Emotional and Motivational Correlates of Leadership Styles: A Comprehensive Framework for Understanding Effective Leaders

Abstract

It is widely believed that contemporary leaders must possess highly developed interpersonal, motivational, social, and emotional skills. However, empirical evidence documenting the specific role emotional intelligence (EI) and motivational constructs play in leadership is equivocal to date (e.g., Harms & Crede, 2010; Lindebaum & Cartwright, 2010; Walter, Cole, & Humphrey, 2011). The current study examined a proposed working leadership model based on four distinct leadership styles LSs; i.e., servant, transformational, transactional, and passive/avoidant) that could be viewed on an autonomy‐sophistication continuum based on readiness and strengths of both leaders and followers. Participants included 535 male and female junior college and high school students at a military academy. Cluster analysis (CA) results revealed four unique LS profiles that capture different combinations of the four LS styles. LS profiles were compared on a range of motivational and EI dimensions. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) results revealed support for hypothesized profile differences, including: (a) all three social motivation subscales, (b) both learning and capacity ability beliefs, (c) task but not ego motivational orientation, and (d) three revised EI subscales created when exploratory factor analysis failed to confirm the hypothesized Emotional and Social Competence Inventory factor structure for this cadet sample.