instrumental considerations, then a ¼ 0. Then, the business leader’s sole aim is to maximize profits,

u(S) = pðSÞ. In contrast, a business leader who is also driven by non-monetary and non-instrumental incentives

can be modeled by assuming that a [ 0, such that not only the company’s profits but also the company’s stakeholder

engagement are considered. A prominent example of the

latter kind of leader is The Body Shop founder Anita

Roddick, who decided to dump the principles of

shareholder value and adopt a business model of social

responsibility (Pless 2007). In her view, ‘‘The business of

business should not be about money, it should be about

responsibility. It should be about public good, not private

greed.’’ (Roddick 2000, p. 3).

The business leader’s objective function in Eq. (1)

allows us to derive a condition for the emergence of

stakeholder engagement. When we calculate the first

derivative of the business leader’s objective function to

identify its maximum, we find that a business leader opts

for positive stakeholder engagement (S [ 0) if

p0ð0Þ[ �a

1 � a : ð2Þ

In this equation, the term p0ð0Þ denotes the marginal change in profits if stakeholder engagement increases

starting from zero, S ¼ 0. When stakeholder engagement implies a trade-off with profits, and thus p0ð0Þ\0, the inequality in Eq. (2) gives an upper bound for the profit loss

that a business leader is willing to accept to demonstrate

positive stakeholder engagement. Based on this model, we

derive four propositions:

(i) Purely profit-maximizing business leaders will care

about a good relationship with the company’s stake-

holders only if stakeholder engagement is a means to

increase profits.

If a business leader is driven purely by monetary and

instrumental incentives—which the agent views of

responsible leadership imply—the strength of non-

monetary and non-instrumental incentives (a) and, therefore the right-hand side of Eq. (2), equals zero.

Thus, the condition in Eq. (2) is fulfilled only if

p0ðSÞ[ 0, implying that stakeholder engagement must positively correlate with the company’s profits. Nestlé

Group’s chair and former CEO Peter Brabeck-Let-

mathe provides an example of such a profit-maximiz-

ing perspective. In an interview, he expressed

concerns about altruistic giving: ‘‘I’m personally very

much against corporate philanthropy. You shouldn’t

do good with money which doesn’t belong to you.’’

(Mulier and Bogner 2010).

(ii) When business leaders are also driven by non-

monetary and non-instrumental incentives, they con-

sider stakeholders’ interests even if profits are at

stake.

If a business leader is swayed by non-monetary and

non-instrumental incentives, which formally means

that a [ 0, there might be positive stakeholder engagement even if the consequences for the com-

pany’s profits are negative, p0ðSÞ\0. However, in this case the negative effects on the company’s profits

must not exceed the business leader’s personal limit,

because meeting the condition in Eq. (2) is essential.

(iii) The higher the trade-off between stakeholder

engagement driven by non-monetary and non-instru-

mental incentives and the company’s economic

performance, the more unlikely it will be for business

leaders to opt for positive stakeholder engagement.

Responsible Leadership 355

123

If positive stakeholder engagement leads to drastic

economic losses (meaning that p0ð0Þ is strongly negative), then Eq. (2) is more difficult to satisfy,

and the business leader likely ignores stakeholders’

interests.

(iv) In contrast, business leaders motivated mostly by

non-monetary and non-instrumental incentives are

willing to make substantial economic sacrifices to

maximize their objective functions.

As Eq. (2) shows, the more non-monetary and non-

instrumental incentives sway a business leader (that is,

the higher the leader’s a), the more willing this business leader will be to accept potential negative economic

consequences. This situation is particularly clear in the

case of small companies whose owners, obeying social

norms, accept considerably lower payments from their

acquaintances. In extreme cases, such practices even

may result in the bankruptcy of the company.

Refined Model

In the extended model, we relied on a simplification of the

business leader’s monetary and instrumental incentives, such

that they were proportional to the present value of the com-

pany’s profits. However, because the present value of the

company’s future profits is typically unknown, it is more

realistic to suppose that the business leader’s monetary and

instrumental incentives are highly correlated with current

profits, whereas future profits play a minor role for the business

leader’s objective function. We therefore refine the extended

model and split the present value of the company’s profits

(pðSÞ) into two parts: pCðSÞ denotes the current profit, and pFðSÞdenotes the present value of the future profits. That is, we write the present value of profits as a sum of current profits and

future profits: p Sð Þ¼ pC Sð Þþ pFðSÞ. Moreover, we introduce a parameter d that indicates the business leader’s planning horizon; a value of d close to zero represents a business leader with a short planning horizon, whereas a value of d close to one implies that a leader is interested in the long-term effect of his or

her actions on profits. For both cases, we may modify the

business leader’s objective function in Eq. (1) as follows:

u Sð Þ¼ ð1 � aÞðpCðSÞþ dpFðSÞÞþ aS: ð3Þ

According to this refined objective function, the business

leader still aims to keep a balance between monetary and

instrumental and between non-monetary and non-instrumental

incentives. However, the leader’s monetary and instrumental

incentives might be linked more to current profits, a case which

can be modeled by considering a leader with a short-term

planning horizon, such that d\1. In most applications, it seems plausible to assume that the immediate profit consequences of

stakeholder engagement are negative, p0CðSÞ\0, whereas

stakeholder engagement might hold positive returns in the

future, p0FðSÞ�0. Under the modified objective function, the sufficient condition for the emergence of stakeholder

engagement becomes:

p0Cð0Þþ dp 0 Fð0Þ[

�a 1 � a

: ð4Þ

Equation (4) thus states that the business leader

demonstrates positive stakeholder engagement if the

economic consequences, as evaluated by the business

leader (p0Cð0Þþ dp0Fð0Þ), do not fall below the threshold �a

1�a. This condition allows us to extend our previous

conclusions, as follows:

(v) Business leaders with a short-term planning horizon

and without non-monetary and non-instrumental

incentives for stakeholder engagement show no

stakeholder engagement at all.

A leader with a short-term planning horizon (d ¼ 0) who is swayed only by monetary and instrumental

incentives (i.e., the strength of non-monetary and non-

instrumental incentives a is 0) will only consider the immediate profit consequences of stakeholder engage-

ment, which are likely to be negative: p0C 0ð Þ\0. Thus, the condition in Eq. (4) cannot be met. This situation

holds true even if stakeholder engagement is benefi-

cial for shareholders—that is, even if stakeholder

engagement leads to higher long-term profits:

p0C 0ð Þþ p0Fð0Þ[ 0. In such a case, it may be in the shareholders’ interest to extend the business leader’s

monetary and instrumental incentives for stakeholder

engagement, for example, by adjusting the business

leader’s compensation structures. Supporting this

conclusion, Mahoney and Thorn (2006) observe that

contingent compensations—such as stock options or

bonuses—are essential factors in business leaders’

compensation structures to stimulate corporations’

responsible behaviors.

(vi) In general, business leaders will show the more

stakeholder engagement, the more they are inter-

ested in the long-run development of the company.

The longer the business leader’s planning horizon d, the more likely it becomes that future benefits of

stakeholder engagement will compensate for imme-

diate profit losses. More than a century ago, Werner

von Siemens, the founder of Siemens which today

has become a multinational electronics and engi-

neering conglomerate, provided an exemplary state-

ment reflecting this long-term consideration. He

maintained that his company accomplish responsi-

bilities to employees, society, and the environment:

‘‘I won’t sell the future of my company for a short-

term profit.’’ (Siemens 2013).

356 C. Miska et al.

123

(vii) Business leaders who own the company they direct

are more likely to demonstrate stakeholder engage-

ment.

All other things being equal, business leaders who

own the company they direct are more likely to take

on a long-term perspective than are non-owning

leaders. That is, such business leaders will have a

longer planning horizon d and naturally demonstrate stakeholder engagement. Furthermore, the reputa-

tion of a business leader who owns the company is

often closely related to company reputation.

Table 2 summarizes the results of these analyses. It

displays stakeholder engagement as a function of the

business leader’s planning horizon and incentives. As the

overview indicates, stakeholder engagement may be above

or below the profit-maximizing level. In general, the longer

the business leader’s planning horizon, and the more non-

monetary and non-instrumental incentives apply, the more

stakeholder engagement business leaders demonstrate. It is

important to note that though these conclusions derive from

a mathematical model, using differential calculus, we do

not presume that business leaders actively perform all these

calculations. Instead, as evolutionary game theory sug-

gests, learning and decision processes can result in rational

behaviors even in the absence of calculative reasoning

(e.g., Fudenberg and Levine 1998).

Model Limitations and Further Research

Although our analyses yielded several conclusions about

conditions under which responsible leadership based on the

two types of incentives for stakeholder engagement may be

reasonable from a business leader’s perspective, we offer

some caveats. First, the theory of rational egoism provides

a foundation to reconcile the various views of responsible

leadership. However, the assumptions implied by the virtue

of rationality do not account for the cases of leadership

action in which irrational or intuitive considerations are

ultimately decisive. Despite empirical evidence that sug-

gests that the virtue of rationality is applied by business

leaders in their pursuit of success (Woiceshyn 2011), this

idea opens up questions about situations and contexts in

which business leaders are not guided by rationality prin-

ciples or in which contextual influences may dominate

business leaders’ decision making. Further research on

responsible leadership may find valuable opportunities to

investigate these questions.

The role of context and its influence on responsible

leadership point to the second limitation. The broad cate-

gorizations into monetary and instrumental, as well as non-

monetary and non-instrumental, incentives for stakeholder

engagement are useful to model business leaders’ rational

considerations systematically, in light of the different

conceptual views on responsible leadership. However, the

simplifications inherent in this classification neither

account for the entire complexity incorporated in leader-

ship action, which generally goes beyond the single person

and extends to some form of followership, nor represent the

full context dependency usually incorporated in ethical

reasoning processes. For example, most rationalist

approaches to ethical decision making, as Sonenshein

(2007) reviews, assume that situational or contextual fac-

tors influence people’s reasoning. Several of these influ-

ences, such as cultural factors, are not necessarily

classifiable according to the two types of incentives for

stakeholder engagement. Finally, our portrayal of a single

person conducting business is reductionist, because teams

usually direct businesses. Although team decision making

is likely more complex, we expect that it is possible to

apply the foundations of our model to the team context and

to multiple decision makers. Further research might even

benefit from adopting a mathematical, formal methodology

to investigate such team-related factors.

Discussion and Implications

We aim to contribute to extant research on responsible

leadership by explaining stakeholder engagement charac-

terized by ‘do good’ and ‘do no harm’ (e.g., Crilly et al.

2008; Miska et al. 2013; Stahl et al. 2013) leadership

actions. Based on the differentiation between monetary and

instrumental incentives that target economic gains and non-

monetary and non-instrumental incentives that direct

societal and environmental ends, we analyze how these two

Table 2 Stakeholder engagement as a function of leaders’ monetary/ instrumental and non-monetary/non-instrumental incentives

Business leader’s planning horizon

Short-term

perspective ðd ¼ 0Þ Long-term

perspective ðd ¼ 1Þ

Business leader’s incentives

Monetary and

instrumental

incentives only

(a = 0)

A business leader

realizes a level of

stakeholder

engagement that is

below the profit-

maximizing level

A business leader

realizes exactly the

level of stakeholder

engagement that

maximizes the

company’s profits

Monetary and

instrumental as

well as non-

monetary and non-

instrumental

incentives (a [ 0)

A business leader’s

level of stakeholder

engagement can be

above or below the

profit-maximizing

level

A business leader

realizes a level of

stakeholder

engagement that

goes beyond the

profit-maximizing

level

Responsible Leadership 357

123

types become relevant from a business leader’s point of

view. Our mathematical model of responsible leadership

provides various examples based on rational considerations

and explains several of the underlying decision-making

mechanisms. We can describe the many facets of respon-

sible leadership in a nuanced way and in view of its various

theoretical and conceptual views. We intend to show that it

is possible to reconcile these facets and that future theory

development may benefit by going beyond the classical

stakeholder–stockholder dichotomy. This observation

might be important especially in view of current economic

developments, globalization, and increased business inter-

connectedness. The phenomenon of responsible leadership

is becoming increasingly complex and spans economies in

various stages of development, different institutional

environments, and diverse cultures. Arguably, the phe-

nomenon as such is unlikely to reflect a clear understanding

of its normative foundations, and rational egoism theory to

some degree provides such a basis for our analyses. Yet

given the growing complexity of the phenomenon and

multiple contexts in which it is becoming relevant,

approaches such as inductive normative methods (Margolis

and Walsh 2003), as recently applied by Pless et al. (2012),

may be more constructive than singular imperative stances.

A more lucid understanding of business leaders’ views on

responsible leadership and their underlying rationales

could enrich research in the field. In this respect, our

analyses represent a first approach to systematically map-

ping several of the various avenues that business leaders

might follow.

The specific findings of our analyses provide several

implications. We show that a positive relationship between

stakeholder engagement and future profits is neither nec-

essary nor sufficient for business leaders, in view of

stakeholder engagement. It is not necessary because busi-

ness leaders’ non-monetary and non-instrumental incen-

tives, such as their values and authenticity, sense of care

and duty to help, or personal corporate citizenship, may

compensate for negative economic consequences, provided

these consequences do not exceed certain individual

monetary boundaries. A positive impact of stakeholder

engagement on future profits is also insufficient for busi-

ness leaders to demonstrate stakeholder engagement. This

situation occurs because leaders may have a shorter-term

planning horizon than their companies’ shareholders, in

which case the business leaders would not anticipate (or

internalize) future monetary benefits of responsible lead-

ership. As a consequence, it paradoxically may be in the

shareholders’ or business owners’ interest to provide

additional monetary incentives to shift business leaders’

interests toward long-term perspectives. This implication to

some degree appears to contradict both the agent views on

responsible leadership, which emphasize business owners’

profit maximization principles, and the stakeholder views,

which appeal to the personal, ethical qualities of business

leaders.

From a policy perspective, our analyses also have sev-

eral implications: If endogenous incentives for business

leaders to take all stakeholders into account are too low—

such as when business leaders have short-term planning

horizons—it may be in the public authority’s (and the

neglected stakeholders’) interest to establish additional

incentives. These exogenous stimuli could range from legal

regulations (e.g., laws, prescriptions) to economic rewards

(e.g., subsidies, grants) and might also include threats of

sanctions (e.g., calls to boycott). Such regulations, though,

could limit business leaders’ room to maneuver and affect

those with longer-term planning horizons, as the process of

reconciling monetary and instrumental, as well as non-

monetary and non-instrumental, incentives gets restricted

from the outside. Consequently, limiting business leaders’

discretionary choices from the outside is likely to result in

reduced opportunities for them to actively engage in ‘do

good’ and ‘do no harm’ behaviors.

Because we have found that a positive effect of stake-

holder engagement on a company’s profits is neither neces-

sary nor sufficient for business leaders’ stakeholder

engagement, the question arises about whether assessing

managerial performance should still rely mostly on monetary

measures. Several studies dispute this notion. For example,

Székely and Knirsch (2005) suggest that measuring the

extent to which corporate performance increases in response

to implementation of CSR initiatives may be a way to

strengthen linkages between financial and CSR perfor-

mance, a link that turns out to be ambiguous but that receives

empirical verification (e.g., Cochran and Wood 1984; God-

frey et al. 2009; Schreck 2011). The converging views of

responsible leadership, and particularly those that build on

‘doing well by doing good’, are in line with this notion. In

other words, our analyses imply that leadership performance

should increasingly be assessed beyond pure monetary

measures and instead be complemented with assessments

that mirror the extended responsibilities of business leaders.

Finally, our findings show that responsible leadership

does not necessarily incorporate straightforward trade-offs

between economic performance and societal and environ-

mental targets, as the agent views may suggest. This cor-

responds to similar notions in the literature such as

Freeman et al.’s (2007) observation that ‘‘A business that

constantly trades off the interests of one group for another

is doomed for trouble and failure.’’ (p. 10). Similarly,

Kolstad (2007) argues that there are times when corpora-

tions should stray from profit maximization to pursue goals

important to society and ultimately themselves. It is these

varying instances that make responsible leadership an

ambiguous concept that is difficult to grasp, and they also

358 C. Miska et al.

123

trigger the various conceptual views of the phenomenon.

Our rationality-based approach represents one attempt to

systematically delineate several of these instances to pro-

vide a lucid and nuanced perspective on the many facets of

responsible leadership.

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  • Reconciling Different Views on Responsible Leadership: A Rationality-Based Approach
    • Abstract
    • Introduction
    • Responsible Leadership Views
      • Agent Views
      • Stakeholder Views
      • Converging Views
    • Decision-Making Mechanisms and the Theory of Rational Egoism
    • Incentives for Stakeholder Engagement
      • Monetary and Instrumental Incentives
        • Strategic Considerations
        • Anticipated Negative Costs and Sanctions
        • Societal Expectations
      • Non-monetary and Non-instrumental Incentives
        • Values and Authenticity
        • Sense of Care and Duty of Assistance
        • Personal Corporate Citizenship
    • A Formal Model of Responsible Leadership
      • Basic Model of Responsible Leadership
      • Extended Model
      • Refined Model
    • Model Limitations and Further Research
    • Discussion and Implications
    • References

Mandatory Assignment Resources/Responsible Leadership in Global Business.pdf

Responsible Leadership in Global Business: A New Approach to Leadership and Its Multi-Level Outcomes

Christian Voegtlin • Moritz Patzer •

Andreas Georg Scherer

Received: 17 December 2010 / Accepted: 19 June 2011 / Published online: 1 July 2011

� Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011

Abstract The article advances an understanding of

responsible leadership in global business and offers an

agenda for future research in this field. Our conceptuali-

zation of responsible leadership draws on deliberative

practices and discursive conflict resolution, combining the

macro-view of the business firm as a political actor with the

micro-view of leadership. We discuss the concept in rela-

tion to existing research in leadership. Further, we propose

a new model of responsible leadership that shows how such

an understanding of leadership can address the challenges

of globalization. We thereby propose positive outcomes of

responsible leadership across levels of analysis. The model

offers research opportunities for responsible leadership in

global business.

Keywords Business ethics � Corporate social responsibility � Globalization � Leadership ethics � Responsible leadership

Introduction

Amidst the various reports on the financial crisis, corporate

scandals and managerial misconduct that have been pre-

valent in media headlines for over a year, a common

denominator seems to be an interest in attributing the

failures to the challenges of global business. In a time when

it has become increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to

delineate systemic outcomes and individual responsibili-

ties, ethics and morality have once again become front-

page news. As a consequence, theory and practice are

struggling with the task of re-conceptualizing the role of

corporations (Scherer and Palazzo 2008a, 2011) and their

leaders (Doh and Stumpf 2005a; Maak and Pless 2006a;

Waldman and Siegel 2008) in society, in order to address

the surge of public concerns.

So far leadership ethics, as the overarching term for the

inclusion of ethical aspects in leadership, has remained an

underdeveloped field (Ciulla 1995, 2005; Doh and Stumpf

2005b). Only recently, leadership research once again turns

its focus on the phenomenon of leadership ethics in its

different facets. Thus, many new approaches within lead-

ership connect to ethical or moral themes. Among these are

the concept of ethical leadership, which tries to measure

empirically what ethical leadership means (Brown 2007;

Brown and Trevino 2006; Brown et al. 2005; Trevino et al.

2000, 2003); the already well-established transformational

leadership concept, where more recent research (Bass and

Steidlmeier 1999) tries to regain an awareness of the

moral roots of its founder, James M. Burns (1978), also,

e.g., by looking at the connection between corporate social

responsibility (CSR) and transformational leadership

(Waldman et al. 2006); authentic leadership, understood as

leadership that displays leader behavior true to the inherent

moral values of the leader (Avolio and Gardner 2005;

Avolio et al. 2004a, b; Gardner et al. 2005; Ilies et al. 2005;

Walumbwa et al. 2008); an understanding of leaders as

‘‘servants’’ in the conception of servant leadership

(Greenleaf 1977; Liden et al. 2008), and other approaches

that address the ethical or moral challenges of leaders (e.g.,

Fry 2005; Johnson 2009; von Weltzien Hoivik 2002).

C. Voegtlin (&) � M. Patzer � A. G. Scherer Department of Business Administration (IBW), University

of Zurich, Universitätsstrasse 84, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland

e-mail: [email protected]

M. Patzer

e-mail: [email protected]

A. G. Scherer

e-mail: [email protected]

123

J Bus Ethics (2012) 105:1–16

DOI 10.1007/s10551-011-0952-4

Though these efforts have undoubtedly made vital

contributions to the field, we argue that they are limited due

to conceptual constraints, because they do not adequately

encompass the causes and implications of present leader-

ship challenges. As we outline below, we see these chal-

lenges rooted in the economic and moral implications of

globalization (Scherer and Palazzo 2008b, 2011). An

appropriately extended understanding of leadership has to

take these into account with regard to the individual’s

actions as well as their organizational and societal em-

beddedness. The inclusion of the latter poses a significant

research gap, since present leadership theory remains pri-

marily focused on the micro level perspective of internal

organizational behavior (House and Aditya 1997, pp. 445f;

Osborn et al. 2002; Waldman et al. 2006, p. 1705). Yet, it is

our understanding that only by bridging the organizational

level of corporate responsibility and the individual level of

leadership responsibility does one do justice to the plu-

ralistic and multifaceted tasks present leaders have to

attend to (see also Bies et al. 2007; Doh and Stumpf 2005b;

Palazzo and Scherer 2008, pp. 583f; Waldman et al. 2006;

Waldman and Siegel 2008, p. 117). Furthermore, leader-

ship ethics can benefit from the discussions on the

responsibility of the firm with concepts like CSR, Corpo-

rate Citizenship, or Business Ethics (e.g., Garriga and Melé

2004; Matten and Crane 2005; Scherer et al. 2009; Scherer

and Palazzo 2008a, 2011; Windsor 2006) that have

addressed some of the present challenges of globalization

and global public goods problems.

This article acknowledges these challenges and the

indications offered by the CSR discourse. We thereby

connect to an upcoming research stream under the umbrella

term of responsible leadership. Responsible leadership is

understood by its proponents as an emerging concept at the

overlap of studies in ethics, leadership, and CSR (Ciulla

2005; De Hoogh and Den Hartog 2008; Doh and Stumpf

2005a; Maak 2007; Maak and Pless 2006a; Waldman and

Galvin 2008; Waldman and Siegel 2008). The concept tries

to answer the question: who is responsible for what and

toward whom in an interconnected business world?

Our approach adds to the discussion by drawing upon a

conception of leadership responsibility that reconsiders the

role of leaders in a globalizing society in the context of

Habermas’s theory of deliberative democracy (Habermas

1999, 2001b). Building on this normative conception of

leadership responsibility, the article suggests a model of

responsible leadership that provides the premise for future

empirical testing.

We thereby contribute, first, to the conceptualization of

an emerging concept of responsible leadership by offering

a philosophical foundation and a theoretical background

both for the analysis of responsible leadership and the

problems of globalization. Second, the article shows how

responsible leadership can address the challenges of glob-

alization. It thus adds the individual level of leadership to

the discussion on corporate social responsibility. Third, we

put responsible leadership in the organizational context by

highlighting possible influences of responsible leadership

on micro-, meso-, and macro-level organizational out-

comes. This shows important interdependencies and con-

tributes to the knowledge of an emerging research field.

Further, it offers a way of how to translate a philosophical

foundation into a practically relevant theory.

Accordingly, the article first recapitulates the argumen-

tation regarding our understanding of leadership responsi-

bility, depicting deliberative democracy (Bohmann and

Rehg 1997; Habermas 1998, 2001b) as our explicitly nor-

mative cornerstone with respect to the understanding and

integration of present leadership challenges. We transform

these philosophical foundations into a definition that is the

starting-point in modeling responsible leadership. Second,

we distinguish responsible leadership from prior leadership

concepts. Third, we present a model of responsible lead-

ership, pointing to outcomes of responsible leadership

conduct across levels of analysis. The outcomes that will

be discussed connect to the rise in problems organizations

are facing due to the process of globalization. The pre-

sented model of responsible leadership thereby connects

the micro perspective of leadership with the macro per-

spective of CSR, corporate legitimacy, and other important

future business challenges. The aim is to provide a research

agenda for responsible leadership in order to stimulate

future efforts in this field and to advance the understanding

of responsible leadership and its future empirical testing.

The Process of Globalization and the Concept

of Responsible Leadership

In accordance with Scherer and Palazzo and others, we

argue that globalization, understood as an increased inte-

gration of value creation transcending national boundaries,

impedes the capability of the nation state system to mod-

erate the outcomes of the economical, political, and social

systems. As a consequence, this development leads to

governance gaps so that the public interest is insufficiently

served (Chandler and Mazlish 2005; Kobrin 2008; Scherer

et al. 2006, 2009; Scherer and Palazzo 2007; see also, Beck

2000; Habermas 2001c). The regulatory power of demo-

cratic rule of law states is territorially bound, and due to

non-intervention in internal affairs international organiza-

tions cannot intervene in the public policy of sovereign

nation states. As a result, many externalities and global

public goods problems, such as protecting human rights,

enforcing labor standards, saving the natural environment,

or fighting corruption, remain unaddressed (Kaul et al.

2 C. Voegtlin et al.

123

2003). In order to fill the apparent gaps in global gover-

nance, many corporations and their leaders voluntarily

engage in self-regulation and the production of global

public goods (see, e.g., Young 2006). This is a widespread

phenomenon, as can be seen in the growing membership of

companies in the UN Global Compact, or booming CSR

initiatives like the Global Reporting Initiative, the Forest

Stewardship Council, or the Social Accounting 8000.

This political engagement, as well as prominent cases of

misconduct or negligence by leaders that have affected all

stakeholders alike (one might think of cases like Enron or

Siemens), have put corporate leaders in the spotlight of

public interest (e.g., Kellerman 2004; Lipman-Blumen

2005). It seems that the negative side effects of global-

ization and the increasing number of corporate scandals

lead to an erosion of corporate legitimacy (Palazzo and

Scherer 2006), a loss of public trust in leaders and corpo-

rations, and to a degradation of social capital.

The globalization of business has far-reaching implica-

tions for the constitutional elements of leadership, which

include the persons involved, their interaction and the

exerted influence as well as their common goal (Patzer

2009; see also exemplary, Bennis 2007; Drath et al. 2008;

Yukl 2006). Leaders (and followers alike) are increasingly

confronted with heterogeneous cultural contexts, devoid of

shared moral orientations or legal frameworks. As moral or

ethical conflicts arise in the process of economic activities,

business leaders are left without any orientation in regard

to morally adequate action. In this situation, the idea of

value maximization often becomes the sole surrogate for

moral principles. This problem is aggravated by the need to

transcend the traditional, internally bound focus of lead-

ership theory (Maak 2007; Maak and Pless 2006b). As

leaders increasingly interact with external stakeholders, the

notion of influence as based on hierarchical power has to be

reconsidered. It needs to be explained what form legitimate

influence takes in this context. Finally, CSR has become a

strategic impetus on the organizational agenda representing

the companies’ struggles to maintain legitimacy as a vital

resource of business conduct (Palazzo and Scherer 2006;

Suchman 1995). Hence, corporate leaders have to mediate

social and financial goals without divulging the one or the

other in the process of maintaining corporate legitimacy,

building trust, and producing social capital.

In order to address these challenges, research empha-

sizes a stakeholder-perspective of leadership (Waldman

and Galvin 2008; Waldman and Siegel 2008), under-

standing responsible leadership as a ‘‘value-based and

through ethical principles driven relationship between

leaders and stakeholders’’ (Pless 2007, p. 438). We connect

to this research stream (Maak 2007; Maak and Pless 2006a;

Pless 2007) and extend it by offering a philosophical basis

for the ethical principles that are called for.

We propose an understanding of responsible leadership

in the sense of deliberative processes. 1

Our procedural

conception of leadership ethics is based upon Habermas’s

thoughts on deliberative democracy (e.g., Habermas 1998,

1999, 2001b) that refer to the idea of legitimate lawmaking

issuing from public deliberation, and that rest on the

philosophical foundation of discourse ethics (Habermas

1993, 1996). It represents an ideal of political autonomy

based on the practical reasoning of citizens. The systemic

means of coordination (money and power) are supple-

mented with solidarity as the premises of societal integra-

tion and coordination (Habermas 1999).

Within this societal deliberation process, business

leaders as exponents of powerful and resource-command-

ing organizations become central actors, who can secure

the quality and (moral) legitimacy of decisions through

proactive engagement in the process of societal self-

determination and the inclusion and mobilization of

stakeholders. This idea of business leaders involved in the

deliberative democratic processes as the premise of an

understanding of responsible leadership provides norma-

tive orientation as well as a pragmatic approach to the

problems of globally engaged leaders. It does the former

through an understanding of practical reason, anchored in

the conditions of communicative exchange that approaches

culturally alien contexts via an open and reciprocal learn-

ing process in which conflicting interests are evaluated

(and settled) through rational discourse (Habermas 1993,

2001a; Steinmann and Scherer 1998; Wohlrapp 1998).

Such a politically enlarged concept of leadership implies,

for the latter, the inclusion of all affected stakeholders in

the leadership process in a fair and balanced manner

(Waldman and Galvin 2008, pp. 330ff).

For leaders, this means that they should think of the

consequences of their conduct for all constituencies that

could be affected, that they recognize the legitimate claims

of the affected stakeholders, and that they use their influ-

ence to initiate active stakeholder dialogues where the

involved parties can come to balanced and fair decisions.

The inclusion of the (relevant) stakeholders supports a

legitimate process, while the weighing and balancing of the

legitimate claims leads to a fair outcome. Responsible

leaders thereby foster the public exchange of opinions and

try to establish institutional modes of communication with

stakeholders and the public.

With regard to this, responsible leadership as deliber-

ation and discursive conflict resolution forwards a

1 A more thorough discussion on the differences between the

approach of Maak and Pless and the conception forwarded by Patzer

and colleagues is presented elsewhere (Patzer and Scherer 2010).

Responsible Leadership in Global Business 3

123

pragmatic approach to the daily practice of leadership

that centers on a communicative engagement with its

stakeholders. In the context of this article, we therefore

understand responsible leadership as the awareness and

consideration of the consequences of one’s actions for all

stakeholders, as well as the exertion of influence by

enabling the involvement of the affected stakeholders and

by engaging in an active stakeholder dialogue. Therein

responsible leaders strive to weigh and balance the inter-

ests of the forwarded claims. Additionally, responsible

leaders foster the public exchange of opinions and

engage in public will formation (for a similar definition,

see Voegtlin 2011).

Leading responsibly, according to this understanding,

means for leaders to open up to a broader target group

(the stakeholders) with the goal of securing the legiti-

macy of the organization in a given society and estab-

lishing and maintaining mutually beneficial stakeholder

relations. The definition comprises the steps of discursive

conflict resolution (Habermas 1993, 1996). Leaders are

thereby seen as the exposed persons in an organization

who should be able to recognize (moral) problems in

their decision-making processes (by being aware of and

considering the consequences of one’s actions for all

stakeholders). They use their influence to provide the

arenas for discursive conflict resolution (by enabling the

involvement of the affected stakeholders) and invite the

affected stakeholder-groups to join the discourse (by

engaging in an active stakeholder dialogue). During the

discursive decision process, the task of the responsible

leader is to try to achieve a consensus among the

participants (by weighing the arguments and balancing

the interests of the stakeholder claims). This allows for

leaders to influence through cooperation and to aim for

consensual solutions, as they interact not through a

supervisor–subordinate relationship but eventually with

equally powerful or resource commanding entities.

Responsible leaders, thus, represent the position and the

interest of their organization by joining the discourse

with arguments that emphasize their point of view.

This definition represents an ideal of responsible

leadership that can encounter restrictions in the organi-

zational day-to-day business (see, e.g., Stansbury 2009).

We therefore assume that the conceptualization of

responsible leadership represents a continuum, ranging

from the non-responsible leader to the ideal responsible

leader. The end of the continuum, representing the non-

responsible leader, could be characterized as self-inter-

ested, egoistic leadership behavior acting solely on an

instrumental rationale. The other end, representing the

fully responsible leader, would be based on discourse

ethics and deliberation as proposed in our political con-

ception of responsible leadership.

Responsible Leadership in Relation to Prevalent

Leadership Conceptualizations

In studying the literature, one will find that aspects of an

enhanced responsibility of leaders that go beyond the

narrow scope of profit earning are rare (Brown and Trevino

2006; Ciulla 1995; Doh and Stumpf 2005b; Maak and Pless

2006c), despite the early recognition of an enlarged lead-

ership role in Barnard’s work (Barnard 1960). In this part,

we discuss our approach in relation to prior leadership

conceptualizations. As the field of leadership is very broad

and fragmented, we cannot discuss all leadership concepts

in relation to our proposed concept of responsible leader-

ship in this article. Rather, we try to highlight the differ-

ences of the approach that set it apart from most other

leadership concepts. These differences appear most prom-

inently in the limitations of current concepts in addressing

the problems of globalization.

First, leadership remains predominantly focused on the

influence process between leader and employees (see also

the common concepts in leadership textbooks, Bass 1990;

Rost 1991; Yukl 2006). It does not take into account

stakeholder interactions, which become important for

securing the legitimacy of an organization. Second, the

new approaches to leadership in relation to ethics (e.g.,

ethical leadership; Brown et al. 2005) remain mostly

descriptive in their approach to assessing leadership ethics.

Yet, by only describing prevailing moral norms, they do

not allow for a critical justification of what is ethically

correct. This leads to common sense being the only actual

benchmark for what is ethically right (Ciulla 1998). These

theories cannot provide ethical orientation for leaders or

offer normative advice. Thus, there is still a need for a

philosophical foundation of responsible leadership that

provides an orientation of how to deal with the conflicting

norms of a heterogeneous stakeholder society. This leads to

the third point, the tension between ethics and effective-

ness. It is often implicitly assumed that a good leader is

ethical and effective (Ciulla 1995). The ‘‘usual answer

[of what a competent leader is,] is a leader who knows how

to get results, make profits, etc.’’ (Ciulla 2005, p. 333). But

does this mean that he or she is acting responsibly? This

question is not fully addressed in leadership research.

Thus, the points where our concept of responsible

leadership differs from prior leadership conceptualizations

are that, first, responsible leadership is based on an explicit

normative framework of discourse ethics and deliberative

democracy that goes beyond ethical concepts based on

values or deontological monologism that have been sus-

ceptible to critique (Habermas 1996; for a similar critique

on concepts of CSR, see Scherer and Palazzo 2007); sec-

ond, responsible leadership is conceptualized as a process

model of leadership that is not explicitly related to ethical

4 C. Voegtlin et al.

123

characteristics of the leader (like most of the other lead-

ership theories concerned with ethics), as these character-

istics (e.g., good virtues) pose problems with regard to their

intercultural justification. Rather, these ethical character-

istics are conceptualized as antecedents of responsible

leadership conduct (see Voegtlin et al., 2010); third,

responsible leadership transcends the internal view of

leadership as leader–follower interaction to a view of

leadership as leader–stakeholder interaction, which seems

to be an important necessity for leadership in a globalized

world (see Liden et al. 2008; Maak 2007; Maak and Pless

2006c; Schneider 2002); finally, responsible leadership

does not conceptualize leader effectiveness in the sense of

financial performance as the main driver of leadership

behavior, but, rather, through the effectiveness in estab-

lishing consensual solutions that are accepted as legitimate

by all affected parties (for a discussion about what is

‘‘good’’ leadership, see, e.g., Ciulla 1995). This is at the

heart of the responsibility toward stakeholders and to a

certain extent it implies mediating social and economic

goals.

A Research Agenda of Responsible Leadership

The understanding of responsible leadership as presented

above offers the possibility to derive a model relating

responsible leadership to important outcomes. In this sec-

tion, we will deduce formal propositions of causal

relationships between responsible leadership behavior and

important organizational variables in order to advance

future research (this approach has similarly been applied

for the advancement of other leadership conceptualizations,

see, e.g., ethical leadership, Brown and Trevino 2006 or

authentic leadership, Avolio et al. 2004a). We propose a

model of responsible leadership (see Fig. 1) which high-

lights important influences of responsible leadership on

organizational outcomes across levels of analysis.

For each of the relationships anticipated in Fig. 1, we

theoretically derive formal propositions in order to advance

future research in the field of responsible leadership. These

relationships highlight potential causal effects in relation to

responsible leadership that are designed for further

empirical investigation. This is not meant to be an

exhaustive list of all the possible influences being affected

by responsible leadership. It rather presents proposals that

advance the conceptualization of the political concept of

responsible leadership.

The focus was laid especially on future business chal-

lenges caused by an ongoing globalization process, which

we think can be best addressed by responsible leadership

conduct. The globalization with its consequences of loss of

shared moral orientation, widening governance gaps and a

growing public awareness of critical company conduct,

puts business firms in an ever greater need to build and

secure their (moral) legitimacy, to maintain trustful rela-

tions with stakeholders and to leverage the social capital

inherent in these relations.

Responsible Leadership

Macro-level: Relations to External Stakeholders

Legitimacy Trustful Stakeholder Relations Social Capital

Meso-Level: Shaping Organizational Culture and Performance

Ethical Culture CSR Character Social Entrepreneurship Performance

Micro-Level: Personal Interactions

Effect on Followers’ Attitudes and Cognitions E.g., OCB, Motivation, Job Satisfaction

Globalization Challenges

Outcomes

Fig. 1 Outcomes of responsible leadership across levels of analysis

Responsible Leadership in Global Business 5

123

On the one hand, leaders will have to be role models in

terms of good corporate social responsibility practices,

thereby trying to foster an ethical culture, as well as

emphasizing the need for CSR and providing employees

with sense and meaning of the socially responsible activi-

ties of their organization. On the other hand, the increasing

global competition forces companies to enhance their

performance, to innovate faster, and to wage new (social)

entrepreneurial ventures.

A further important aspect of business leadership in a

work environment with a growing culturally heterogeneous

workforce and increased economic pressure is to motivate

and satisfy the employees by encouraging them at the same

time to engage in citizenship behaviors. These conse-

quences will be discussed in the new model of responsible

leadership (see Fig. 1).

How Individual Leadership Can Affect Outcomes

Across Levels of Analysis

Before we discuss the proposed model in detail, we will

point to the interaction between leadership agency and

(organizational) structures. This implies two questions that

need to be addressed: first, in how far is individual lead-

ership action constrained by structures and in how far can

agency, in turn, evoke change. Second, how does individ-

ual leadership agency affect meso- and macro-level struc-

tural dispositions. Both questions also warrant further

research and discussion in the (responsible) leadership

literature.

Addressing these questions will add to the discussion

around leadership and CSR, guide the reader through the

framework, and offer a starting point for future research

that may investigate this duality in more detail. In this

regard, there are limitations to the scope of the discussion

in this article. The aim is therefore to present an overview

and, at the same time, to encourage other researchers to

carry this further.

The macro-level as a point of reference encompasses the

interaction of organizations with the broader (global)

society, the meso-level is regarded here as the level-of-

analysis of internal organizational structures and practices,

and the micro-level is understood as the level of personal

interaction of individual agents.

On the meso-level organizational structures can be

viewed as historically evolved and socially embedded

practices that are enacted through organizational routines,

actions, and discourses across all organizational levels

(Giddens 1984; Whittington 2010). A similar definition can

be applied to institutions on the macro-level: ‘‘[institutions]

are historical accreditations of past practices and under-

standings that set conditions on actions’’ (Phillips, Law-

rence and Hardy 2004, p. 637).

Structures and institutions, on the one hand, constrain

individual agency in that they limit the possibility of

socially desirable or non-sanctioned actions and, in turn,

increase the costs of nonconformity (Giddens 1984;

Phillips et al. 2004). On the other hand, individual agency

shapes these conditions either by reproducing them or by

introducing new ways of doing things, i.e., individuals can

foster changes in structural conditions over time, especially

by facilitating collective action.

The possibilities for leaders to influence these conditions

can be derived from the common understanding of lead-

ership as an influence process to foster such collective

action (Yukl 2006). Leaders have enhanced possibilities to

promote change, as they, first, can draw on a broader set of

organizational resources (including authoritarian power

provided by the hierarchical position), second, are often

seen as role models employees rely upon or look to when

directing their actions, and third, can provide meaning or

visions that direct change (see, e.g., Bandura 1986; Bass

1990; Yukl 2006).

In the following description of the responsible leader-

ship model, we will not focus on the constraints imposed

by structural conditions, but rather on the possible influ-

ence of agency through responsible leadership. We thereby

assume that the favorable implications of responsible

leadership agency can trigger collective action and, sub-

sequently, affect meso- and macro-level outcomes. This

should be applicable for all the relationships discussed in

the following.

How Responsible Leadership Can Help to Address

the Challenges of Globalization: Discussing

the Proposed Model

The research agenda of responsible leadership can be

extended to possible outcomes of responsible leadership.

Responsible leaders are leaders that exert influence by

fostering an active stakeholder dialogue. They estimate

consequences of their actions and try to weigh and balance

different stakeholder claims, in order to achieve mutual

beneficial solutions for all involved parties. Such leader-

ship behavior can have an effect on the quality (and

quantity) of stakeholder relations as well as on follower

attitudes and other important organizational factors.

In the following, we propose positive effects of

responsible leadership on stakeholder relations (in the form

of legitimacy, trust and social capital), on the ethical cul-

ture of an organization, the perceived CSR-Character,

social entrepreneurship and organizational performance, as

well as on follower attitudes and cognitions (see Fig. 1).

These relationships will be discussed based on the macro-

level of leadership relations with external organizational

stakeholders, the meso-level of shaping the internal

6 C. Voegtlin et al.

123

organizational culture and affecting organizational perfor-

mance, and the micro-level of personal interaction with

employees.

Macro-Level Outcomes: Fostering Stakeholder Relations

The negative side effects of globalization and the increase

in corporate scandals lead to an erosion of corporate

legitimacy (Palazzo and Scherer 2006). On the one hand,

leaders are faced with a loss of public trust. On the other

hand, the actions of organizations are being monitored to a

greater degree by different stakeholders. Leaders are

confronted with the challenges of securing legitimacy,

(re-)building trustful stakeholder relations and enhancing

their social capital (Maak 2007).

We propose that engaging in responsible leadership will

help leaders to address these challenges as such conduct

will have a positive effect on the relationships with

stakeholders. In the following, we will present hypotheses

on how responsible leadership can maintain corporate

legitimacy, build trustful relationships with stakeholders,

and enhance the social capital inherent in those relations.

Legitimacy The new challenges of globalization for the

corporation and subsequently for its leaders will eventually

lie in the problem of building up and securing the (moral)

legitimacy in a given society (Palazzo and Scherer 2006).

The post-national constellation, in which the latitude of

control by nations over multinational organizations is

eroding, leads to a politicization of organizations and thus

to higher demands for building up or maintaining their

legitimacy (Palazzo and Scherer 2006; Scherer and Palazzo

2007).

Suchman (1995, p. 574) defines legitimacy as ‘‘a gen-

eralized perception or assumption that the actions of an

entity are desirable, proper, or appropriate within some

socially constructed system of norms, values, beliefs, and

definitions.’’ The ascribed legitimacy of an organization is

important for its long-term survival. It guarantees a license

to operate in a given society and is ‘‘a precondition for the

continuous flow of resources and the sustained support by

the organization’s constituents’’ (Palazzo and Scherer

2006, p. 71). Suchman (1995) distinguishes three types of

legitimacy: pragmatic, moral, and cognitive legitimacy.

Pragmatic legitimacy is ascribed when an organization can

satisfy the self-interested expectations of the organization’s

immediate audiences, i.e., its main stakeholders. Cognitive

legitimacy rests on the taken-for-granted assumptions of an

organization’s role and behavior in a society. And moral

legitimacy is based on conscious moral judgments and

normative evaluation of the organization’s activities.

Palazzo and Scherer (2006) argued that the process of

globalization, which is also the starting point for our

considerations, puts forward an enhanced emphasis on

moral legitimacy, as the pluralization of modern society

and its resulting cultural heterogeneity erodes the taken-for

granted assumptions (of cognitive legitimacy) and cannot

be secured solely by changing (exchange-)coalitions with

stakeholders (pragmatic legitimacy).

We, therefore, propose responsible leadership as a pre-

condition for securing the moral legitimacy of an organiza-

tion. Responsible leadership rests on deliberative practices

and discursive conflict resolution. Moral legitimacy is built

and maintained through communication and participation in

public discourses, justifying organizational actions in an

active stakeholder discourse with relevant societal actors

(Palazzo and Scherer 2006; Suchman 1995). The incorpo-

ration of stakeholders in the decision making process and the

acknowledgment of their arguments secures legitimate

decisions in terms of a fair access (input legitimacy) and in

terms of accepted outcomes (output legitimacy).

Taken together, we hold that responsible leadership

produces legitimate decisions and thus helps to secure the

legitimacy of the organization. It closes the gap with cor-

porate social responsibility in that it guarantees legitimacy

for the organizational actions, which could be regarded as

the main goal of an extended social responsibility of

organizations (see, e.g., Palazzo and Scherer 2006, p. 73).

Proposition 1 Responsible leadership helps to build and

maintain the legitimacy of an organization.

Trustful Stakeholder Relations Trust has received a lot of

attention in scholarly research (see McAllister 1995;

Rousseau et al. 1998), also in the field of leadership (e.g.,

Burke et al. 2007; Dirks and Ferrin 2002). Trust, seen as a

relational process between individuals (e.g., between

leaders and followers), has been defined as ‘‘a psychological

state [comprised] of the intention to accept vulnerability

based upon positive expectations of the intentions or

behaviors of another’’ (Rousseau et al. 1998, p. 395). Dirks

and Ferrin have distinguished two qualitatively different

perspectives of trust in leadership research, a relation-based

perspective and a character-based perspective (Dirks and

Ferrin 2002, p. 612). The relation-based perspective

emphasizes the social exchange process and relates

trust to relationships of mutual obligation that inherit

goodwill. In relationships that build trust issues of care and

consideration are central. From a character-based perspec-

tive, the employees place trust in the leader depending on

the leader’s positive characteristics like, e.g., integrity,

fairness, or ability. 2

2 Trust in leadership studies is conceptualized and measured in the

form of a perception of followers, attributing trust to the respective

leader, and is not based, e.g., on measuring the quality of the

relationship directly (Dirks and Ferrin 2002, p. 612).

Responsible Leadership in Global Business 7

123

We propose that responsible leadership conduct evokes

trust among those stakeholders a leader interacts with more

frequently (not only his or her direct employees or fol-

lowers) and helps to build mutually beneficial stakeholder

relationships. From this point of view, the relation-based

perspective will play a more central role than the character-

based perspective, as we do not align responsible leader-

ship with certain characteristics of the leader (which does

not mean that responsible leaders will not have those

characteristics that promote trust; it could maybe even be

hypothesized that they will be more prone to have them).

Trust as a relational construct presupposes positive

expectations of the intentions or behaviors of leaders from

the side of the stakeholders. Preconditions of trustful

stakeholder relationships that have been identified are,

e.g., transparency, open communication, inclusion and

involvement of the stakeholders in the decision making

process, and coming to accepted and traceable outcomes

(see Burke et al. 2007, pp. 610ff; Dirks and Ferrin 2002,

pp. 612ff).

These preconditions are addressed by responsible lead-

ership conduct. Responsible leaders are more likely to

build up such trustful stakeholder relationships when they

estimate the (negative) consequences of their decisions, use

their influence to engage stakeholders in an active dia-

logue, and weigh and balance the different interests,

thereby coming to accepted and mutually beneficial solu-

tions. Being aware of and considering the consequences of

decisions helps leaders to avoid negative consequences and

enables them to justify the decisions afterward if held

accountable by stakeholders. This can lead to more trans-

parent, traceable, and also acceptable outcomes, which in

turn are promoters of trustful relationships (Burke et al.

2007; Dirks and Ferrin 2002).

Further, by engaging in an active dialog responsible

leaders establish arenas for open communication and foster

the inclusion and involvement of the stakeholders, and by

aiming for discursive communication situations they create

opportunities for acceptable and traceable solutions for all

affected parties. Thus, through their frequent engagement

in fair and balanced stakeholder dialogs, responsible

leaders are able to establish lasting and trustful relation-

ships. Stakeholders who experience a leader as being

responsible will generate positive expectations of the

intentions or behaviors of this person. This will increase the

trustworthiness of the leader and the trust in the relation-

ship to this leader.

Proposition 2 Responsible leadership has a positive

effect on building trustful stakeholder relations.

Stakeholder Social Capital Social capital reflects the

goodwill inherent in social relationships and is a resource

in social networks that can be used to facilitate collective

action (Adler and Kwon 2002, p. 17). Social capital was

used in the literature as an umbrella term for resources that

can be accumulated through social relations (e.g., trust was

equated with social capital) (Adler and Kwon 2002;

Fulkerson and Thompson 2008). What distinguishes the

notion of social capital from what we referred to as trust in

the last section is that it is framed as capital that can be

mobilized to facilitate collective action. Social capital is

built through social exchange processes that rely on

exchanges of favors and gifts, in contrast to exchanges that

rely primarily on market or hierarchical modes of inter-

action (Adler and Kwon 2002). The extent of social capital

is dependent on the formal structure of the network ties and

the content or quality of those ties.

Maak and Pless conceptualized social capital as an

essential part of their responsible leadership model (see,

e.g., Maak 2007; Maak and Pless 2006c). Maak argues that

responsible leadership conduct, which places an emphasis

on stakeholder interaction, contributes to building social

capital (Maak 2007). Responsible leadership behavior

builds social capital in that it facilitates the establishing of

a formal stakeholder network by engaging in frequent

stakeholder interaction and an active stakeholder dialog.

Additionally, responsible leadership behavior should help

to accumulate social capital by positively affecting the

quality of the stakeholder network as responsible leaders

engage in fair and balanced stakeholder dialogs, aiming for

discursive decision situations. This signals to stakeholders

that their interests will be taken into account and that those

relations with responsible leaders go beyond a pure market

orientation (in interaction with external stakeholders)

or hierarchical exchange processes (in dealing with

employees).

The goodwill inherent in social capital could then, in

turn, be mobilized to create innovation and to facilitate

entrepreneurship (Chong and Gibbons 1997).

Proposition 3 Responsible leadership behavior enhances

the social capital inherent in stakeholder relations.

Meso-Level Outcomes: Affecting the Internal

Organizational Environment

In relation to meso-level outcomes, we propose effects of

responsible leadership conduct that may change the shared

practices and dispositions of an organization.

In the following, we want to establish a preliminary

theoretical link between the individual leadership level and

the organizational level of corporate responsibility in that

we discuss the influence of responsible leadership on the

ethical culture and the perceived importance of CSR of an

organization. This is a needed future research direction, as,

8 C. Voegtlin et al.

123

first, globalization increases the relevance of CSR for

multinational firms and, second, as the link between indi-

vidual agency and corporate responsibility is still insuffi-

ciently addressed (see, e.g., Crane et al. 2008; Heugens and

Scherer 2010; Scherer and Palazzo 2008a).

Further, due to the growing complexity and dynamic of

the global business environment of organizations, compa-

nies are confronted with the challenge of continuous

adaption and innovation, also in the form of social entre-

preneurial ventures. With regard to this, we focus in the

following on the relation between responsible leadership

behavior and social entrepreneurship. Finally, leader

effectiveness and the effect of responsible leadership on

organizational performance will be addressed.

Ethical Environment The work environment, which we

refer to as an organization’s culture, plays an important

part in shaping and directing people’s behavior (Schein

1996; Schneider 1975). In relation to responsible leader-

ship, the prevalent ethical culture and the importance of

corporate social responsibility, as perceived by the

employees within an organization, are important levers for

creating a socially responsible organization.

We will look here at the understanding of an ethical

culture as proposed first by Trevino and colleagues

(Trevino 1986; Trevino et al. 1998) and later expanded by

Kaptein (2008). The research stream that focused on the

concept of ethical culture in organizations was brought

forward by Trevino et al. (Trevino 1986; Trevino et al.

1998). Ethical culture was conceptualized as being part of

the overall culture of an organization. It was later advanced

by Trevino and colleagues to encompass ‘‘the formal and

informal behavioral control systems […] that can support either ethical or unethical conduct in an organization’’

(Brown and Trevino 2006, p. 601). 3

The conception of

Trevino and colleagues thereby aims at discovering what is

generally perceived as ethics within an organization. The

normative implications of the ethical culture conception are

not specified.

Responsible leadership can gradually influence the eth-

ical culture over time. By enacting responsible leadership

practices such leaders may shape the formal (e.g., through

their position power and discretion) as well as the informal

(e.g., in terms of role modeling) behavioral control systems

that direct the ethical behavior in organizations. By con-

tinuously displaying a concern for long-term consequences

of decisions, by fostering an active stakeholder dialog, and

by practicing inclusive communication that considers the

arguments of others, responsible leaders as role models

provide an ethical vision of discursive conflict resolution

for others. This in turn may affect the perceived ethical

culture in organizations by shaping the collective, shared

expectations of what is perceived as right or wrong.

In continuance of this, one could also draw on Kaptein

(2008) to illustrate the impact of responsible leadership.

More recently, he has refined the construct of ethical cul-

ture by forwarding a corporate ethics virtues model which

proposes seven virtues that prevent employees from acting

unethically and, at the same time, stimulate them to act

ethically. Those virtues were derived from qualitative

interviews, and Kaptein drew on them to develop an

expanded measure of ethical culture. The virtues comprise

the virtue of clarity, congruency, feasibility, supportability,

transparency, discussability, and sanctionability (Kaptein

2008, pp. 924ff).

These are also virtues that can be positively affected by

responsible leadership. If, e.g., responsible leaders dem-

onstrate clear ethical standards (in terms of discourse eth-

ical conflict resolution) (clarity) and if those standards are

recognized by the employees as a visible guidance for

action (congruency), if employees are given the discretion

to act upon them (feasibility), and if the ethical standards

are supported and made transparent by leaders, as well as

left open to discussion, this should encourage an ethical

culture with an emphasis on stakeholder dialog and

discourse.

Taken together, we propose that responsible leadership,

enacted over time, should be able to influence the ethical

culture of an organization. Responsible leadership prac-

tices will thereby encourage a culture of discourse and

deliberation.

Proposition 4 Responsible leaders can gradually change

the ethical culture of an organization over time. Respon-

sible leadership will thereby encourage a culture of dis-

cursive conflict resolution and deliberative practices.

Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility Another part

of the prevalent culture in an organization that responsible

leadership can help to shape is the perceived importance of

corporate social responsibility (CSR) within the organi-

zational setting. CSR is often used as an umbrella term for

concepts dealing with social issues and has been used in

many different ways (Scherer and Palazzo 2007). It was

often defined in terms of what organizations do in relation

to social responsibility (e.g., doing more than what is

expected by the law) (see, e.g., Waddock 2008). Basu and

Palazzo (2008) argued that this content-driven under-

standing is not sufficient when it comes to examining how

managers and employees think, discuss, and act in relation

to CSR.

3 The informal and formal (social) control systems encompass to a

certain extent what is debated in the CSR literature as compliance and

integrity approaches, referring to formal rules and laws as well as to

informal values (see critically, Stansbury and Barry 2007; Weaver

and Trevino 1999).

Responsible Leadership in Global Business 9

123

They propose a process model of sensemaking and

define ‘‘CSR as the process by which managers within an

organization think about and discuss relationships with

stakeholders as well as their roles in relation to the com-

mon good, along with their behavioral disposition with

respect to the fulfillment and achievement of these roles

and relationships’’ (Basu and Palazzo 2008, p. 124).

According to this understanding, the importance of CSR in

an organization can be perceived by members of the

organization through sensemaking processes. Basu and

Palazzo advance their model of CSR-sensemaking along

the dimensions of cognitive, linguistic, and conative

dimensions through which people in organizations make

sense of CSR-related activities. Those dimensions form the

‘‘CSR-character’’ of an organization.

The process model of sensemaking emphasizes the

importance of mental models and frames that affect how

the external world (including issues of CSR) is perceived

by organizational members. This means that these collec-

tive, shared mental frames in an organization shape and

direct attention toward what is perceived as important by

the people working there.

The influence process, which is regarded as a key aspect

of the definition of leadership (Yukl 2006), is connected to

the management of meaning (Fairhurst 2009). That is,

leadership is also a process of sensegiving that affects the

mental models of how the world is perceived by organi-

zational members (Fairhurst 2009).

Responsible leaders as managers of meaning can influ-

ence the perceived ‘‘CSR-character’’ of an organization by

sensitizing their employees for possible social and envi-

ronmental consequences of corporate actions, by empha-

sizing, and also by demonstrating in their actions the

importance of stakeholder engagement and involvement.

If responsible leaders can convince their employees that

CSR is an important topic in their organization, those

employees will more readily engage in active stakeholder

dialogs when social and environmental issues are at stake.

Additionally, if leaders can provide a sense of purpose for

the CSR-activities of their organization, their employees

will more readily recognize issues of CSR as part of their

daily practice and engage themselves in CSR-related

actions.

Therefore, we conclude that responsible leadership can

contribute to an enhanced awareness of the CSR-character

of a firm.

Proposition 5 Responsible leadership can positively

affect the perceived importance of CSR in an organization.

Social Entrepreneurship Responsible leaders will be able

to foster social innovation. Innovation can be defined as

‘‘the generation, acceptance and implementation of new

processes, products, or services for the first time within an

organizational setting’’ (Pierce and Delbecq 1977, p. 29).

Innovation is an important driver of organizational change

and was related to organizational success and competitive

advantages (Gumusluoglu and Ilsev 2009).

We propose that the interrelation between responsible

leaders and stakeholders from the social and political

environment, e.g., NGOs or social movements, can trigger

social innovation. For example, expanding the knowledge

base and the (technical) knowledge resources was consid-

ered to foster innovation. Responsible leadership behavior

helps to expand the knowledge base by fostering an active

stakeholder dialog where all participants can contribute

their knowledge and expertise to solve problems. The same

holds for internal and external communication. Both were

related to a positive effect on innovation. 4

Responsible

leaders engage in communications with external stake-

holders like government officials or NGOs. This creates

opportunities for exchanging information and for bringing

up innovative ideas. The dialog with internal stakeholders

will in turn facilitate the dispersion of ideas within the

organization and create a favorable internal environment

for innovation.

Responsible leaders fostering social innovation can be

regarded as what an evolving stream in the literature calls

social entrepreneurs (Nicholls and Cho 2006). Social

entrepreneurship is understood as pursuing ventures that

bring together a social mission, an emphasis on innovation

and a market orientation (Nicholls and Cho 2006, p. 115).

Social entrepreneurs thereby play the role of change agents

in the social sector (Bloom 2009, p. 128). The change of

the institutional systems that social entrepreneurs can

achieve depends on the influence they can exert. We pro-

pose that responsible leaders, especially in top level man-

agement positions, can advance social entrepreneurial

ventures that can achieve considerable changes (De Hoogh

and Den Hartog 2008; Ling et al. 2008; Waldman et al.

2006), as responsible leadership addresses the balance

between a market orientation and recognizing the interests

of stakeholders pursuing a social mission, and as respon-

sible leadership conduct brings with it an enhanced possi-

bility for innovation.

Proposition 6 Responsible leaders are more likely to act

as social entrepreneurs than non-responsible leaders.

Organizational Performance An important issue con-

cerning the intersection of leadership and responsibility, or

ethics, respectively, is the question of what an effective

4 For further literature on the determinants of innovation, see the

meta-analysis of Damanpour (1991). The relationships between the

determinants and innovation were based on theoretical reasoning and

empirical findings (Damanpour 1991, p. 557).

10 C. Voegtlin et al.

123

leader is. It revolves around the issue whether an ethically

good leader is always an effective leader and vice versa

(Ciulla 1995, 2005). The main goal of responsible leader-

ship as proposed here is to contribute to the fulfillment of

organizational performance goals. Responsible leadership

connects to the understanding of leadership in general, in

that it can be regarded as a ‘‘process of facilitating indi-

vidual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objec-

tives’’ (Yukl 2006, p. 8).

Yet, to act responsibly additionally implies an ethical

qualification, which can be understood as an evaluation of

the means to accomplish performance goals in the light of

moral norms or ethical considerations. This ethical com-

mitment can lead to situational amendments of perfor-

mance goals if the social cohabitation in a society is in

danger of being breached (Scherer 2003, pp. 427ff). A

negative example of not considering an ethical qualifica-

tion would be the case of BP and the 2010 oil spill in the

Gulf of Mexico. Previous insights suggest that the man-

agers involved chose the cheaper solution for drilling,

taking into account higher risks for the people working on

the oil platform, the surrounding environment and those

people living on the nearby shores. Their decisions were

driven by financial performance pressure from the com-

pany (Oil Spill Commission 2011; The New York Times

2010a, b).

An ethical qualification is implicitly built into the defi-

nition of responsible leadership, as responsible leaders

evaluate their decisions and actions according to the pos-

sible consequences and engage in an active dialog to find

solutions that can be accepted by the affected parties. Thus,

responsible leaders contribute to financial performance

under the caveat of only implementing means that are

morally legitimate to reach their goals.

Apart from the direct link of responsible leadership and

effectiveness, we assume additional indirect positive

effects of responsible leadership on the performance of an

organization. Mediated by the other outcome variables in

Fig. 1, responsible leadership could have a positive effect

on social and financial performance of the organization.

Responsible leadership was hypothesized to build up

trustful relationships and social capital, to foster social

innovation and will in the next section be proposed to

positively affect followers’ attitudes and cognitions. Trust

was shown to have a positive effect on performance (Burke

et al. 2007; Dirks and Ferrin 2002). The accumulated social

capital in stakeholder relations built up by responsible

leaders can be used to facilitate collective action (Adler

and Kwon 2002), with the aim of enhancing either the

financial or social performance of an organization. Social

innovation can be hypothesized to enhance the social per-

formance of an organization. Finally, follower attitudes

like job satisfaction, motivation, or commitment have been

identified as performance drivers (Locke and Latham 2004;

Mathieu and Zajac 1990). Thus, taken together, it could be

hypothesized that responsible leadership has an effect on

the financial and social performance of an organization.

Proposition 7 Responsible leadership contributes

directly and indirectly to the performance of an organiza-

tion under the caveat of ethical or moral means.

Micro-Level Outcomes: Effects on Followers’ Attitudes

and Cognitions

Apart from the proposed outcomes, responsible leaders will

also have a direct and considerable effect on their imme-

diate followers. To satisfy and motivate employees is still a

key challenge of leadership and this aspect should therefore

not be neglected in the discussion on responsible

leadership.

Leaders in organizations occupy an exposed position

and as such are often regarded as role models (Brown et al.

2005; Trevino et al. 2000). Bandura’s social learning the-

ory (Bandura 1986) emphasizes the importance of positive

role models that help individuals to learn and reinforce

what they have learned. Brown et al. (Brown et al. 2005;

Brown and Trevino 2006) build their concept of ethical

leadership around the reinforcing effect of leaders as

positive ethical role models in organizations.

Responsible leaders will have a twofold effect on fol-

lower attitudes and cognitions. First, we propose a positive

effect of responsible leaders as role models (Bandura 1986;

Brown et al. 2005). If followers see that their supervisor

incorporates the affected parties in the decision-making

process and seeks to make balanced decisions, ideally

resolving decision situations in a consensus, they may

perceive their leader as an attractive and legitimate role

model from whom they can learn the importance of

involving others and engaging in discursive practices. An

example of how responsible leaders as role models could

have a positive effect on follower behavior would be an

enhanced organizational citizenship behavior of followers

(OCB) (Konovsky and Pugh 1994; Podsakoff et al. 2000).

OCB is defined as behavior that shows engagement beyond

what is requested from the organization or what would be

an enforceable part of the job description or employment

contract (Podsakoff et al. 2000, p. 513). Responsible

leaders will be positive role models in relation to citizen-

ship behavior, as they think about consequences for

stakeholders from the social and political environment and

incorporate them in decision situations. This helps to solve

the needs of both sides and shows an engagement with

societal interest groups, which moves beyond what is

requested from the immediate job description. Employees

may learn from such appealing leadership behavior.

Responsible Leadership in Global Business 11

123

Second, there will be a direct effect of responsible

leadership on followers, since engaging in an active

stakeholder dialog means that responsible leaders also

incorporate the immediate followers in far reaching deci-

sion-making processes if those decisions would affect

them. Participative practices and involving followers in the

decision making process was shown to enhance work

related attitudes (e.g., empowerment, see Spreitzer 1996).

If employees feel that they can actively contribute to

decision situations, and if they feel they are regarded as

important by their supervisor, this may be hypothesized to

affect their attitude toward satisfaction with their job

(Spector 1997), their motivation (Locke and Latham 2004),

or their commitment to the organization they are working

for (Mathieu and Zajac 1990).

Proposition 8 Responsible leadership will have a posi-

tive effect on followers’ attitudes and cognitions (e.g., job

satisfaction, motivation, commitment or organizational

citizenship behavior).

Conclusion

This article has advanced a model of responsible leadership

that embeds the leader’s responsibility in the process of

globalization and the societal efforts of self-regulation in

the light of regulative deficits of the nation state and the

new quality of global problems. As leadership is increas-

ingly confronted with problems of cultural heterogeneity,

moral dilemmas, and ethical conflicts, our understanding of

responsible leadership places deliberative and discursive

practices at the heart of leadership, thereby aiming for a

legitimate and peaceful mode of conflict resolution.

In pragmatic terms, this means that responsible leaders

should think about the consequences of decisions for all

affected parties and engage in an active stakeholder dialog,

weighing and balancing the differing interests. Based on

this approach, we discussed positive outcomes of respon-

sible leadership in order to advance the understanding of

responsible leadership and its consequences. We addressed

the outcome variables along various levels of analysis and

focused especially on future business challenges that

companies will face due to the globalization process. We

proposed responsible leadership as a lever to handle these

globalization challenges by highlighting how responsible

leadership conduct could positively affect them.

Responsible leadership is distinct from extant leadership

approaches, such as, e.g., transformational leadership,

ethical leadership, or authentic leadership, as it draws

on the theory of discourse ethics and deliberative democ-

racy, conceptualizes leadership as leader–stakeholder

interaction, implies an ethical qualification, and proposes

consensual solutions as an effectiveness criterion. Subse-

quently, we suggest that responsible leadership as active

stakeholder engagement and discursive conflict resolution

should be better able to address the challenges of global-

ization than existing leadership conceptions. Our model

tries to show this theoretically by relating the distinct

aspects of responsible leadership to these challenges.

We thus contributed to the literature, first, by advancing

the concept of responsible leadership (Maak 2007; Maak

and Pless 2008; Waldman and Galvin 2008), and second,

by providing a new model that presents a research agenda

for the field. The model allows a highlighting of positive

effects of responsible leadership and offers a way of how

to translate a philosophical foundation into a practically

relevant concept.

Finally, we will highlight directions for future research

that directly connect to the model of responsible leader-

ship. The first direction would be to empirically test those

propositions set up in the article. Therefore, responsible

leadership would have to be operationalized. Thoughts

could be given on the advancement of an empirical mea-

sure of responsible leadership (Voegtlin 2011). In addition

to a quantitative research agenda, qualitative approaches

could offer further insights for the field in that such

research may help to understand how people in organiza-

tions make sense of the proposed responsible leadership

practices. A fruitful direction would be, for example, to

analyze stakeholder dialogs or discursive practices around

leadership (Fairhurst 2009; Phillips et al. 2004).

Further, we acknowledge that the presented model of

responsible leadership is not final and does not encompass

all possible factors that are affected by responsible lead-

ership. Future research could advance the concept by

offering additional factors that relate to responsible lead-

ership, such as focusing on drivers of responsible leader-

ship or opportunities for training and development.

Additionally, there still needs to be addressed the limita-

tions of the ideal of responsible leadership in daily busi-

ness, e.g., by discussing the problems of stakeholder

dialogs, the costs of establishing consensual solution, or the

limits of engaging in public will formation (Stansbury

2009).

Therefore, we suggest expanding the model to a con-

tingency model of responsible leadership. Such a model

can be helpful to show the contingencies that foster or

allow for responsible leadership behavior in an organiza-

tional setting. These contingencies comprise antecedents or

moderating influences of responsible leadership (Voegtlin

et al. 2010).

In terms of antecedents, it can be distinguished between

the structural conditions of hierarchical organizations that

constrain or enable leadership and the personal predispo-

sitions of the individual. The structural characteristics of

12 C. Voegtlin et al.

123

organizations can impose constraints on the alternatives for

action (i.e., the way how people in organizations conduct

and experience their work and act in their respective work

environment). For example, a centralized and bureaucratic

organization and highly specialized tasks with low auton-

omy and decision responsibility do not offer many possi-

bilities for responsible decisions and active involvement of

internal and external stakeholders. On the other hand, job

characteristics can offer possibilities for high involvement

and active engagement (with one’s work). A broader scope

of job responsibility, challenging tasks, and participation in

important decisions may also encourage leaders further

down the hierarchical line to engage in responsible lead-

ership and may support the realization of the positive

outcomes mentioned in our model. To examine this more

closely could be a fruitful future research direction.

Individual characteristics that may be relevant in fos-

tering responsible leadership behavior are, e.g., moral

predispositions. Herein we would subsume personal char-

acteristics and cognitive abilities that encourage moral

decision-making. There is a great deal of research that has

dealt with morality or ethical questions in the business

sphere, addressing the numerous steps in coming to an

ethical or moral decision from a psychological or cognitive

perspective (see, e.g., Kohlberg 1984; Reynolds and

Ceranic 2007; Trevino et al. 2006). If leaders are cognizant

of these steps of moral decision-making, if they can reason

on a high moral development level (Kohlberg 1984; Rest

1986) and have a strong moral identity (Aquino and Reed

2002; Reynolds and Ceranic 2007), they will be more

capable of acting responsibly as understood in our con-

ception of responsible leadership.

Finally, moderating influences on responsible leader-

ship, we would suggest to investigate are, e.g., the hierar-

chical position of the leader and the department he or she is

working in. Both should make a difference in terms of the

scope and possibilities of responsible leadership conduct.

The hierarchical position of leaders has an impact in terms

of the range of the leaders’ authority and their access to

resources, the frequency of their interactions with stake-

holders, the kind of stakeholder engagement, or the scope

of their decisions. The department that leaders are working

in can restrict or enable responsible leadership conduct by

the mere fact that leaders in some departments will have

less frequent stakeholder interaction than others. An

example would be a supervisor working in a highly spe-

cialized and formalized production facility department

compared to a leader working in a CSR department.

Taken together, there should be many possibilities to

advance the research agenda of responsible leadership

theoretically and empirically, possibilities that could offer

relevant insights for researchers and practitioners.

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Mandatory Assignment Resources/SERVANT LEADERSHIP AND SERVING CULTURE.pdf

SERVANT LEADERSHIP AND SERVING CULTURE: INFLUENCE ON INDIVIDUAL AND UNIT PERFORMANCE

ROBERT C. LIDEN SANDY J. WAYNE

University of Illinois at Chicago

CHENWEI LIAO Michigan State University

JEREMY D. MEUSER University of Illinois at Chicago

In a sample of 961 employees working in 71 restaurants of a moderately sized restaurant chain, we investigated a key tenet of servant leadership theory—that ser- vant leaders guide followers to emulate the leader’s behavior by prioritizing the needs of others above their own. We developed and tested a model contending that servant leaders propagate servant leadership behaviors among followers by creating a serving culture, which directly influences unit (i.e., restaurant/store) performance and en- hances individual attitudes and behaviors directly and through the mediating influ- ence of individuals’ identification with the unit. As hypothesized, serving culture was positively related both to restaurant performance and employee job performance, creativity, and customer service behaviors, and negatively related to turnover inten- tions, both directly and through employee identification with the restaurant. Same- source common method bias was reduced by employing five sources of data: employ- ees, restaurant managers, customers, internal audits by headquarters staff, and external audits by a consulting firm.

Servant leadership is based on the premise that leaders who are best able to motivate followers are those who focus least on satisfying their own per- sonal needs and most on prioritizing the fulfillment of followers’ needs (Greenleaf, 1970). Leaders who

are more concerned about others than themselves are humble, and their humility stimulates strong relationships with followers and encourages fol- lowers to become fully engaged in their work (Ow- ens & Hekman, 2012). Given its focus on leader behaviors that help followers to realize their full potential, servant leadership represents a positive approach to organizational behavior (Cameron & Spreitzer, 2012), the study of which refers to the “application of positively oriented human resource strengths and psychological capacities that can be measured, developed, and effectively managed for performance improvement in today’s workplace” (Luthans, 2002: 59). Servant leadership consists of seven dimensions (Liden, Wayne, Zhao, & Hender- son, 2008), including emotional healing or being sensitive to the personal setbacks of followers, cre- ating value for the community, such as encouraging followers to engage in volunteer activities that ben- efit local communities, conceptual skills, or the problem-solving abilities and task knowledge that are prerequisites for providing help to followers, empowering, helping subordinates grow and suc-

This study was funded by a grant from the SHRM Foundation. However, the interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the SHRM Foundation. We are grateful for the cooperation of the employees, managers, and Director of HR of the participating organ- ization and the support of its CEO. In addition, we thank members of the Society for Organizational Behavior, par- ticularly Maureen Ambrose, Jeff Edwards, Dan Ganster, Marshall Schminke, Jeffrey Vancouver, and Larry Wil- liams, who provided valuable comments that helped us to frame the model and analyze the data. We are also thankful to Xiaoyun Cao, Turah Flowers, Anahi Kelly, Gretchen Kemner, Hae Sang Park, and Shu Wang for their assistance with data entry. Chenwei Liao worked on this research while he was a doctoral student at the Univer- sity of Illinois at Chicago.

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ceed, putting subordinates first, and behaving eth- ically. Although other approaches to leadership in- clude supporting followers, the strong emphasis on leading by serving followers, captured in the name, servant leadership, is unique among leadership ap- proaches. It is thought that when leaders place a priority on providing tangible and emotional sup- port to followers and assisting followers in reach- ing their full potential, followers in turn see the leader as a role model and engage in appropriate behaviors, not through coercion, but because they want to do so (Greenleaf, 1970).

Research has demonstrated that servant leader- ship is related to follower outcomes, including job attitudes, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and performance (Liden, Panaccio, Meuser, Hu, & Wayne, 2014; van Dierendonck, 2011) as well as outcomes at the team (Ehrhart, 2004; Hu & Liden, 2011; Schaubroeck, Lam, & Peng, 2011) and organ- izational (Peterson, Galvin, & Lange, 2012) levels, even when controlling for two dominant leadership approaches (Dinh, Lord, Gardner, Meuser, Liden, & Hu, 2014), namely transformational leader behav- iors and leader–member exchange (LMX) (Liden et al., 2008; Peterson et al., 2012; Schaubroeck et al., 2011). This explanation of important outcomes be- yond the two prevailing leadership approaches begs an explanation for how servant leadership in- fluences employee behaviors. Our main purpose is to continue the momentum on servant leadership research by enhancing our understanding of how it promotes positive outcomes.

Initial research on the processes through which servant leadership relates to outcomes has revealed that procedural justice climate (Ehrhart, 2004), team potency (Hu & Liden, 2011), and trust (Schau- broeck et al., 2011) mediate relationships between team/unit-level servant leadership and team/unit per- formance and/or team/unit OCB. In a cross-level study, Walumbwa, Hartnell, and Oke (2010) showed that team-level procedural justice and service cli- mates and individual-level self-efficacy and com- mitment to the supervisor mediated the relation- ship between team-level servant leadership and individual-level OCBs. Hunter et al. (2013) also found support for the role of service climate as mediating the relationship between team-level ser- vant leadership and subjectively rated team perfor- mance. These studies have provided evidence con- cerning how servant leadership influences outcomes at the team level. The purpose of the current inves- tigation was to extend theory development on the processes underlying relationships between ser-

vant leadership and outcomes at the work unit levels, as well to contribute to the sparse research on the cross-level effects that unit-level variables have on individual responses. Although Greenleaf (1970) provided a general philosophy for how serv- ing others influences outcomes, and Graham (1991) delineated differences between servant leadership and transformational leadership, theory enhance- ments capable of supporting refined testable hy- potheses are needed.

Consistent with Greenleaf’s (1970) contention that servant leaders instill in followers a desire to serve others, we introduce serving culture as a key mechanism through which servant leadership be- havior affects individual and unit outcomes. Cul- ture is defined as “a pattern of shared basic as- sumptions learned by a group as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal inte- gration, which has worked well enough to be con- sidered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems” (Schein, 2010: 18). More specifically, serving culture resides in the current investigation at the unit level and refers to the “behavioral norms and shared expectations” of placing a priority on helping others (Cooke & Rousseau, 1988: 255). Engagement in these behav- iors, which are thought to be relevant to all mem- bers of the unit, can be substantially influenced by upper-level leadership (Gelfand, Leslie, Keller, & de Dreu, 2012; Schein, 1990). Underlying behav- ioral expectations are values upon which these ex- pectations are based (Rousseau, 1990). Cultural val- ues serve to solidify the behavioral norms and expectations. We contend that leaders may influ- ence the culture by directly encouraging follower engagement in serving behaviors and indirectly by modeling desired behaviors, which then are ad- opted by followers, as explained by social learning theory (Bandura, 1977). We propose that because servant leaders tend to be respected and admired by followers, they become motivated to emulate their leaders’ behaviors. Follower modeling of the helping and supportive behaviors displayed by ser- vant leaders are further strengthened as followers solidify their identification with the group. As they begin to view and project themselves to others as a proud member of the group, their positive work behaviors become part of how they see themselves as individuals (Ashforth, 2001). We thus rely on social learning and social identity theories in ex- plaining the emergence of a serving culture and the

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positive effects this culture has on key individual and unit outcomes.

In the current investigation, we contribute to the leadership literature in three ways. First, we assess the critical premise of servant leadership theory that servant leaders strive to develop a serving culture that is based on behavioral norms and ex- pectations that place a priority on helping others. Second, we explore the influence of servant lead- ership behavior via the mediating effect of serving culture on both individual job behaviors and unit- level performance. Third, we develop and test cross-level hypotheses based on social identity the- ory (Tajfel, 1972; Tajfel & Turner, 1986), proposing that a serving culture that is based on prioritizing the needs of others above one’s own needs en- hances followers’ identification with the unit. Through this process we expect servant leadership to indirectly impact individual behaviors and attitudes, including performance, creativity, orien- tation toward serving others, and turnover inten- tions. We test our hypotheses with a large sample of employees and managers working in 71 restau- rants/stores of a moderately sized restaurant chain.

THEORY AND HYPOTHESES

One of the central tenets of the servant leadership philosophy extolled by Greenleaf (1970) is that serving others includes grooming some followers so that they too can become servant leaders. Fol- lower emulation of leader behavior has been iden- tified as a key attribute of servant leadership (Gra- ham, 1991). Whereas other leadership approaches, such as ethical and transformational leadership, include the notion of follower imitation of leader behavior, the cultivation of servant leadership among followers is central to servant leadership (Greenleaf, 1970). Servant leaders may consciously or unconsciously encourage follower behaviors through role modeling (Chartrand & Bargh, 1999), a process explained by social learning theory (Ban- dura, 1977). Social learning theory represents a de- parture from reinforcement theories of learning by arguing that people can learn simply by observing and replicating the behavior of others. Consistent support for modeling behavior as outlined in social learning theory has been found in laboratory exper- iments (Sy, Côté, & Saavedra, 2005) as well as field examinations (Mayer, Kuenzi, Greenbaum, Bardes, & Salvador, 2009) of the “contagion” or “trickle- down” effects of leadership through follower mod- eling of leader behavior.

Leaders are often viewed as role models given their formal status, position power, and referent power (Yukl, 2010), which results in followers im- itating the behaviors of their immediate superiors (Weiss, 1977; Yaffe & Kark, 2011). Follower mod- eling of leader behavior may also be prevalent be- cause leaders often serve as mentors to their follow- ers (Sosik & Godshalk, 2000) and protégés often learn by imitating the behaviors of their mentors (Lankau & Scandura, 2002). Followers are espe- cially inclined to model leader behaviors when they perceive the leader as possessing desirable qualities (Hannah, Walumbwa, & Fry, 2011; Lankau & Scandura, 2002; Mayer, Aquino, Greenbaum, & Kuenzi, 2012; Neubert, Kacmar, Carlson, Chonko, & Roberts, 2008), and servant leaders possess many attractive characteristics. Servant leaders’ integrity and concern for others enhance their attractiveness, as does the trust that servant leaders inspire in others (Schaubroeck et al., 2011). In addition, their expertise, as reflected in the conceptual skills di- mension of servant leadership identified by Liden et al. (2008), likely translates into followers per- ceiving that the leader is credible (Brown & Treviño, 2006; Walumbwa et al., 2010). When fol- lowers perceive the leader as possessing desirable qualities, they aspire to be like the leader and thus model their leaders’ behavior (Mayer et al., 2012). Indeed, it has been empirically demonstrated that although there is variance in individuals’ reactions to servant leadership behaviors, most individuals express a preference for leaders who engage in these behaviors (Meuser, Liden, Wayne, & Hender- son, 2011). We therefore contend that engagement in servant leadership behaviors propagates from leaders to followers.

Empathy and behaving ethically are aspects of servant leadership behavior that increase the attrac- tiveness of servant leaders in the eyes of their fol- lowers. Schaubroeck et al. (2011) found empirical support for Greenleaf’s (1970) key proposition that servant leaders’ empathy, ethical behavior, and pri- oritization of follower needs develop mutual trust between leaders and followers over time. Indeed, good leaders are trusted more by their followers than poor leaders (Dirks & Ferrin, 2002). This trust in leaders primes followers’ receptivity to leader initiatives designed to encourage them to engage in serving behaviors (Colquitt, Scott, & LePine, 2007). Reciprocation represents one way that followers may model the servant leader behaviors of the leader, because “Imitation is the sincerest [form] of flattery” (Colton, 1824: 114). By openly prioritizing

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the personal and professional growth of followers, servant leaders provide guidance and direction in assisting follower modeling of servant leader be- haviors. Modeling that involves both a demonstra- tion of the behaviors as well as the guidance of followers through activities that illustrate the be- havior has been shown to be especially effective in evoking behavior and attitude change in followers (Bandura, Blanchard, & Ritter, 1969).

When multiple followers engage in serving be- haviors, either as the result of direct grooming by the leader or indirectly through the modeling of leader behavior, a unique serving culture ensues. Serving culture offers a way to theoretically inte- grate servant leadership with the social context (Glisson & James, 2002; Schneider, Ehrhart, & Macey, 2011). We define “serving culture” as the extent to which all members of the work unit en- gage in servant leadership behaviors and operation- alize it as aggregated individual employee reports of perceived collective unit behavior. Serving cul- ture is characterized as a work environment in which participants share the understanding that the behavioral norms and expectations are to pri- oritize the needs of others above their own and to provide help and support to others. We stress that serving culture includes the behaviors of all mem- bers of the collective of interest (e.g., group, unit), not only the formal leaders. Defining serving cul- ture in this way achieves consistency with servant leadership theory, which stresses that servant lead- ers cultivate serving behaviors among those around them, including their followers (Graham, 1991; Greenleaf, 1970; Liden et al., 2014).

We argue that for a serving culture to germinate, grow, and eventually propagate within the collec- tive, it is critical for the highest-level formal leader of that entity to engage in servant leadership behav- iors. This is because top leaders set the tone for the behaviors expected of employees (Peterson et al., 2012). This appears to occur through processes de- scribed by social learning theory in which the lead- er’s behaviors “trickle down” to subordinates (Mayer et al., 2009, 2012; Sy et al., 2005). Servant leadership, an approach to leading that is consis- tent with positive organizational scholarship (Bono & Ilies, 2006), represents a positive force that spreads to followers through “contagion” pro- cesses. Indeed, servant leaders as positive role models stimulate employees’ personal change in efforts to emulate the desired qualities and behav- iors of that role model (Lord & Brown, 2004). Through the direct developmental activities of the

servant leader and through follower modeling of servant leader behaviors, a serving culture emerges. But this culture does not surface unless those in formal positions of authority embrace servant lead- ership (Schein, 1990). We therefore contend that the extent to which a serving culture exists is de- termined by the degree to which the formal leader of the entity engages in servant leader behaviors. In the current investigation, the restaurant/store man- ager is the highest-level formal leader within each unit and thus fulfills this role of cultivating a serv- ing culture.

Hypothesis 1. Store Manager servant leader- ship is positively related to serving culture.

We propose that serving culture drives the effec- tiveness of the entity as a whole. When the majority of members of an entity are aligned in terms of what behaviors are appropriate in the collective environ- ment, the behavioral norms that make up the serv- ing culture provide a roadmap that individuals use in order to evaluate how best to respond to different situations that they encounter at work. When mul- tiple people in the work unit are engaged in serving behaviors, the culture is perceived by participants as one defined by putting the needs of others first, behaving with integrity, and developing concep- tual skills associated with thoroughly understand- ing the tasks and overall business (Liden et al., 2008). When serving others is seen as a defining characteristic of the work unit, we contend that members of the collective engage in behaviors that benefit the unit and are willing to help each other, such as freely sharing one’s task knowledge. Thus, although the focus of servant leadership is on meet- ing the needs of individual followers, we propose, based on servant leadership philosophy espoused by Greenleaf (1970), that servant leadership also provides substantial benefits to the collective through the culture cultivated by servant leaders. Specifically, serving cultures are characterized by a focus on understanding the needs of others and helping others, both within and outside of the unit. Help and support can range from disseminating technical advice to providing emotional support to assisting those in need of personal healing. Help and support from others tends to motivate partici- pants in the system to engage in behaviors that benefit the whole (Cameron & Spreitzer, 2012).

Whereas some cultures are destructive and linked to ineffective performance (Gelfand et al., 2012), we contend that serving cultures are positive and encourage participant behaviors that enhance

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work unit performance (Cameron & Spreitzer, 2012). Peterson et al. (2012) proposed that this oc- curs because followers who are empowered, en- couraged to reach their highest potential, and pro- vided with clarity of focus, strive to perform at the highest level. Expanding on this, we argue that the norms for behavior that provide the basis for a serving culture result when servant leaders encour- age mutual support among coworkers that benefits unit performance. A culture based on serving oth- ers not only creates norms for behaviors among its members that promotes effectiveness internally, but extends to interactions between members and customers (Schneider, White, & Paul, 1998). In the restaurant setting studied in the current investiga- tion, this includes satisfying customers in multiple ways, including the provision of clean stores, fresh food, accurate orders, quick delivery, and delivery accuracy. Consequently, a serving culture encour- ages members of the work unit to put customers’ needs ahead of their own, culminating in superior customer service (Schneider et al., 1998).

Hypothesis 2. Serving culture is positively re- lated to store performance (composite of carry- out accuracy, delivery accuracy, customer satis- faction, facility audit, and sanitation audit).

Integrating the first two hypotheses suggests the possibility that serving culture acts as a mediator of the relationship between the store manager’s ser- vant leadership behavior and store performance. Cultures act to clarify behavioral expectations for members of the collective (Schulte, Ostroff, Shmu- lyian, & Kinicki, 2009). A serving culture that pro- motes humility, caring for others, putting the needs of others above one’s own needs, and concern for the best interests of all stakeholders sends clear signals that self-centered and unethical behaviors are not tolerated. A serving culture provides mem- bers of the collective with the understanding that the focus is on behaviors that provide benefits for others. The degree to which store managers engage in servant leadership acts to build the culture and helps members of the unit learn the behavioral expectations linked to the culture (Schein, 1990). Specifically, when the leader exhibits servant lead- ership behaviors, followers also engage in serving behaviors (Schein, 1990; van Knippenberg, van Knippenberg, De Cremer, & Hogg, 2004). We con- tend that the more the work unit’s culture is char- acterized by a focus on serving others, the more employees engage in behaviors that are beneficial

to the entity, culminating in higher collective performance.

Hypothesis 3. Serving culture mediates the rela- tionship between store manager servant leader- ship and store performance (composite of carry- out accuracy, delivery accuracy, customer satisfaction, facility audit, and sanitation audit).

In addition to its effects on store performance, we contend that serving culture, through its focus on cooperation, sharing, mutual trust and support, and caring for each other, fosters in employees an iden- tification with the store in which they work. Born from the implications of social identity theory (Ta- jfel, 1972, 1978; Tajfel & Turner, 1986), group iden- tification (Ashforth & Mael, 1989) occurs when em- ployees adopt a view of themselves as members of a group. An individual’s personal identity becomes inseparable from the store to the extent that the employee identifies with the unit and that collec- tive identity is activated (Pratt, 1998). Specifically, part of how a person defines one’s self is based on working in the store (Tajfel, 1978). In essence, “as the individual’s identity and fate become inter- twined with those of the group, he or she becomes a microcosm of the group” (Ashforth, Harrison, & Corley, 2008: 333). Although group identification can involve negative reactions (Dutton & Dukerich, 1991), it generally conveys positive emotion that entails employees interpreting their membership in the group as a dominant characteristic that defines them as a person.

Interestingly, theory on both culture and identi- fication has stressed the sense-making capabilities of each (Ashforth et al., 2008; Harris, 1994). Group identification helps employees make sense of their surroundings, reducing ambiguity and uncertainty (Hogg, 2000), and serves as a guide for behavior in order to maintain consistency between internal views of self and external action, thereby avoiding cognitive discord and increasing self-continuity (Vignoles, Regalia, Manzi, Golledge, & Scabini, 2006). It follows that individuals may find it easier to make sense of their group experiences when they identify with the group. And it is easier to identify with a group whose culture is unambiguous and consistent with the values of its participants (Ash- forth, 2001). Indeed, employees identify with a group to increase self-esteem (Tajfel & Turner, 1986; Turner, 1982).

As Ashforth et al. (2008) observed, group identi- fication may represent a top-down process whereby qualities of the group foster employee identifica-

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tion with the group. Qualities of the group are evident from its culture, and it is through the cul- ture that its members form a cognitive frame (or schema) that encapsulates the values and behav- ioral expectations of the group. It is from this schema representing the group’s culture that indi- viduals make sense of their work environments (Harris, 1994). When working within a strong serv- ing culture, the pervasiveness of positive elements, such as trust in and helping and caring for others, clarifies the expected behaviors and values of the group and eases the process through which individ- uals identify with the group. As group members en- gage in behaviors that are consistent with the group’s culture, these behaviors are reinforced by other group members, which in turn serve to strengthen individ- uals’ identification with the group.

Because people generally value the features of a serving culture, such as being able to trust others, as well as feeling cared for, respected, and supported (McAllister, 1995), we argue that the positive rela- tionship between serving culture and group identi- fication is pervasive (Walumbwa, Mayer, Wang, Wang, Workman, & Christensen, 2011). Identifica- tion with a positive, helpful serving culture acts as a guiding principle for viewing oneself in a positive manner (Ashforth et al., 2008). Serving cultures also focus on internal cooperation and interdepen- dence, which further enhances the degree of iden- tification with the organization (Mael & Ashforth, 1992). The stronger the serving culture, the clearer the defining characteristics of the collective, and the easier it is for members to make sense of the setting in which they work.

Hypothesis 4. Serving culture is positively re- lated to employee identification with the store.

We contend that servant leaders enhance follow- ers’ identification with the work unit through the creation of a serving culture. For example, leaders are often seen as representatives of the organization (Levinson, 1965), even to the point of embodying the characteristics of the organization (Eisenberger et al., 2010). As a relational leadership style, the servant leader’s one-on-one attention to, and care for, followers magnifies the salience of followers serving fellow coworkers and customers. The per- sonal relationships the servant leader forms with followers help them to make sense of the work unit and to develop an identity intertwined with the work unit as represented by the leader. The helpful, benevolent behaviors of the servant leader spread, via social learning (Sy et al., 2005), to create the

culture. These values of serving others become a defining characteristic of membership in the work unit, strengthening the saliency of work unit iden- tity as well as the positive perceptions of identify- ing with that work unit. Therefore, it is through the process of creating a serving culture that servant leaders enhance the prominent characteristics of the group— caring for others—and promote follow- ers’ identification with the group.

Hypothesis 5. Serving culture mediates the positive relationship between store manager servant leadership behaviors and employee identification with the store.

According to Pratt (1998), individuals incorpo- rate the group’s values and beliefs into their own identities as part of the emulation process. Thus, when the store has established a serving culture that emphasizes behaviors that assist others, em- ployees who identify with the store are likely to incorporate these values and use them to guide their behaviors and attitudes that are linked to the values espoused by the store. Thus, identification with the store facilitates the transmission of a serv- ing culture from the store level to employee behav- iors and attitudes at the individual level.

When employees’ identification with their store is high, the overlap in values and goals prompts employees to form attitudes and engage in behav- iors that are beneficial to the unit. Specifically, when employees identify with the collective—in this case the store— employees feel a sense of ca- maraderie and unity with fellow employees (Ash- forth & Mael, 1989); and because of the strong bond that they have with their coworkers, they desire to perform well. Conversely, when identification with the unit is low, individuals feel a sense of detach- ment from the team. Employees who do not iden- tify with the team are less inclined to emulate the behavior of colleagues with whom they have little or no connection (Ashforth et al., 2008). The degree to which employees emulate the normative behav- iors of the unit translates into a positive association between identification with the store and individ- ual job performance.

In addition to performing at lower levels, em- ployees whose identification with the unit is low are likely to feel detached from the work unit, which may prompt them to search for a more hos- pitable and supportive environment (Mael & Ash- forth, 1995). This is because most humans are so- cial beings and seek to fulfill needs of belonging and affiliation through relationships developed in

2014 1439Liden, Wayne, Liao, and Meuser

the workplace (Maslow, 1943). Meta-analytic re- sults indicate a positive relationship between organ- ization and team identification and job performance, and a negative relationship between organization and team identification and turnover intentions (Riketta & van Dick, 2005). Employees are not likely to leave a store whose culture has helped them develop a personal understanding of themselves. Indeed, for individuals who highly identify with a group, leav- ing is akin to leaving part of oneself behind, along with the psychological safety, consistency, and self-esteem associated with that social identity.

We contend that identification with the store also promotes employee creativity. The stronger em- ployees’ identification with the store, the more they care about the success of the store, which prompts them to explore creative approaches to carrying out their jobs (Cohen-Meitar, Carmeli, & Waldman, 2009). Indeed, creativity can be essential for fulfill- ing the unique needs or specific requests of custom- ers. Identification with the store with its concomi- tant mutual support exchanged between employees provides employees with psychological safety that encourages creativity by reducing the risk associated with initiating novel solutions for serving customers (Ashforth et al., 2008; Pratt, 1998). Although Pratt (2001) has cautioned that identification can be nega- tively related to creativity because over-identification with a group may engender conformity to rules, we contend that serving cultures uniquely stress empow- erment and freedom to express divergent points of view (Greenleaf, 1970; Liden et al., 2008) in a psycho- logically safe environment.

We posit that employee identification with the unit also serves to build an orientation towards providing service to customers. When employees see them- selves as intertwined with their store, their behaviors are driven by norms of the store, such as a focus on serving customers (Schuh, Egold, & van Dick, 2012). Indeed, when employees highly identify with the store, they see themselves as representatives of the store and feel responsible for maintaining a positive store im- age in their interactions with customers.

Hypothesis 6. Employee identification with the store is positively related to employee (a) in- role performance, (b) creativity, and (c) cus- tomer service behaviors, and negatively related to (d) turnover intentions.

We reason that a serving culture directly and indirectly (through store identification) affects in- dividual outcomes. Regarding a direct effect, em- ployees immersed within a serving culture learn

the culture (Schein, 1990) by modeling the behav- iors of members of the collective, including both their leaders and colleagues (Bandura, 1977). Positive cul- tures are characterized by perceived fairness, oppor- tunities for growth, and clear role expectations, and people embedded in such cultures tend to develop positive attitudes and engage in behaviors that are conducive to effectiveness. It appears that positive cultures instill in people hope and confidence in their abilities, which enables them to perform well (Luthans, Avolio, Avey, & Norman, 2007), and to bolster their resilience so that they can handle set- backs and are less inclined to quit their jobs.

We argue that, in addition to a direct effect be- tween serving culture and individual outcomes (Hypothesis 4), store identification partially medi- ates these relationships. Simply by being immersed in a culture predicated on serving others (as sug- gested by Hypothesis 6), some may find the culture so compelling that they begin to see oneness be- tween themselves and the store. In this sense, the relationship between serving culture and individual attitudes and behaviors operates in part through their identification with the store. Indeed, beyond the im- plications of social learning theory concerning em- ployees’ tendency to observe and imitate behaviors that are normative to the group’s culture, social iden- tity theory also implies that when employees identify with the group, they absorb its core values and ex- hibit attitudes that are consistent with these values. In sum, we contend that serving cultures promote favor- able employee attitudes and behaviors, both directly and indirectly, as implied by social learning theory and social identification theory, respectively.

Hypothesis 7. Serving culture is positively re- lated to employee (a) in-role performance, (b) creativity, and (c) customer service behaviors, and negatively related to (d) turnover intentions.

Hypothesis 8. Employee identification with the store partially mediates the relationships be- tween serving culture and employee (a) in-role performance, (b) creativity, (c) customer ser- vice behaviors, and (d) turnover intentions.

METHOD

Sample and Procedure

Store general managers and hourly employees of 76 restaurants (34% of the chain’s total restaurants) located in 6 U.S. states were invited to participate. To enhance data collection efficiency, we ran-

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domly selected restaurants within the 10 metropol- itan areas containing the largest number of restau- rants in the chain. Managers responded to a web- based survey and employees completed paper surveys on site during paid work hours with a member of our research team present.

Seventy-one managers (response rate � 93%) and 1,143 employees (response rate � 71%) com- pleted surveys. We restricted our sample to em- ployees who worked at least 20 hours a week and had a store tenure of at least 1 month, resulting in a final employee sample size of 961. The average number of employees per store in the final sample was 13.53 (SD � 4.44). The average age of the managers was 35.37 (SD � 7.35) years; 5 (7%) were women; in terms of ethnicity, 47 described themselves as Caucasian (66%), 11 Hispanic (16%), 5 Asian (7%), 2 African-American (3%), and 1 Mid- dle-Eastern (1%), with 5 (7%) missing responses; with regard to education level, 33 (47%) had a high school diploma, 12 (17%) had an associate degree, 21 (30%) had a college degree, and 1 (1%) had a graduate degree, with 4 (5%) missing responses; average tenure was 8.62 (SD � 4.04) years for the organization and 3.51 (SD � 3.12) years at the store. The average age of employees was 30.25 (SD � 10.61) years; 494 (51%) were women; in terms of ethnicity, 519 considered themselves Hispanic (54%), 245 Cau- casian (26%), 75 African-American (8%), 24 Asian- American (3%), 6 Native American (1%), and 7 Mid- dle-Eastern (1%), with 85 missing responses (7%); 594 employees (62%) had a high school degree, 119 (12%) had an associate degree, 55 (6%) had a college degree, 16 (2%) had a graduate degree, 171 (18%) had no degrees, and 6 did not report. Employees had an average of 3.63 (SD � 3.80) years of organizational tenure and had worked 2.99 (SD � 3.19) years in their current store.

Measures

The variables included are part of a larger study. All response scales for the measures were on a 1 � strongly disagree to 7 � strongly agree scale with the exception of the response scale for the store performance dimensions.

Servant leadership. Employees evaluated their managers’ servant leadership using a shortened version of the servant leadership scale developed by Liden et al. (2008). The original scale has 28 items measuring 7 dimensions of servant leader- ship; the 7-item scale is composed of the highest

loading item from each of the 7 dimensions: (1) My manager can tell if something work-related is going wrong; (2) My manager makes my career develop- ment a priority; (3) I would seek help from my manager if I had a personal problem; (4) My man- ager emphasizes the importance of giving back to the community; (5) My manager puts my best in- terests ahead of his/her own; (6) My manager gives me the freedom to handle difficult situations in the way that I feel is best; (7) My manager would NOT compromise ethical principles in order to achieve success. Thus, all 7 dimensions were captured in the short version (� � .84).

Given that we did not use the full 28-item servant leadership scale, we assessed the validity of the 7-item short version by comparing the 7- and 28- item versions of the scale using an independent field sample in which followers rated their leaders using the 28-item version of the Liden et al. (2008) servant leadership scale. We obtained a sample from a large real estate company. The dyadic sam- ple consisted of 190 employees for which complete data on the 28-item scale were available (38% ef- fective response rate). There were 178 complete dyads that included all 28 servant leadership items as well as organizational citizenship behavior di- rected toward the organization (OCB-O) items as measured with Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Moorman, and Fetter’s (1990) 14-item scale (� � .88). The correlation between the 28-item and 7-item com- posites was .97 and the �’s for the 7- and 28-item versions were .87 and .96, respectively. A confir- matory factor analysis (CFA) provides support for our 7-item scale as representing a single factor (comparative fit index (CFI) � .99; normed fit index (NFI) � .97; goodness of fit index (GFI) � .96; standardized root-mean-square re- sidual (SRMR) � .03; root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA) � .07). In order to assess comparative criterion-related validity, we also tested the relationships between servant leader- ship and manager-rated OCB-O, comparing the 7-item and the 28-item scales. The 7-item scale was significantly related to OCB-O (R2 � .15, F(1, 177) � 30.45, p � .01; � � .38, p � .01) as was true with the full 28-item scale (R2 � .17, F(1, 177) � 34.96, p � .01; � � .41, p � .01).

Serving culture. Serving culture of the store was reported by employees. Following the referent-shift consensus model (Chan, 1998), we modified the 7-item servant leadership scale described above to create the serving culture measure (� � .82). We replaced “managers” with “managers and employ-

2014 1441Liden, Wayne, Liao, and Meuser

ees” for all 7 items to assess perceptions of the extent to which everyone within a store engaged in the behavior depicted in the item: (1) Managers and employees at our store can tell if something work- related is going wrong; (2) Managers and employees at our store make employee career development a priority; (3) Managers and employees at our store would seek help from others if they had a personal problem; (4) Managers and employees at our store emphasize the importance of giving back to the community; (5) Managers and employees at our store put others’ best interests ahead of their own; (6) Managers and employees at our store give others the freedom to handle difficult situations in the way that they feel is best; (7) Managers and employ- ees at our store would NOT compromise ethical principles in order to achieve success.

Identification with the store. We used a 5-item organizational identification scale (Mael & Ash- forth, 1992) to assess employee identification with the store. A sample item is, “When someone crit- icizes our store, it feels like a personal insult” (� � .86).

Store performance. The store performance mea- sure was a composite formed by five measures from three sources collected by the corporate headquarters. Specifically, store performance was a composite of carryout accuracy, delivery accuracy, customer sat- isfaction, facility audit score, and sanitation audit score. These measures were provided by our hu- man resources contact at the corporate headquar- ters and were regularly collected and used inter- nally as overall store performance indicators by the organization. Customers provided ratings on carry- out accuracy, delivery accuracy, and customer sat- isfaction. Facility audits, conducted by corporate headquarters staff, reflected how well each store maintained its exterior and interior facilities, such as patio furniture, floor tiles, salad bar, drink sta- tion, and ice cream machine, with higher scores indicating higher-quality conditions. The sanita- tion audit, which was conducted by an external firm, assessed the levels of health, safety, and cleanliness of food, with higher scores indicating better sanitation. Because the indicators were not on the same measurement scale, we standardized them (z-scores) prior to model estimation. This standardization procedure ensured that each of the five indicators had an equal weight in determining the store performance composite.

In-role performance. Employees’ in-role perfor- mance was evaluated by their managers using 4 items from the scale developed by Williams and

Anderson (1991). A sample item is, “In general, this employee adequately completes assigned duties” (� � .92).

Creativity. Managers rated employees with Tier- ney and Farmer’s (2011) 4-item scale. A sample item is, “This employee tries out new ideas and approaches to problems” (� � .92).

Customer service behaviors. Employees were rated by managers using an adaptation of the 4-item customer orientation scale from Rogg, Schmidt, Shull, and Schmitt (2001). An example item is, “This employee consistently anticipates customer needs and takes appropriate actions to satisfy their needs” (� � .88).

Turnover intentions. Turnover intentions were based on employees’ self-reports on a 5-item scale from Wayne, Shore, and Liden (1997). A sample item is, “As soon as I can find a better job, I’ll leave [company name]” (� � .81).

Confirmatory and Exploratory Factor Analysis

Results of CFAs, run to determine whether our measurement model captured distinct constructs, showed that the hypothesized 7-factor model pro- vided an acceptable fit to the data, with �2 (573, n � 961) � 2,060.66, CFI � .92, Tucker-Lewis in- dex (TLI) � .92, RMSEA � .05, and SRMR � .04. All of the observed items had significant loadings on their respective latent factors. We further com- pared our hypothesized measurement model to three alternatives: (1) a 2-factor model with manager-rated outcomes loading on 1 latent factor and employee- rated variables loading on another, which provided a significantly worse fit to our hypothesized model, with ��2 (20, n � 961) � 6,335.42, p � .01; (2) servant leadership and serving culture, specified to load on 1 latent factor, employees’ attitudinal vari- ables (i.e., employee identification with the store, and turnover intentions) on a 2nd latent factor, and employee behavioral outcomes on a 3rd factor, which provided a worse fit than our hypothesized model, with ��2 (18, n � 961) � 5,103.87, p � .01; and (3) a 6-factor solution with servant leadership and serving culture loading on one factor and the other variables on their own respective factors, which provided a worse fit than our hypothesized model, with ��2 (6, n � 961) � 595.67, p � .01. In addition, we conducted an exploratory factor anal- ysis with principal axis factoring extraction and oblique rotation, and we found that servant leader- ship and serving culture were perceived distinctly by employees, with items from the two measures

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having clean loadings on their respective construct. These results indicated that the measures used in the present study captured distinct constructs as expected.

Data Aggregation and Levels of Analysis

To test the hypothesized multilevel model, ser- vant leadership of the manager and serving culture were aggregated to the store level, which was ap- propriate based on results of a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), which showed that the means of servant leadership and serving culture differed significantly across stores, with F(70, 888) � 2.71, p � .01, and F(70, 887) � 1.99, p � .01, respec- tively. In addition, intra-class correlations, ICC(1) and ICC(2), were respectively .11 and .60 for ser- vant leadership and .07 and .50 for serving culture. Lastly, the median within-group inter-rater reliabil- ity (rwg(j); James, Demaree, & Wolf, 1984) across stores was .94 for servant leadership and .95 for serving culture.

Analytic Strategy

Because employees’ responses were nested within stores (units), we used Mplus 6 (Muthén & Muthén, 2010), which allowed us to estimate our multilevel model simultaneously. Given the nature of our path model, we used manifest variables in the estimation. Also, maximum likelihood with robust standard er- rors was used for coefficient estimates (for technical details, see Muthén & Muthén, 2010). We tested the

significance of multilevel indirect effects using the Monte Carlo method1 to compute confidence inter- vals (CIs) (Preacher, Zyphur, & Zhang, 2010).

RESULTS

Table 1 presents the means, standard deviations, and bivariate correlations of the variables.

Model Estimation

In order to estimate our model, we specified paths from employee identification with the store to outcomes at the individual level, allowing slopes to randomly vary across stores. Cross-level direct effects were specified from serving culture to em- ployee identification with the store and individual outcomes. At the store level, store manager servant leadership was specified to have a direct effect on serving culture, which would, in turn, relate posi- tively to store performance. The Akaike informa- tion criterion (AIC) value of the hypothesized model was 12,425.23, smaller than that of the model without direct paths from serving culture to individual outcomes (AIC � 13,545.93); this indi- cated that our hypothesized model was superior.2

Furthermore, pseudo R2 (~R2) was calculated using

1 Technical details and the R-based Monte Carlo sim- ulator are available from http://www.quantpsy.org.

2 We estimated an alternative model with additional direct paths specified. The alternative model added di- rect paths from servant leadership to store performance, individual outcomes, and employee identification with

TABLE 1 Means, Standard Deviations, and Bivariate Correlations

Variables M SD 1 2 3 4 5

Store-Level 1. Store Manager Servant Leadership 5.41 .54 .84 2. Serving Culture 4.99 .42 .69** .82 3. Store Performance .00 .56 .31* .27* — Individual Level 1. Employee Identification with the Store 5.78 1.18 .86 2. In-Role Performance 5.82 .87 .10** .92 3. Creativity 4.48 1.09 .10** .43** .92 4. Customer Service Behaviors 5.32 1.14 .10** .58** .66** .88 5. Turnover Intentions 3.12 1.21 –.26** –.06 –.05 –.06 .81

Note: n � 952–961 for individual-level variables. n � 53–71 for store-level variables. Internal consistency coefficients, Cronbach’s alphas, are reported in bold on the diagonal. Store Performance consists of carryout accuracy, delivery accuracy, customer satisfaction, facility audit, and sanitation audit, all of which were z-standardized in forming the composite.

* p � .05 ** p � .01

2014 1443Liden, Wayne, Liao, and Meuser

Snijders and Bosker’s (1999) formulas to indicate the total amount of variation in the level-1 and level-2 outcome variables that were accounted for by our model. In total, the proportion of variance explained by our model was 6% for store perfor- mance, 8% for in-role performance, 6% for creativ- ity, 9% for customer service behaviors, and 68% for turnover intentions.

Tests of Hypotheses

Results of direct effects appear in Figure 1, while Table 2 presents the estimated indirect effects. As

shown in Figure 1, store manager servant leader- ship was positively related to serving culture (� � .54, p � .01); therefore, Hypothesis 1 was sup- ported. Furthermore, supporting Hypothesis 2, serving culture related positively with store perfor- mance (� � .33, p � .05). To test the mediation hypothesis, we used a parametric bootstrap proce- dure with 20,000 Monte Carlo replications (Preacher et al., 2010). Bootstrapping results showed significant positive indirect effects of store manager servant leadership on store performance, with the indirect effect � .18 (95% CI: .03, .35). Thus, Hypothesis 3 was supported.

Our next hypothesis involved a cross-level direct effect of serving culture on employee identification with the store. As shown in Figure 1, we found this relationship to be positive and significant (� � .68, p � .01). Thus, Hypothesis 4 was supported. More- over, supporting Hypothesis 5, 20,000 Monte Carlo

the store. None of these additional direct paths was sig- nificant, suggesting that serving culture fully mediated the effects of servant leadership on store performance, individual outcomes, and employee identification with the store.

FIGURE 1 Cross-Level Servant Leadership Model Results

Unstandardized Path Coefficients for the Hypothesized Model. * p � .05

** p � .01

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replications showed that the indirect effect for store manager servant leadership ¡ serving culture ¡ employee identification with the store was .37 (95% CI: .22, .54). Supporting Hypotheses 6a through 6d, employee identification with the store was positively related to in-role performance (� � .04, p � .05), creativity (� � .06, p � .05), and cus- tomer service behaviors (� � .06, p � .05), and neg- atively related to turnover intentions (� � �.23, p � .01). Hypotheses 7a–7d reflected the direct effects of serving culture on individual outcomes. Results show that serving culture was positively related to in-role performance (� � .35, p � .05), creativity (� � .43, p � .05), and customer service behaviors (� � .52, p � .01), and negatively related to turnover intentions (� � �.53, p � .01). Therefore, Hypotheses 7a through 7d received full support.

In addition to the direct effects, Hypotheses 8a to 8d proposed a series of multilevel indirect effects from store serving culture to individual employee outcomes via employee identification with the store. With 20,000 Monte Carlo replications, we found that the indirect effect for serving culture ¡ employee identification with the store ¡ in-role performance was .03 (95% CI: .002, .06). The indirect effect for serving culture ¡ employee identification with the store ¡ creativity was .02 (95% CI: .01, .07). The indirect effect for serving culture ¡ employee iden- tification with the store ¡ customer service behaviors was .02 (95% CI: .01, .08). The indirect effect for serving culture ¡ employee identification with the store ¡ turnover intentions was –.16 (95% CI: –.23, –.09). Thus, Hypotheses 8a– 8d were supported.

DISCUSSION

Building on prior research, the current investiga- tion explored mechanisms through which servant leadership impacts individual effectiveness and unit (store) performance. Drawing on social learn- ing theory (Bandura, 1977), we proposed that fol-

lowers model the servant leader behaviors of their formal leaders, creating a serving culture at the store level. Modeling of servant leadership occurs among followers as a result of the qualities that comprise servant leadership and the leader’s en- couragement. Servant leaders are characterized as possessing strong conceptual skills, high levels of integrity, and concern for followers. These qualities create desirable role models for followers, such that they emulate their leaders’ behaviors. Furthermore, servant leaders actively encourage followers to model their behavior by emphasizing that they should also put others’ needs ahead of their own. Supporting social learning theory, our results re- vealed a positive relation between servant leader- ship and serving culture, indicating that there is a relationship between followers’ perceptions of their formal leaders’ servant leadership behaviors and their reports of the degree to which everyone employed within their store focuses on serving oth- ers. This finding is noteworthy in that the process by which servant leadership impacts followers is through a serving culture, which differs from other approaches to leadership. Our results suggest that servant leadership impacts followers through a role modeling process and in turn, impacts interactions among all members of the unit. Consequently, ser- vant leadership operates not only at the individual or dyadic level between the leader and follower but also through culture at the unit level. Servant lead- ership creates norms and expectations for behavior among followers, which illuminates their other- orientation motives, resulting in a strong serving culture and supportive coworker interactions. Im- portantly, our results revealed that through a serv- ing culture, servant leadership is positively related to store/unit performance. Studies have found that cohesive groups develop a strong collective expec- tation that members perform behaviors that benefit the group (e.g., Ehrhart, 2004). Because of a serving culture, all of those employed by the store support

TABLE 2 Summary of Estimated Indirect Effects

Indirect Paths Indirect Effects

(95% Confidence Interval)

H3: Store Manager servant leadership ¡ serving culture ¡ store performance .18 (95% CI: .03, .35) H5: Store Manager servant leadership ¡ serving culture ¡ employee identification with the store .37 (95% CI: .22, .54) H8a: Serving culture ¡ employee identification with the store ¡ in-role performance .03 (95% CI: .002, .06) H8b: Serving culture ¡ employee identification with the store ¡ reativity .02 (95% CI: .01, .07) H8c: Serving culture ¡ employee identification with the store ¡ customer service behaviors .02 (95% CI: .01, .08) H8d: Serving culture ¡ employee identification with the store ¡ turnover intentions –.16 (95% CI: –.23, –.09)

2014 1445Liden, Wayne, Liao, and Meuser

each other and work together to meet customer needs, thereby enhancing store performance.

While our model posits that serving culture is related to individual outcomes as well as store- level outcomes, we argued for the critical role of employee identification with the store as an under- lying explanation for why servant leadership is re- lated to individual outcomes. As noted, for most individuals, servant leadership includes behaviors that are desired and viewed positively by others, especially followers. Leaders who engage in these behaviors create a culture whereby norms and ex- pectations are based on being cooperative, caring, supportive, and trusting. Because most individuals desire to “fit in” and be accepted by the group, group norms and expectations often drive em- ployee behavior. While strong group norms are per- suasive in terms of guiding behavior, we proposed and found that employee identification with the store underlies the linkage between serving culture and employee outcomes, consistent with social identity theory (Tajfel, 1972, 1978).

These results underscore that individuals not only model the behavior of their leader, as pre- dicted by social learning theory, but also activate an internal process of identification with their group that leaves them cognitively attached to their store, such that they feel a sense of belonging (Ash- forth & Mael, 1989). Therefore, through the process of creating a serving culture, leaders highlight the importance of nurturing group members and pur- suing unit objectives, which in turn encourages employees to view themselves as members of the unit. It may be because of this internal change that a serving culture impacts a broad set of individual outcomes, including in-role performance, creativ- ity, customer service behaviors, and reduced turn- over intentions—all of which benefit the store. We therefore contribute to the growing body of re- search that suggests leaders influence their follow- ers’ identities (Lord & Brown, 2004).

The positive relationship found between identi- fication and creativity is critical, as theory suggests and research has shown that identification does not always result in positive outcomes. For example, Pratt (2001) has cautioned that identification can be negatively related to creativity, because high levels of identification with a group may engender con- formity to rules, thus thwarting the exploration of better ways to execute jobs. Our finding in the current investigation highlights the feature of ser- vant leadership that promotes empowerment and encourages divergent ways of accomplishing tasks.

In essence, when employees identify with their stores’ serving culture, their identification leads to creative ways of serving others, including cowork- ers and customers. Interestingly, Greenleaf (1970) stressed the leader’s encouragement of followers to express divergent points of view in his seminal essay on servant leadership. In line with this argu- ment, our study shows an additional intermediate mechanism by which servant leadership impacts employee creativity (Neubert et al., 2008) and thus contributes to the creativity literature as well.

The relationship between serving culture, store identification, and customer service behaviors fol- lows from the cognitive association with the store as an in-group to which the individual belongs. The individual then desires that customers have a pos- itive experience and think highly of the store. To be a member of an in-group within a serving culture is to cognitively associate these servant leader behav- iors as the “right” ones. In order to avoid cognitive dissonance, the employee serves not only fellow employees in the store, but customers as well. This is notable, as customers may then be cognitively viewed as members of the in-group. Employees of service organizations can often, ironically, see cus- tomers as a burden rather than an opportunity, and engage in tacit neglect or outright sabotage (Wang, Liao, Zhan, & Shi, 2011). Our study provides evi- dence that supports the theoretical view of the ser- vant leader as valuing multiple stakeholders (here, the various customers) and suggests that establish- ing a serving culture and employee identification with the store may serve as an approach for increas- ing customer satisfaction.

Strengths and Limitations

Perhaps the strongest feature of our study’s de- sign was the inclusion of data from five sources: employees, managers, customers, internal audits by headquarters, and external audits by consultants. This design feature greatly reduced the possibility of results being influenced by same-source com- mon method bias. Another strength of the investi- gation was that employee data were collected on site at each restaurant during paid working hours by two of the authors. Unlike web-based surveys, which are typically completed by employees dur- ing off-work (unpaid) time, our employee partici- pants completed surveys with a researcher present. This design feature is likely to have been responsi- ble for the high response rates obtained. High re- sponse rates are particularly important in our in-

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vestigation because several measures were based on aggregated responses, and aggregation to the group (store) level is meaningful only when a sub- stantial percentage of employees complete surveys (Timmerman, 2005). A final strength of our study was the organizational setting of chain restaurants, which was particularly advantageous for testing our multilevel model given that individuals worked within a single store and thus were mem- bers of a clearly designated group with little or no contact with other groups.

One weakness of our study was the cross-sec- tional design, which precludes our ability to make causal inferences. For example, it is possible that individual employee behaviors influenced culture perceptions, which in turn encouraged leaders to reinforce the culture with continued engagement in servant leader behaviors. However, given the for- mal position power of the leader, we believe the causal direction as depicted in our model is more likely. Longitudinal research is necessary to ascer- tain the validity of our contentions regarding the causal relations among the variables. Another weakness of our study is our operationalization of servant leadership and serving culture. Owing to survey length limitations, we were unable to in- clude the full 28 items for both constructs on the survey, but instead used a 7-item short form. Al- though evidence from an independent sample in- dicates that the content domains of these constructs are assessed, we have been unable to analyze the dimensions of servant leadership and serving cul- ture. An additional limitation of these two mea- sures is that they overlap in content, given that the serving culture items refer to the overall degree to which managers and employees engaged in the same behaviors that were assessed in the servant leadership scale for which the referent was the store manager exclusively. Even though the corre- lation between these two measures (r � .69) does not suggest redundancy, the theoretical overlap between the two makes it difficult to isolate the degree to which leaders’ behaviors influenced the behaviors of followers. Another limitation of the serving culture measure is that it focuses on behavioral norms and not the full domain of culture, such as one that also captures aspects of culture (e.g., values and artifacts).

Implications for Practice

Several trends in organizations around the globe indicate that servant leadership will become pro- gressively more relevant. The increasing size of the

service sector combined with escalating levels of competition point to the need for leadership ap- proaches that are best suited toward developing employees so that their full potential is realized. As employees’ education levels increase, autocratic leadership approaches will no longer be tolerated. Instead, employees expect a more personal, indi- vidualized, and cooperative leadership style. Ser- vant leadership, with its inherent prioritization of fulfilling follower needs, offers promise in fulfilling the expectations of followers. The beneficial out- comes continue as followers adopt a focus on helping others and contributing to meeting goals that satisfy the needs of multiple stakeholders, including cus- tomers, other employees, management, and commu- nities in which the organization is embedded.

In order to realize these benefits of servant lead- ership, it is important for managers to realize that servant leadership is more than creating a pleasant work atmosphere, as this form of leadership posi- tively relates to performance-related outcomes. Be- cause of increased span of control and demands on leaders’ time, leaders are often unable to con- stantly be present or visible to followers. Yet, when a serving culture exists, the desired behaviors are en- couraged and maintained through coworker interac- tions. In this way, servant leadership creates a self- perpetuating cycle, such that followers engage in these behaviors with each other to the point whereby the norms and expectations within the group impact employee behaviors that drive performance. Thus, it is imperative that managers be trained to adopt ser- vant leadership behaviors. While some leaders will more easily gravitate toward servant leadership than other managers (see Peterson et al., 2012), training should be able to move the distribution of servant leadership behaviors towards greater engagement in these behaviors by all managers.

Another practical implication of the current study is that servant leadership goes beyond simply enhancing employee commitment and compliance, and it does this by increasing employee identifica- tion with the store or organization. Thus, managers should be encouraged to engage in servant leader behaviors, because these behaviors can create a work culture that not only increases followers’ affective attachment to the group but also promotes followers’ cognitive acceptance of the group’s values.

Future Research

There are several avenues for future research based on the results of our study. In explaining the

2014 1447Liden, Wayne, Liao, and Meuser

relation between serving culture and store perfor- mance, we argued that followers or employees not only engage in servant leadership with each other but also with customers, thereby increasing the quality of customer service. Future research is needed to di- rectly assess this contention as to whether serving culture increases employee servant leadership to- ward customers, given that we measured employee customer service behaviors but did not directly measure employee servant leadership. This also speaks to the perpetuation process of servant lead- ership in terms of how servant leaders develop among followers.

While we argued for the critical role of serving culture in explaining outcomes, other group phe- nomena have been shown to mediate the relation between servant leadership and individual and group outcomes. For example, justice climate and team potency have been found to mediate the rela- tion between servant leadership and group-level OCB (Ehrhart, 2004; Hu & Liden, 2011), as well as OCB at the individual level (Walumbwa et al., 2010). This growing area of research would benefit from clearer elucidation of the relative importance of these mediators with respect to the outcome of interest.

Another direction for future research is to ascer- tain the generalizability of our findings with a pro- fessional sample in a different industry. While the relationships in our model were supported, it may be that the customer-oriented nature of the business in- creased the importance of servant leadership and the resulting service culture, which supports serving the needs of others, including customers. The restau- rants also were composed of highly interdependent positions, which likely facilitated the contagion of servant leadership among coworkers.

An additional way in which to extend and en- hance the generalizability of our results, which were based on a sample of 7% female and 93% male leaders, is to examine servant leadership with a sample consisting of a larger percentage of women leaders. With a greater representation of women leaders, it would be possible to explore whether follower reactions to servant leadership varies based on the sex of the leader. An interesting paradox may exist here: research on women and leadership suggests that women generally have a more democratic, collaborative, and participative leadership style (Eagly, Johannesen-Schmidt, & van Engen, 2003); furthermore, women are more trans- formational compared with male leaders, espe- cially in terms of mentoring and developing col-

leagues (Eagly et al., 2003). These findings suggest that female leaders may be more likely to engage in servant leadership. Yet, female servant leaders may benefit less from engaging in servant leadership because of people’s stereotypes of effective leaders which emphasize masculine qualities, also referred to as “think manager, think male” (Eagly & Karau, 2002; Schein, 1973). Drawing on role congruity the- ory (Eagly & Karau, 2002), we encourage future research on how leader sex impacts follower re- sponses to servant leadership.

While our results indicate support for employee identification as an explanatory mechanism for the relation between serving culture and individual outcomes, the indirect effects were small for in-role performance, creativity, and customer service be- haviors, but moderate for turnover intentions. Fur- thermore, the direct relationship between serving culture and individual outcomes also received strong support. Thus, rather than employee identi- fication fully mediating the serving culture to indi- vidual outcome relation, our results provide evi- dence of only partial mediation. Extending these findings, we encourage future research to uncover additional mediators that enhance our understand- ing of how and why serving culture at the group level impacts individual-level outcomes. Although we have argued for identification as the explanatory mechanism based on social identity theory (Tajfel, 1972, 1978), it may be that a serving culture relates to individual outcomes through other mechanisms, such as enhanced feelings of trust and empowerment (Liden et al., 2014; van Dierendonck, 2011).

Finally, researchers have lamented the lack of theoretical integration of the plethora of leadership theories that exist in the literature (Avolio, 2007; Lord, Brown, Harvey, & Hall, 2001). Indeed, re- searchers have noted the theoretical overlap be- tween many leadership theories, including authen- tic leadership, charismatic leadership, ethical leadership, humble leadership, the path– goal the- ory of leadership, servant leadership, spiritual leadership, and transformational leadership (Avo- lio & Gardner, 2005; Brown & Treviño, 2006; Fry, 2003; Owens & Hekman, 2012). Researchers have begun to address this shortcoming of leadership research. For example, integration work has been undertaken in the area of transformational and trait-based approaches (DeRue, Nahrgang, Well- man, & Humphrey, 2011). Researchers should con- tinue this integration work, which is critical for advancing leadership research.

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CONCLUSION

Servant leadership is at an early stage of theoret- ical development. While there is a growing body of empirical evidence that this form of leadership has the potential to increase follower behavioral and attitudinal outcomes, limited attention has been devoted to uncovering the underlying mechanisms for how and why this occurs. Through a multilevel study design involving data collected from several sources, our study has extended the development of servant leadership theory. Our results offer promise for role modeling and social identity the- ories as key explanatory mechanisms based on our demonstration that serving culture and follower identification with the store were related to our outcomes of interest.

Building on our results, we encourage future re- search on the process by which servant leadership impacts followers and their organizations in order to further develop the theoretical basis of servant leadership.

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Robert C. Liden ([email protected]) is Professor of Man- agement, Coordinator of the Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management doctoral program, and Di- rector of Doctoral Programs for the College of Business Administration at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He received his PhD at the University of Cincinnati. His research focuses on interpersonal processes within the context of such topics as leadership, groups, and career progression.

Sandy J. Wayne ([email protected]) is Professor of Man- agement at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She received her PhD in management from Texas A&M Uni- versity. Her research focuses on understanding relation- ships in the workplace, including the antecedents and consequences of employee–leader and employee– organ- ization relationships.

Chenwei Liao ([email protected]) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations at Michigan State University. He received his PhD at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research focuses on leadership, leader–follower relationships, employment arrangements, and employment relationships.

Jeremy D. Meuser ([email protected]) is a PhD student in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Manage- ment at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research focuses on leadership, identity, and identification.

1452 OctoberAcademy of Management Journal

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Mandatory Assignment Resources/The Situational Leadership Theory.pdf

"Academy of Management Review. 1983. Vol. 8. No. 2. 285-291.

The Situational Leadership Theory: A Critical

CLAUDE L. GRAEFF Illinois State University

Theoretical issues undermining the robustness of the situationai leadership theory and the utility of its prescriptive model are discussed. More specifical- ly, conceptual ambiguity associated with the mechanics of applying the con- cept of job-relevant maturity and other problems with the normative model are seen as seriously limiting its pragmatic utility. In addition, problems with the LEAD instrument are identified and discussed.

Casual conversations with organization develop- ment consultants and/or industry personnel such as training directors and personnel managers quickly reveal the enormous popularity of the situational leadership theory. Indeed, an unobtrusive measure of its sustained popularity in industry is its ability to support three full pages of advertising extolling its virtues in the center of a leading practitioner's journal of training and development {Training and Development Journal, 1981). Moreover, given the in- creasing frequency with which the situational leader- ship theory is surfacing in academically oriented text- books (Connor, 1980; Glueck, 1980; Hodgetts, 1979; Yukl, 1981) and journals (Barrow, 1977), an aca- demic review of its theoretical robustness and nor- mative prescriptions seems appropriate.

Background

Building on the 3-D leadership framework presented by Reddin (1967), Hersey and Blanchard (1969) developed a life cycle theory of leadership, which they later renamed the situational leadership theory (1977). Using the traditional categories of leader behavior, initiating structure (IS), and con- sideration (C), they formulated a situational theory of leadership in which the primary situational deter- minant of leader behavior is the task-relevant maturi- ty of the subordinate(s). Subordinate task-relevant maturity is argued to consist of two factors—job maturity and psychological maturity (1982, p. 157).

' A H earlier version of this paper was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Management Association, Atlanta, 1981.

Job maturity is argued to reflect the capacity or abil- ity of the individual to perform the job. It is hypo- thesized to result from the amount of education and/or experience that the individual has acquired. Psychological maturity appears to reflect the motiva- tional state of the person via the individual's level of self-esteem and confidence. This dimension is argued to be associated with an achievement orien- tation and a willingness and ableness to accept re- sponsibility. Consistent with the common assertion that performance is determined mainly by ability times motivation (Campbell & Pritchard, 1976; Davis, 1957; Lawler, 1966; Maier, 1955; Mitchell, 1982; Porter & Lawler, 1968; Viteles, 1953; Vroom, 1964), Hersey and Blanchard identify preformance as the behavioral manifestation of job-relevant maturity.

Problems with the Normative Model

Several aspects of the Hersey-Blanchard prescrip- tive model for applying the job-maturity notion of situational leadership theory appear to discredit its theoretical robustness and to restrict severely its pragmatic utility.

Because the bell-shaped "prescriptive curve" (Her- sey & Blanchard, 1982), illustrated in Figure 1, in the normative model of the situational leadership theory is central to applying the theory, it is appropriate to review arguments presented as its theoretical justifica- tion. Citing Korman's (1966) review of initiating structure and consideration literature, Hersey and Blanchard argue that Korman suggests "the possibil-

285

Figure 1 The Situational Leadership

M4 M3 M2 Ml

Mature Immature

^Adapted from Hersey and Blanchard (1977).

ity of a curvilinear realtionship rather than a simple linear relationship between initiating structure and consideration and other variables" (1977, p. 160). In their latest version of the theory Hersey and Blan- chard assert only that "Situational Leadership Theory has identified such a curvilinear relationship" (1982, p. 150). This is a more ambiguous statement than were their 1977 arguments, and it is one that constitutes essentia]ly no theoretical justification for the "prescriptive curve." In their earlier version they stated that situational leadership theory *Ms based on a curvihnear relationship between taslc behavior and relationship behavior and maturity" (1977, p. 160). Subsequently, Graeff noted: "Since the preposition between is appropriate for linking any two variables, and because Korman did not suggest a curvilinear re- lationship between initiating structure and considera- tion, but rather a curvilinear relationship between IS and other variables, and C and other variables (most likely performance and satisfaction), Hersey and Blanchard appeared to be arguing for a curvilinear relationship between maturity and relationship

behavior, and between maturity and task behavior" (1981, p. 204). Unfortunately, examination of their earlier model (Hersey & Blanchard, 1977) or their more recent prescriptive model (Hersey & Blanchard, 1982) for applying situational leadership theory reveals that the task behavior dimension and maturity variables are all exhibited on the horizontal axis (Figure 1). An inverse direct relationship between the task dimension and either or both of the components of maturity is thereby indicated.

Graeff (1981) suggested that the significance of the inverse, direct relationship is best elucidated in rela- tion to the conceptual ambiguity of job-relevant ma- turity as it was used in the 1977 normative model'. In the 1977 version of situational leadership theory, both motivation and ability were compressed into a global measure of maturity; it was impossible to determine which was the debilitating influence (if both were not responsible) at extremely low levels of performance (i.e., low maturity). Also, in the 1977 version of situational leadership theory Hersey and Blanchard offered mainly examples and illustrations that suggested or stated that ability is the debilitating influence at extremely low levels of performance. Graeff argued "that the negative inverse relationship between task behavior and maturity implicitly weighs ability as the performance determinant given greater importance in situational leadership theory, if a positive causal relationship between task behavior on the part of the leader and an increase in subordinate ability is assumed" (1981, p. 205).

In the 1982 version of situational leadership theory Hersey and Blanchard attempt to reduce the concep- tual ambiguity inherent in the unidimensional scale of maturity used in the 1977 normative model. They dichotomize maturity into its respective components and promulgate the manner in which these compo- nents combine at the four levels of maturity. Unfor- tunately, the new model suffers from internal con- sistency problems (Aldag & Brief, 1981), exhibited by a conceptual contradiction and seemingly no the- oretical or logical justification for the way the com- ponents of maturity combine in the center two levels of maturity. The conceptual contradiction is reveal- ed by a comparison of their descriptions of the four levels of maturity with the normative model. Using a present-absent dichotomy for each of the two com- ponents of maturity, their descriptions of each of the four levels reveal that the subordinate(s) is/are presumed to be "unwilling" (not motivated) at the

286

M-1 and M-3 levels and "willing" (motivated) at the M-2 and M-4 levels of maturity. These assertions are inconsistent with the linear "psychological maturity" scale (willingness) exhibited in the normative model.

Further, Hersey and Blanchard argue that the sub- ordinate(s) is/are " u n a b l e " to perform at the M-1 and M-2 maturity levels and " a b l e " at the M-3 and M-4 levels. Considered with the motivation dimen- sion, then, the subordinate(s) is/are argued to be iess mffCu/-? when s/he is "willing" but " u n a b l e " to per- form at the M-2 level than at the M-3 level at which s/he is "unwilling" but " a b l e . " Essentially, they argue that a motivated person without ability is iess mature than an unmotivated person with ability. This gives "causal priority" to ability as the first-or- strongest-to-impact debilitating infiuence on perfor- mance (maturity), but a number of logical arguments could be made for just the opposite situation. For example, a motivated person who lacks ability (M-2) might be considered more mature than an un- motivated person with talent (M-3), especially if s/he is willing (motivated) to acquire the necessary skills. It seems logical to argue that in simple, routine, easy- to-learn tasks, performance will be negatively im- pacted (reflecting low maturity) more strongly by motivation problems than by the lack of ability. This belief is inherent in the folk-management Peter Prin- ciple (Peter & Hull, 1969) that suggests that the lack of ability, not motivation, comes into play as one en- counters more complex tasks with greater responsi- bility.

It is widely asserted and considerable evidence con- firms that ability and motivation combine interac- tively and not additively as performance determinants (Chung, 1977; Lawler, 1971; Lawler, 1973). There- fore, the absence of or a very low level of either would strongly infiuence performance in a negative fashion. A simple example reveals how overemphasis on the ability dimension severely limits the theoretical robustness of the prescriptive model and, therefore, the situtational leadership theory. If a subordinate displays a very low level of self-esteem resulting in no self-confidence, which reduces his/her motivation to zero, s/he will perform very poorly. This, in turn, would reflect a zero or very low maturity level. At low maturity, however, the model advocates high task (HT) and low relationship (LR) as appropriate behaviors (M - 1 = HT,LR), with coercion as the ap- propriate power base, the exact opposite of what Hersey and Blanchard advocate as appropriate for

the "shy or insecure employee" (1982, pp. 151, 183). High relationship and either low (LT) or high task (HT) behavior would seem more appropriate to boost the employee's self-image, confidence, and moti- vation.

The definition of relationship behavior as it is operationalized in the model also is problematic. The definition of high-relationship (HR) behavior switch- es from two-way communications and socioemo- tional support in Quadrant (Q) 2 (HT,HR) to parti- cipative decision making (participation via two-way communication) in Q3 (HR,LT). If these leader be- haviors are all thought to impact primarily on psy- chological maturity (subordinate motivation) through "reinforcement," there ostensibly is no justification by Hersey and Blanchard for this dichotomy regard- ing the operational definition of "high relation- ships." In other words, no rationale is presented for offering "socioemotional support" as appropriate high relationship behavior (motivation technique) in Q2 and participative decision making as appropriate high relationship behavior (motivation technique) in Q3, and not vice versa. Further, and in a pragmatic sense, the leader engages in lots of behavior in the former (stroking, counseling, coaching, communi- cating, or reinforcing). Much the opposite is true for participative decision making in the latter because the absolute amount of leader behavior required is lower or minimal. The subordinates now are making deci- sions. The leader's actions are defined in the obverse of subordinate(s) behavior. Consequently, the defini- tion of high relationship behavior can be determined precisely in the normative model only in relation to a value of either high or low on the other dimension of maturity, task behavior.

The prescriptive model applying situational leader- ship theory argues that participative decision mak- ing as a management technique has " a higher prob- ability of success as one moves from low to moderate levels of maturity, and then begins to plateau in ef- fectiveness as followers become high in task-relevant maturity" (Hersey & Blanchard, 1982, p. 169). This assertion is ambiguous, if not invariant, with regard to two other arguments on the same page. First, it clearly disagrees with their linear argument that "the higher the level of task-relevant maturity of an in- dividual or group, the higher probability that par- ticipation will be an effective mangement tech- nology" (Hersey & Blanchard, 1982, p. 169). Sec- ond, they argue that the effectiveness of participa-

287

tion reaches its apex in Q3 (HR.LT), and decreases in Q4 because of potential "group-think" problems (Janis, 1971). If a group is conceptualized as at least one more than a dyad (the leader and one follower), this theoretical justification seems incomplete and seriously weakened. Several theorists (Patchen, 1970; Vroom & Jago, 1974; Vroom & Yetten, 1973), in- cluding Hersey and Blanchard (1977), explicitly recognize that participative decision making also can occur in a one-on-one situation between one subor- dinate and a leader.

Finally, situational leadership theory argues that a high-task-low-relationship combination of leader behaviors is appropriate when the subordinate(s) is/are highly immature. This is because providing very much relationship behavior is likely to cause the subordinate(s) "to take advantage of a permissive leader" (Hersey & Blanchard, 1977, pp. 170-171), much the same as a child might exploit a parent. At the other end of the maturity continuum, at which situational leadership theory advocates a low-task- low-relationship combination of leader behavior, the normative model would advocate that a siight decrease in the motivation level of the subordinate(s), resulting in a moderately high level of maturity (M3), be met with a change in leader behavior to a com- bination of low-task-high-relationship behaviors. In- creasing relationship behavior (especially an increase in participative decision making), according to the logic and arguments presented above, might reinforce the decrease in performance that was caused by a decrease in motivation and, as a consequence, con- tribute to an even greater decrease in performance via further deterioration of subordinate(s) maturity to the M3 level. Hersey and Blanchard (1974) describe a situation essentially similar to the regression il- lustration just cited, in which decreased motivation appears to be lowering performance. They identify the Q2 combination of HR,HT behaviors as most ap- propriate and the Ql combination of HT.LR behav- iors as least appropriate. However, an argument could be made, consistent with expectancy theory (Vroom, 1964), that the HT,LR (Ql) combination is best for dealing with this type of motivational prob- lem because clarifying instrumentalities (P-O expec- tations) might provide the greatest leverage for restor- ing motivation levels. Accepting the expectancy argu- ment makes the situational leadership theory nor- mative model much less useful diagnostically: a slight decrease in performance via a decrease in motivation

at the Q4 level of maturity could possibly necessitate regression through the entire range of combinations of leader behaviors to the Ql position of HT.LR behavior. Besides the problem identified in Situation 10, there are other aspects of the situations described in the LEAD instrument that merit discussion be- cause of apparent inconsistencies or contradictions between the instrument and arguments presented in the situational leadership theory.

Problems with the LEAD Instrument

Hersey and Blanchard (1974) developed the leader adaptability and style inventory (LASI), which they later (1977) renamed the leader effectiveness and adaptability description (LEAD) instrument. Initial- ly, the instrument was designed to provide insight in- to one's perception of how he/she behaves as a leader, especially with respect "to three aspects of leader behavior: (1) style, (2) style range, and (3) style adaptability" (1977, p. 225). The 12 situa- tions described in the instrument require the respon- dent to select, from among four alternative solutions, the one that s/he believes is most appropriate for the situation as it is described. The four alternatives listed for each situation are argued to represent each of the four combinations of high or low task and relation- ship behaviors. The respondent's leadership style is determined by counting the number of respondent choices reflecting each of the four combinations (HT&LR, HT&HR, LT&HR, LT&LR).

One problem with the LEAD instrument as a mea- sure of perceived leadership style is that the low task- low relationship style appears to be seriously under- represented, or at least inadequately described, in solutions offered in several of the situations. They describe alternative actions, such as intentionally do not intervene, take no definite action, avoid confron- tation, leave things alone, and leave the group alone in situations I, 2, 6, 7, and 8, respectively. Descrip- tions of these actions seem to reflect extreme delega- tion if not abdication of the leadership role, or no leadership at all, instead of an adequate description of the low task- low relationship behaviors. Perhaps a more appropriate description of the low task-low relationship behavior combination might be something like: take little definite action, intervene only at a minimum, minimize interference into the group's functioning. The Hersey-Blanchard take-no- action-on-the-part-of-the-Ieader alternatives con-

288

tribute to an implicit bias away from selecting LT,LR style. They therefore reduce the diagnostic utility of the instrument to an overinflated measure of the re- maining three styles.

In addition to measuring the respondent's domi- nant and supporting styles from essentially three categories of leader behavior, the LEAD instrument purports to measure the respondent's style adaptabil- ity or effectiveness. The effectiveness score can range from + 24 to - 24. It is determined by summing the values assigned to the alternatives chosen in each of the 12 situations. The most to least appropriate alter- natives from among four in each situation are scored + 2, -)-1, - 1, and - 2 , respectively. Insufficient jus- tification for the values assigned to alternatives in several situations makes the validity of the effec- tiveness score highly suspect. For example. Situation 3 of the LEAD instrument reports;

Members of the group are unable to solve a problem themselves. Their leader has normally left them alone. Group performance and interpersonal relations have been good (Hersey & Blanchard, 1977, p. 260, em- phasis added).

Hersey and Blanchard's diagnosis of this situation reiterates that " t h e group is now unable to solve a problem" and it needs " a n intervention from the leader" (1977, p. 260). They promulgate that the high relationship-low task alternative is superior to the other three alternatives. Simultaneously, they state that the high task-low relationship combination is the least desirable of the four alternatives. Because it clearly is a lack of ability that is hampering perfor- mance, the leader intervention probably should be at least substantially task-oriented in nature, such as defining and/or clarifying roles, assigning tasks, coordinating efforts, and providing direction.

Situation 4 and Situation 7 in the LEAD instru- ment are extremely similar, if not identical. Yet, each is associated with a different leader behavior com- bination as the preferred alternative. In Situation 4 " t h e leader is considering a major change" with a group that has been performing well and "respects the need for change." In Situation 7, "the leader is considering changing to a new structure," and in the diagnosis of this situation Hersey and Blanchard note that this constitutes "major changes in the situa- t i o n . " Also in 7, "members of the group have made suggestions about needed change," which sounds very much like "refiects the need for change" in Situation 4. In both situations, the group members

are described as having been productive and fiexible in the past. It is noted that the most preferred solu- tion in Situation 4 is low relationship-low task. In Situation 7 the most preferred solution is high relationship-low task behaviors. This apparent ar- bitrary assignment of values to the alternatives does little to promote confidence in the validity of the LEAD instrument.

Situation 5 in the LEAD instrument implies that only decreased motivation is contributing to a de- crease in performance, because employee attitudes (unconcerned with meeting objectives) are targeted as the problem. In their diagnosis, however, Hersey and Blanchard state that " t h e group is relatively im- mature, not only in terms of willingness to take responsibility, but also in experience" (1977, p. 262). Ability and/or experience is not explicitly or implicit- ly considered in the description of Situation 5. It thus would appear that Hersey and Blanchard are reading substantially more into their diagnostic assessment of the situation, perhaps to justify selection of the high task-low relationship alternative as most ap- propriate for a group they identify (after the fact) as deficient in both ability (experience) and motivation.

A review of Situation 11 of the LEAD—including comparison of the situation description, situation diagnosis, and rationale for alternatives refiecting dif- ferent combinations of leader behaviors—refiects ambiguity, if not inconsistent logic, in advocating high relationship-low task as the best alternative. Their rationale for the two alternatives advocating low task leader behavior (which are preferred over both of the two high task alternatives) is that "some additional structure may be needed to improve the group's handling of tasks and directions" and there is need " t o focus on increasing productivity" (1977, p. 269).

Finally, Situation 12 clearly reveals that problems with interpersonal relations in the group most likely are affecting group performance via an impact on group cohesion and perhaps the motivation of group members. Hersey and Blanchard declare that the best alternative is to allow the group members to work it out themselves; hence, the low task-low relation- ship alternative is argued to be the best. The logic of this assertion is not obvious in their diagnostic ex- planation of why this is the preferred alternative.

289

Conclusions

The Hersey and Blanchard situational leadership theory makes minor contributions to the leadership literature. Perhaps most important is their focus on the truly situational nature of leadership and their recognition of the need for behavior fiexibility on the part of the leader (Yukl, 1981). In addition, their recognition of the subordinate as the most important situational determinant of appropriate leader behav- ior is a perspective that seems justified and highly appropriate if leadership is defined conceptually as usually is the case (Barrow, 1977), as an interpersonal phenomenon involving infiuence and collective ef- forts toward goal attainment.

The prescriptive model for applying situational leadership theory and the diagnostic instrument for measuring leader style, style range, and effectiveness merit much less favorable evaluations. The concept of task-relevant maturity that has been noted to be conceptually ambiguous (Barrow, 1977; Yukl, 1981) also exhibits serious internal consistency problems.

including a substantial conceptual contradiction. An absence of any theoretical explanation or justifica- tion for how the two components of maturity com- bine in the important middle range levels of matur- ity (M-2 and M-3) not only represents a serious weakness of the model, but it suggests the failure to recognize the commonly accepted notion about the multiplicative fashion in which the two primary deter- minants of performance usually combine. The diag- nostic curve used to link maturity to task and rela- tionship leader behaviors lacks theoretical justifica- tion, and the prescriptive model clearly is unable to handle some situations logically. Problems with the conceptual definition of relationship behavior and in- consistent arguments regarding the appropriateness of participative decision making contribute to a fur- ther erosion of the utility of the prescriptive model for use by the practitioner. The many problems in- herent in the LEAD instrument render its utility more appropriately, perhaps, to an item for eliciting discus- sion about leadership issues with students or man- agement-seminar participants.

References

Aldag, R. J., & Brief, A. P . Managing organizationai behavior. St. Paul, Minn.: West Publishing Company, 1981.

Barrow, J. C. The variables of leadership: A review and concep- tual framework. Academy of Management Review. 1977, 231-251.

Campbell, J. P., & Pritchard, R. D, Motivation theory in industrial and OrganizationaJ psychology. In M. D. Dunnette (Ed.), Hand- book of industrial and organizational psychology. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1976, 62-130.

Chung, K. H. Motivation theories and practices. Columbus, Ohio: Grid, Inc., 1977.

Connor, P. E. Organizations: Theory and design. Chicago: Science Research Associates, Inc., 1980.

Davis, K. Human relations in business. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 1957.

Glueck, W. F. Management. 2nd ed. Hinsdale, III.: The Dryden Press, 1980.

Graeff, C. L. Some theoretical issues that undermine the utility of the Hersey-Blanchard situational leadership theory: A critical view. Proceedings: The Relationship Between Theory, Research and Practice. I9th Annual Southern Management Meetings, Atlanta, 1981, 204-206.

Hersey, P., & Blanchard, K. H. Life cycle theory of leadership. Training and Development Journal, 1969, 23 (2), 26-34.

Hersey, P., & Blanchard, K. H. So you want to know your leader- ship style? Training and Development Journal, 1974, 28 (2), 22-37.

Hersey, P., & Blanchard, K. H. Management of organization behavior: Utilizing human resources. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice Hall, Inc. 1977.

Hersey, P., & Blanchard, K. H. Management of organization behavior: Utilizing human resources. 4th ed. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1982.

Hodgetts, R. M. Management: Theory, process and practice. 2nd ed. Hinsdale, 111.: Dryden, 1979.

Janis, I. L. Groupthink. Psychology Today, November 1971, 43-46.

Korman, A. K. Consideration, initiating structure, and organiza- tion criteria—A review. Personnel Psychology. 1966, 19, 349-361.

Lawler, E. E. Ability as a moderator of the relationship between ')oh attitudes and job pcTformatnce. I^rsonnel Psychology, 1966, 19, 153-164.

Lawler, E. H. Pay and organizational effectiveness: A psycholog- ical view. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1971.

Lawler, E. E. Motivation in work organizations. Monterey, Cal.: Brooks/Cole. 1973.

Maier, R. F. Psychology in industry. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1955.

Mitchell, T. R. People in organizations: An introduction to organization behavior. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1982.

Patchen, M. Participation, achievement and involvement on the job. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1970.

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Peter, L. J., & Hull, R. The Peter principle. New York: William Morrow & Co., 1969.

Porter, L. W., & Lawler, E. E. Managerial attitudes and perfor- mance. New York: Irwin-Dorsey, 1968.

Reddin, W. J. The 3-D management style theory. Training and Development Journal, 1967, 21 (4). 8-17.

Training and Development Journal. 1981, 35 (I), 39-41.

Viteles, M. S. Motivation and morale in industry. New York: W. W. Norton, 1953.

Vroom, V. H. Work and motivation. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1964.

Vroom, V. H., & Jago, A. Decision making as a social process: Normative and descriptive models of leader behavior. Decision Sciences, 1974, 5, 748.

Vroom, V. H., & Yetton, P . W. Leadership and decision mak- ing. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1973.

Yukl, G. A. Leadership in organizations. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1981.

Claude L. Graeff is Associate Professor of Management in the College of Business, Illinois State University, and President, Organization Design and Development Associates. Normal, Illinois.

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Mandatory Assignment Resources/Transactional Leadership.pdf

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Transactional Leadership

Disciplines > Leadership > Leadership styles > Transactional Leadership Assumptions | Style | Discussion | See also

Assumptions People are motivated by reward and punishment.

Social systems work best with a clear chain of command.

When people have agreed to do a job, a part of the deal is that they cede all authority to their manager.

The prime purpose of a subordinate is to do what their manager tells them to do.

Style The transactional leader works through creating clear structures whereby it is clear what is required of their subordinates, and the rewards that they get for following orders. Punishments are not always mentioned, but they are also well-understood and formal systems of discipline are usually in place.

The early stage of Transactional Leadership is in negotiating the contract whereby the subordinate is given a salary and other benefits, and the company (and by implication the subordinate's manager) gets authority over the subordinate.

When the Transactional Leader allocates work to a subordinate, they are considered to be fully responsible for it, whether or not they have the resources or capability to carry it out. When things go wrong, then the subordinate is considered to be personally at fault, and is punished for their failure (just as they are rewarded for succeeding).

The transactional leader often uses management by exception, working on the principle that if something is operating to defined (and hence expected) performance then it does not need attention. Exceptions to expectation require praise and reward for exceeding expectation, whilst some kind of corrective action is applied for performance below expectation.

Whereas Transformational Leadership has more of a 'selling' style, Transactional Leadership, once the contract is in place, takes a 'telling' style.

Discussion Transactional leadership is based in contingency, in that reward or punishment is contingent upon performance.

Despite much research that highlights its limitations, Transactional Leadership is still a popular approach with many managers. Indeed, in the Leadership vs. Management spectrum, it is very much towards the management end of the scale.

The main limitation is the assumption of 'rational man', a person who is largely motivated by money and simple reward, and hence whose behavior is predictable. The underlying psychology is Behaviorism, including the Classical Conditioning of Pavlov and Skinner's Operant Conditioning. These theories are largely based on controlled laboratory experiments (often with animals) and ignore complex emotional factors and social values.

In practice, there is sufficient truth in Behaviorism to sustain Transactional approaches. This is reinforced by the supply-and-demand situation of much employment, coupled with the effects of deeper needs, as in Maslow's Hierarchy. When the demand for a skill outstrips the supply, then Transactional Leadership often is insufficient, and other approaches are more effective.

See also Exchange principle, Transformational Leadership

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1/18/2019 Transactional Leadership

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Disciplines * Argument

* Brand management * Change Management * Coaching

* Communication * Counseling

* Game Design * Human Resources

* Job-finding * Leadership * Marketing

* Politics * Propaganda

* Rhetoric * Negotiation

* Psychoanalysis * Sales

* Sociology * Storytelling

* Teaching * Warfare

* Workplace design

Techniques * Assertiveness

* Body language * Change techniques

* Closing techniques * Conversation

* Confidence tricks * Conversion

* Creative techniques * General techniques * Happiness

Principles * Principles

Explanations * Behaviors

* Beliefs * Brain stuff

* Conditioning * Coping Mechanisms

* Critical Theory * Culture

* Decisions * Emotions * Evolution * Gender

* Games * Groups * Habit

* Identity * Learning * Meaning * Memory * Motivation

* Models * Needs

* Personality * Power

* Preferences * Research

* Relationships * SIFT Model

* Social Research * Stress

* Trust * Values

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By the

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By the Mind Tools Content Team

Transformational Leadership Becoming an Inspirational Leader

Everyone respects Molly. Her team members are fiercely loyal, and they're highly successful – as individuals, and as a team.

By contrast, other leaders in the organization report that their people seem disengaged. They experience high staff turnover, and their results are often disappointing.

So, what does Molly do that other leaders don't? Molly is a transformational leader and, in this article and video, we'll look at how you can be one, too.

To begin with, Molly regularly reminds her team members of the purpose of their work. And she knows that she's a role model for her team, so she demonstrates integrity in all of her working relationships.

She sets high expectations, but "walks the walk" to demonstrate the standards that she expects. In this article, we'll explore what transformational leadership is, and we'll outline how you can become a transformational leader.

What Is Transformational Leadership?



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Leadership expert James McGregor Burns introduced the concept of transformational leadership in his 1978 book, "Leadership." He defined transformational leadership as a process where "leaders and their followers raise one another to higher levels of morality and motivation."

Bernard M. Bass later developed the concept of transformational leadership further. According his 1985 book, "Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectations," this kind of leader:

Is a model of integrity and fairness.

Sets clear goals.

Has high expectations.

Encourages others.

Provides support and recognition.

Stirs the emotions of people.

Gets people to look beyond their self-interest.

Inspires people to reach for the improbable.

More than 25 years after Bass' book, transformational leadership is often argued to be one of the most important ideas in business leadership.

Note:

See our article on leadership styles  to explore other ways to lead, and to select the one that's right for your situation.

How to Become a Transformational Leader

We've distilled Bass' ideas into a process that you can use to become a transformational leader. This involves you:

1. Creating an inspiring vision of the future.

2. Motivating people to buy into and deliver the vision.

3. Managing delivery of the vision.

4. Building ever-stronger, trust-based relationships with your people.You are viewing 3 of 3 free articles Try our Club for just $1You are viewing 3 of 3 free articles Try our Club for just $1

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Note:

As you can see, our process doesn't map directly onto Bass' list. However, it does translate the traits that he set out into clear and actionable steps.

Use these steps, along with the tools we outline below, to develop your transformational leadership skills.

Step 1: Create an Inspiring Vision

People need a compelling reason to follow your lead, and this is why you need to create and communicate an inspiring vision of the future.

Your vision sets out your team or organization's purpose  – why you all get up in the morning to do what you do. You develop this partly by understanding the values  of the people you lead, partly by understanding the capabilities  and resources  of your organization, and partly by conducting an intelligent analysis of your environment, and selecting the best way forward within it.

This is the subject of business unit strategy, and developing a coherent strategy takes a lot of hard work and careful thought.

If you're developing a vision for your organization, use Mullins' Seven Domains Model  to analyze your environment. Then, use tools such as Lafley and Martin's Five-Step Strategy Model  to develop your strategy. This is usually then expressed in a business plan , and summarized in a mission statement .

If you're developing a vision for your team, start with the company's mission and vision, and explore the ways in which your team can contribute directly to it.

Step 2: Motivate People to Buy Into and Deliver the Vision

Now, starting with your mission statement , you need to appeal to your people's values , and inspire them with where you're going to lead them, and why.

Use business storytelling  as part of your call to action: this will help people appreciate the positive impact of your vision on the people you're trying to help. (Hint: if the only person you're trying to help is yourself, you won't inspire anyone.)

Then, talk about your vision often. Link it to people's goals and tasks to give it context, and help people see how they can contribute to it.

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Transformational leaders also know that nothing significant happens unless they encourage their people. So, make sure that you know about the different kinds of motivation, and use these to inspire your people to deliver their best.

Step 3: Manage Delivery of the Vision

A vision is no use on its own: it needs to become reality. However, many leaders make the mistake of developing a vision, but of not putting in the hard and often mundane work of delivering it.

To manage the delivery of your vision, you'll need to combine effective project management with sensitive change management . This will help you deliver the changes you need with the full support of your people. Communicate each person's roles and responsibilities clearly, and connect these to your plans. Everyone should fully understand what they're responsible for, and know how you will measure their success. Next, set clear, SMART  goals for everyone, including some short-term goals that will help people achieve quick wins and stay motivated. Use management by objectives  to link short-term achievement to your longer-term goals.

You may need to build your self-discipline  and stamina, so that you don't let yourself down. And, set a good example to your people – especially if they're affected by delays or difficulties – by being a model of hard work and persistence.

Also, stay visible by practicing management by walking around . This is an ideal technique for transformational leaders, because it helps you stay connected with daily activities, and allows you to answer questions as they arise.

Tip:

Clear communication is essential to transformational leadership.

Take time to make sure that your communications are heard and understood, and give clear, regular feedback , so that your people know what you want.

Step 4: Build Ever-Stronger, Trust-Based Relationships With Your People

As a transformational leader, you need to focus your attention on your people, and work hard to help them achieve their goals and dreams.

Use Dunham and Pierce's Leadership Process Model  as your starting point. This tool outlines how important your people are to your success as a leader.

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It also underlines the fact that leadership is a long-term process, and that, as a leader, you need to work constantly to build relationships, earn trust, and help your people grow as individuals.

Meet your people individually to understand their developmental needs  , and help them to meet their career goals. What do they want to achieve in their role? Where do they see themselves five years from now? How can you help them reach this goal?

You can build trust  with your people by being open and honest in your interactions. Use the Johari Window  to disclose safe personal information  about yourself, and to get a better understanding of "what makes your people tick."

Lastly, set aside time to coach  your people. When you help them find their own solutions, you not only create a skilled team, but you also strengthen their self-confidence and their trust in you.

Infographic

Click on the image below to see our infographic on Transformational Leadership

Key Points

Transformational leaders inspire great loyalty and trust in their followers. They have high expectations, and they inspire their people to reach their goals.

You can become a transformational leader by following these steps:

1. Create an inspiring vision of the future. You are viewing 3 of 3 free articles Try our Club for just $1You are viewing 3 of 3 free articles Try our Club for just $1

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2. Motivate people to buy into and deliver the vision.

3. Manage delivery of the vision.

4. Build ever-stronger, trust-based relationships with your people.

Keep in mind that, to succeed as a transformational leader, you'll need to work on your own skills, and set aside time and space for personal development.

This site teaches you the skills you need for a happy and successful career; and this is just one of many tools and resources that you'll find here at Mind Tools. Subscribe to our free newsletter, or join the Mind Tools Club and really supercharge your career!

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medent 2018-11-02 21:22:41

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It was okay. Good information

Lukas-O 2018-10-21 13:25:19

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