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How Leader and Follower Prototypical and Antitypical Attributes Influence Ratings of Transformational Leadership in an Extreme Context

Keng-Highberger, Fong; Avolio, Bruce; Lord, Robert; Hannah, Sean; Schaubroek, John; Kozlowski, Steve

How Leader and Follower Prototypical and Antitypical Attributes Influence Ratings of Transformational Leadership in an Extreme Context Thumbnail


Authors

Fong Keng-Highberger

Bruce Avolio

Sean Hannah

John Schaubroek

Steve Kozlowski



Abstract

Leadership is a process where leaders enact certain behaviors to influence followers. Yet, each follower may view the leader’s enactment differently, owing to differences in disposition and context. Here we examine leadership as a property attributed by followers to their leader, influenced by both the leader and followers’ personal attributes and the situation in which leaders and followers interact. Guiding this study, we asked: how do followers’ affect (negative and positive traits), motivation (regulatory focus), and cognitions (identity) and their congruence with their leader’s corresponding attributes influence their ratings of transformational leadership? Participants operated in extreme situations where their lives were often at risk because of exposure to combat. Results based on a sample of 1587 US Army soldiers operating in 262 units show that when there is a higher congruence between leaders’ and followers’ positive affect, promotion focus, relational identity, and collective identity, follower ratings of transformational leadership are higher, whereas a higher level of incongruence between followers’ and leaders’ positive and negative affect predicted lower ratings of transformational leadership. These findings differed based on the soldiers’ time spent in deployment and the level of combat exposure they experienced.

Citation

Keng-Highberger, F., Avolio, B., Lord, R., Hannah, S., Schaubroek, J., & Kozlowski, S. (2022). How Leader and Follower Prototypical and Antitypical Attributes Influence Ratings of Transformational Leadership in an Extreme Context. Human Relations, 75(3), 441-474. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726720958040

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jul 28, 2020
Online Publication Date Sep 30, 2020
Publication Date Mar 1, 2022
Deposit Date Aug 4, 2020
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Human Relations
Print ISSN 0018-7267
Electronic ISSN 0018-7267
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 75
Issue 3
Pages 441-474
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726720958040
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1264984

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Copyright Statement
Keng-Highberger, Fong Avolio, Bruce, Lord, Robert, Hannah, Sean, Schaubroek, John & Kozlowski, Steve, How Leader and Follower Prototypical and Antitypical Attributes Influence Ratings of Transformational Leadership in an Extreme Context, Human Relations (75:3) pp.441-474. Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). DOI: 10.1177/0018726720958040





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