The Dual Effect of Transformational Leadership on Individual- and Team-Level Performance: The Mediational Roles of Motivational Processes.

Hairong Lu,Feng Li

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.606066

Abstract

Using matched four-stage data from 477 team members and their 132 team leaders in Chinese companies, we examined a cross-level model in which group- and individual-focused transformational leadership (TFL) and their influence on team and member performance from the perspective of multilevel model of motivation in teams. The results indicated that group-focused TFL exerts positive effects through sequential mediation of team efficacy and team process whereas individual-focused TFL has a positive effect on team members' performance through sequential mediation of followers' self-efficacy and individual regulation process. In addition, we also find significant cross-level mediation effects demonstrating that group-focused TFL was positively related to self-efficacy through the mediator of team efficacy, team efficacy was positively related to the individual regulation process through the mediator of the team process, team process was positively related to individual performance through the mediator of the individual regulation process. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed.

Highlights

Work teams have been used more and more broadly in modern companies, as people assume that working with a team can be more productive than work individually
As argued and demonstrated by Chen et al (2009) that self-efficacy is a proximal predictor of the individual regulation process due to its greater information value on forming judgments about personal competence, we propose that team efficacy is positively related to the individual regulation process through the mediating role of self-efficacy
We argue that the individual goal-accomplishing process and team performance mediate the relationship between the team goal-accomplishing process and individual performance

Summary

Introduction

Work teams have been used more and more broadly in modern companies, as people assume that working with a team can be more productive than work individually. Process loss during teamwork may undermine the effectiveness of the teams due to the failure in achieving individual and team goals. Researchers argued that the problems of process loss largely result from lacking motivation (Kerr and Bruun, 1983). Leaders are likely to play a key role in motivating followers and promoting team performance (Zaccaro et al, 2008). Leadership and team motivation are both multilevel phenomena (Gardner et al, 2020). A multilevel model is needed to understand motivational effects of leadership in teams

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