Abstract
Purpose: We propose and test a new leadership model. Our model is an extension of the leaderplex model which proposes that leader cognitive and social complexities are linked with leader effectiveness indirectly, in a mediation scheme, through behavioral complexity. We enhance the leader-plex model with a leader’s degree of managerial discretion as the moderator of the links in this mediation format.
Highlights
Despite a plethora of contextual dimensions that research considers relevant for leader ship processes (Johns, 2006; Oc, 2018; Porter and McLaughlin, 2006), one crucial aspect of context has been rather neglected: a leader’s managerial discretion and its relevance to the leader’s ability to navigate the constraints s/he faces (Clark, Murphy and Singer, 2014)
In Models 3 and 4, we find support for Hypothesis 4, which states that the ability to overcome constraints mediates the relationship between leader cognitive-social complexity and leader effectiveness
We emphasized the importance of two factors for the effectiveness of the leader – leader managerial discretion and his/her ability to overcome constraints – which may somewhat alleviate recent dissatisfaction with the usefulness of leadership studies (Kellerman, 2012)
Summary
Despite a plethora of contextual dimensions that research considers relevant for leader ship processes (Johns, 2006; Oc, 2018; Porter and McLaughlin, 2006), one crucial aspect of context has been rather neglected: a leader’s managerial discretion and its relevance to the leader’s ability to navigate the constraints s/he faces (Clark, Murphy and Singer, 2014). Instead, when considering the contextual aspect of a leader’s position within an organization, the literature typically focuses on a leader’s formal (nomi nal) place in the hierarchy of networks (Alban-Metcalfe and Alimo-Metcalfe, 2013) We address this gap in the literature by focusing on the effect of leaders’ managerial discretion Porter and McLaughlin (2006) note that only a few studies directly addressed contextual factors as central variables of interest They call for an increased emphasis on the context of leadership and on the effects of interactions among various components of that context We respond to this call and treat the two aspects – managerial discretion and the ability to overcome constraints – as a “bundle” of contextual elements that may jointly affect the relationships between leader capabilities and effectiveness
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