Romance Of Leadership Research Articles

Do congruent perceptions of an ethical leader and one's supervisor impact job-related outcomes? Testing mechanisms and boundaries

PurposeThe authors integrate social cognitive theory with social exchange theory to examine how subordinates' perceptions of leader-member exchange (LMX) and moral disengagement mediate the relationship between congruence on implicit leadership theories (ILTs) of ethical leaders and characteristics recognized in one's supervisor (ethical ILT–supervisor alignment) and subsequent engagement-related outcomes (engagement attitudes, job satisfaction and supervisor-directed deviance). The authors then examine romance of leadership (ROL) as a moderator of these relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe authors tested the theorized indirect effects and boundary conditions in a moderated mediation model using 180 working adults over three time points, in a polynomial regression framework using a block variable approach.FindingsThe authors found moderated indirect effects between ethical ILT–supervisor alignment and work-related outcomes via LMX and moral disengagement. ROL served as a boundary condition, such that the high levels bolstered the positive effects of ethical ILT–supervisor alignment.Originality/valueThe study results suggest that examining ethical leadership through the lens of implicit theories may be fruitful and highlight the importance of accounting for context when assessing the impact of ILTs.

An insatiable hunger for charisma? A follower-centric analysis of populism and charismatic leadership

While scholarship often assumes that strong leaders and charismatic leadership play an important role in the emergence of populist politics, research has missed a closer exploration of charisma attribution to populists. Addressing this charismatic leadership hypothesis requires populism and charisma to be analysed from the followers’ perspective. This article takes a unique look at the social-psychological dynamics behind populism. Using quantitative survey data that was collected from Hungarian voters ( N = 1200), this article examines the relationship between populist attitudes as follower characteristics in modern politics and charisma attribution. To reveal how a populist worldview can affect the follower’s expectations and perceptions, we break charisma attribution down into three phases: (1) the general hunger for charisma (the romance of leadership); (2) perceptions of charismatic behaviour of the top candidates in the 2022 Hungarian parliamentary elections (i.e., Viktor Orbán and Péter Márki-Zay); and (3) emotional attachment to these leaders. Our findings show that populism makes people more hungry for charisma and more sensitive to recognising charismatic behaviour but does not necessarily create an emotional bond with specific leaders. This article also sheds light on some directions of future research to explore other distinctive characteristics of populist followers that can influence social constructions of charismatic leadership. The limitations and implications are also discussed.

Identification of Followership Styles and Examining Association with Demographics in Indian Public Sector Telecommunication Corporation

Leadership research has too often neglected the follower, choosing instead to pursue what Meindl referred to as ‘The Romance of Leadership’. Execution and goal achievement is primarily dependent upon the follower in the leader–follower relationship. In the context of prevailing COVID-19 situation and prevalent work from home culture, it is argued that there is permanent shift in the dynamics between followership and leadership in favour of followership. This study contributes by empirically testing Kelley’s The Followership Questionnaire (TFQ) with its two sub-scales of Independent Critical Thinking (ICT) and Active Engagement (AE) in Indian context, identifying followership style prevalent in the studied organisation and examining the relationship of followership styles with demographic variables. The Followership Questionnaire was administered to 331 respondents from North, East, South and West zones of India.

Highlighting the Plural: Leading Amidst Romance(s)

ABSTRACT The current crisis makes leadership more visible and allows us to reflect on how leadership is conceived. In this essay, we consider how leadership has been represented during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in articles published in the business and general press. We show that, while images of heroic leadership are prevalent in this popular discourse – reminding us vividly of the romance of leadership – other elements, such as references to plural and decentred forms of leadership can be seen as also coexisting in this discourse, while not necessarily being explicitly acknowledged. Opting for a plural, relational and processual conception of leadership allows us to reveal these under-recognized elements. This leads us to propose that these elements are not specific to leadership in times of crises, but are always constitutive of leading in practice. We conclude by arguing that renewing understandings of leadership may require that we acknowledge simultaneously the inevitable presence of romance(s) in how we approach this phenomenon as well as its collective and relational accomplishment. Referring, in turn, to the central phenomenon as leading rather than as leadership may help us reach beyond the seductiveness of the romance(s) of leadership to capture its inherent relationality.

The romance of human leaders? A socio-material analysis of a follower’s account of being inspired

ABSTRACT The romance of leadership (ROL) has been much discussed amongst leadership researchers, yet few researchers actually analyze the way in which it is talked into being as it is socially constructed in the here-and-now of localized interaction. Drawing on the Montreal School’s interactional twist to Actor Network Theory with which to analyze transcripts of interview talk from a socio-material perspective, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the way in which a follower discursively constructs leadership. Findings indicate that, from the follower’s emic perspective, leadership occurs within a network of human and other-than-human actants that inspire her to act and follow the leader. This therefore challenges and nuances the conventional wisdom of leadership research that locates the ROL in the purely human leader. The implication of this for leadership research is clear: if followers construct (transformational) leadership in terms of socio-materiality, then so should leadership researchers.

대학 운동선수의 리더십로맨스, 팔로워십, 리더-구성원의 교환관계(LMX) 및 조직유효성의 구조적 관계에 관한 연구

대학 운동선수의 리더십로맨스, 팔로워십, 리더-구성원의 교환관계(LMX) 및 조직유효성의 구조적 관계에 관한 연구

A follower-centric approach to the 2016 US presidential election: Candidate rhetoric and follower attributions of charisma and effectiveness

The 2016 US Presidential Campaign was followed worldwide due to the dynamic nature of the candidates and the controversy surrounding them. This study takes a unique look at the candidacy of Donald Trump through the eyes of his followers. Using both qualitative data collected from campaign speeches and quantitative data collected from followers, our study examines (1) the positive/negative valence of the rhetoric used by both presidential candidates and (2) the relationship between follower characteristics, perceived threat of social groups, and attributions of charisma and effectiveness to Donald Trump. The results of this study suggest that Trump’s rhetoric was significantly more negative, hostile, and aggressive than Clinton’s. In addition, quantitative analyses show a direct relationship between followers’ attitudes toward gender and attributions of charisma and effectiveness to Trump. Finally, followers’ perceived threat of social groups mediated relationships between follower self-esteem, romance of leadership, gender attitudes, and attributions of charisma and effectiveness to Trump. Our results shed further light on the important role that follower characteristics and perceptions play in predicting social constructions of leadership and attributions of charisma. Implications for both organizations and scholars of leadership are discussed.

리더십 로맨스가 팔로워십과 조직효과성에 미치는 영향 – 조직동일시의 조절효과를 중심으로 –

리더십 로맨스는 리더에 대한 팔로워의 귀인성향으로서, 조직의 목표 달성을 위해 팔로워십을 이끌어 내는 중요한 요소라 할 수 있다. 본 연구는 팔로워십의 두 가지 차원인 독립비판적 사고와 능동적 참여의 선행요인으로서 리더십 로맨스를 고찰하고, 팔로워십이 직무몰입과 직무만족에 미치는 영향을 살펴보고자 하였다. 또한 조직구성원이 조직동일시를 지각하는 정도에 따라 리더십 로맨스가 팔로워십에 미치는 영향에 변화가 나타나는지 분석하고자 하였다. 본 연구는 제조업, 금융업, 정보통신업 등 다양한 산업에 종사하는 국내 기업체 조직구성원 312명을 대상으로 실시되었으며, 연구가설을 검증하기 위해 다중회귀분석을 실시하였다. 실증분석 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 리더십 로맨스와 팔로워십과의 관계는 통계적으로 유의하였다. 즉, 리더에 대한 과대귀인 정도가 높을수록 팔로워의 독립비판적 사고와 능동적 참여는 높게 나타났다. 둘째, 팔로워십과 조직효과성의 관계에 관한 가설 검증에서는 팔로워의 능동적 참여만이 직무몰입과 직무만족에 대해 통계적으로 유의한 정(+)의 관계가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 셋째, 리더십 로맨스와 팔로워의 독립비판적 사고 간의 관계에서 조직동일시의 조절효과가 통계적으로 유의하였다. 본 연구는 조직효과성에 영향을 미치는 팔로워십의 중요성과 함께 팔로워십의 선행요인으로서 리더에 대한 과대 귀인을 주목할 필요가 있다는 점을 시사 하고 있다.

Zone of Acceptance under Performance Measurement: Does Performance Information Affect Employee Acceptance of Management Authority?

AbstractPublic sector employees have traditionally enjoyed substantial influence and bargaining power in organizational decision making, but few studies have investigated the formation of employee acceptance of management authority. Drawing on the “romance of leadership” perspective, the authors argue that performance information shapes employee attributions of leader quality and perceptions of a need for change in ways that affect their acceptance of management authority, conceptualized using Simon's notion of a “zone of acceptance.” A survey experiment was conducted among 1,740 teachers, randomly assigning true performance information about each respondent's own school. When employees were exposed to signals showing low or high performance, their acceptance of management authority increased, whereas average performance signals reduced employee acceptance of management authority. The findings suggest that performance measurement can alter public sector authority relations and have implications regarding how public managers can use performance information strategically to gain acceptance of management authority and organizational change.

‘No More Heroes’: Critical Perspectives on Leadership Romanticism

This paper revisits Meindl et al’s (1985) ‘romance of leadership’ thesis and extends these ideas in a number of inter-related ways. First, it argues that the thesis has sometimes been neglected and/or misinterpreted in subsequent studies. Second, the paper suggests that romanticism is a much broader and more historically rich term with wider implications for leadership studies than originally proposed. Arguing that romanticism stretches beyond leader attribution, we connect leadership theory to a more enduring and naturalistic tradition of romantic thought that has survived and evolved since the mid-18thcentury. Third, the paper demonstrates the contemporary relevance of the romanticism critique. It reveals how the study of leadership continues to be characterized by romanticizing tendencies in many of its most influential theories, illustrating this argument with reference to spiritual and authentic leadership theories, which only recognize positive engagement with leaders. Equally, the paper suggests that romanticism can shape conceptions not only of leaders, but also of followers, their agency and their (potential for) resistance. We conclude by discussing future possible research directions for the romanticism critique that extend well beyond its original focus on leader attribution to inform a broader critical approach to leadership studies.

Eリーダーシップの分析方法 : リーダーシップのロマンスと対面状況への憧憬( 解釈主義と情報経営)

Eリーダーシップの分析方法 : リーダーシップのロマンスと対面状況への憧憬( 解釈主義と情報経営)

How the Influence of Unethical Leaders on Followers Is Affected by Their Implicit Followership Theories

Our research examines the role of followers in unethical leadership. Drawing on a social–cognitive approach to leadership and recent research in the field of behavioral ethics, we focus on how leader behavior and follower information processing interact to produce unethical outcomes. In two experimental studies simulating a personnel selection context, we examine to what extent individual implicit assumptions regarding the follower role (i.e., implicit followership theories, IFTs) relate to employees’ tendency to comply with leader unethical suggestions. In Study 1, controlling for possible alternative explanations such as personal need for structure, romance of leadership, and moral disengagement, we found that the IFT Good Citizen increased and the IFT Insubordination decreased followers’ tendencies to contribute to unethical leadership. In Study 2, we varied the leader’s unethical suggestions to further investigate the conditions under which these effects occur and included authoritarianism as an additional control variable. Overall, our findings suggest that IFTs make a unique contribution to our understanding of the role of followers in unethical leadership, and that this contribution depends on the way leaders frame their unethical request. Interaction effects suggest that follower characteristics need to be considered as they are embedded in specific situational settings rather than as isolated traits.

Investor perceptions of CEO successor selection in the wake of integrity and competence failures: A policy capturing study

Research summary: Drawing on theory about signaling, sensemaking, and the romance of leadership, we extend inquiry on investors' perceptions of CEO succession following misconduct. Whereas past studies have treated misconduct monolithically, we examine failures of integrity and competence separately. Using a policy capturing methodology that isolates investors' decision making from potential confounds, we find that, following an integrity failure, investors perceive outside and interim successors positively but inside successors negatively. Following a competence failure, investors perceive outside successors positively but are ambivalent toward inside and interim successors. Our findings indicate that whether an act of misconduct was an integrity failure or a competence failure, and what type of successor the firm chooses, are important considerations when using CEO succession as a means to restore investor confidence.Managerial summary: Business headlines regularly feature episodes of organizational misconduct, such as product safety problems, environmental violations, employee mistreatment, and securities lawsuits, and their aftermath. In such scenarios, shareholders demand answers from the people at the top, even if those people were not directly responsible for the problem. As a result, companies often fire the CEO as a means to restore investor confidence. Does this work? It depends on the type of misconduct and who is the CEO's successor. Following a competence failure, investors welcome the appointment of an outsider, but they are indifferent to inside and interim successors. Following an integrity failure, shareholders greet outside and interim CEO successors favorably while frowning on the promotion of insiders. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Are Leaders Romanticized in China? A China-U.S. Comparison

Romance of leadership refers to the tendency to attribute organizational performance outcomes to leadership as opposed to other factors. Prior evidence of romance of leadership has been found in the U.S. and other Western countries. The present study examines this phenomenon in China. We hypothesize that the Chinese romanticize their business leaders too but to a less degree than their American counterparts due to cultural and individual differences regarding power and control. Scenario-based survey data were collected from American and Chinese business students. Results show a similar pattern across the two groups of attributing organizational performance to leaders more than to other competing factors. However, Chinese participants’ leadership attribution is less strong than American participants and such difference is partly accounted for by the romance of leadership belief and personal initiative taking. Contributions and implications of the study are discussed.

Romance or realism in leadership?

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – Individuals high in Romance of Leadership (RoL) tend to be motivated to lead. Motivation to Lead (MtL) is an important variable in the process of striving for a leadership position and for leadership development. MtL may influence the career planning and specific actions of individuals at different stages of their career, i.e. students starting their careers and employees planning their next career steps. Practical implications – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Romance of leadership and motivation to lead

Purpose – There is a growing interest in understanding the motivational processes explaining the emergence of leadership. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between Romance of Leadership (RoL), that is the over-attribution of responsibility for performance to leaders, and motivation to lead (MtL) as well as moderation effects of self-efficacy and personal initiative. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using a questionnaire design. The sample consisted of n=1,348 participants at different career stages (students and employees). Structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypotheses. Findings – Individuals high in RoL tend to be more motivated to lead. The results also support the assumed moderating effects. This relationship is stronger for individuals high in self-efficacy and high in personal initiative. This was particularly true for the student sample. Research limitations/implications – Due to the cross sectional design causal inferences are limited. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the socio-cognitive processes that influence MtL at different career stages and shed new light on the outcomes of RoL. Practical implications –The research can help career counselors, coaches, and HR managers to better understand socio-cognitive processes underlying MtL of different groups and therefore improve the quality of advice to their clients. Social implications – Career planning is an important issue when the pool of talented leaders needs to be increased. The study contributes to knowledge on antecedences of MtL. This may help to clarify newcomers’ and other applicants’ career ambitions. Originality/value – This is, to the authors knowledge, the first study to investigate the effect of RoL on MtL.

Romance of leadership and evaluation of organizational failure

PurposeUsing the lens of the romance of leadership, the authors aim to investigate how knowing the causes of negative outcomes affects the evaluation of those outcomes and the extent to which leaders are blamed.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used an experimental situation with three conditions of organizational failure, caused by leadership, employees, and unavoidable external factors, respectively. Participants were assigned to one of three conditions and then asked to evaluate the outcomes and the extent to which they blamed the leader.FindingsNegative outcomes attributed to leadership are not necessarily evaluated more harshly than outcomes attributed to other factors are. However, leaders are blamed more harshly when outcomes are attributed to internal factors, including leaders and employees, than to external factors. This tendency is even more evident when the victims of bad outcomes are customers.Research limitations/implicationsThe attributional process apparently differs between positive and negative outcomes.Practical implicationsLeaders are blamed for and occasionally expected to resign as a result of negative outcomes, despite not being actually responsible for those outcomes. Blame can be mitigated by developing good relations with the public or investors in advance and apologizing and explaining its actual causes carefully after the outcome occurs.Originality/valueThe cognitive shortcut known as the romance of leadership – the tendency of attributing results to leadership and evaluating those results according to the value attached to leadership – does not always play a role in people's evaluations of negative outcomes.

Leadership and Responses to Organizational Crisis

The tragic failure of Penn State University to effectively respond to years of child sex abuse perpetrated by Jerry Sandusky was both a breakdown of leaders and of leadership systems. Numerous individual leaders at Penn State had the knowledge, power, and interpersonal influence to effectively intervene in support of Jerry Sandusky's victims. However, fully understanding how this tragedy occurred also requires an examination of the organizational system of leadership that enabled each leader to rationalize the cover up of the sexual abuse of children. Alderfer's (2011) laws of embedded intergroup relations are useful for understanding the organizational dysfunction at Penn State; especially when those laws are integrated with other theories of organizational psychology, including the social identity maintenance theory of groupthink, the romance of leadership, and authentic leadership. The integration of these theories suggests specific strategies and tactics for preventing similar lapses of ethical behavior in the future through the development of leaders and leadership systems.

Ethical Followership

This study seeks to “reverse the lens” in leadership and ethics research by investigating whether follower (rather than leader) characteristics are associated with intentions to engage in unethical behavior. Specifically, we examine whether followers’ beliefs about the coproduction of leadership and the romance of leadership are related to their willingness to commit a “crime of obedience” by complying with a leader’s unethical request. Using a vignette depicting an unethical demand by a leader, 161 working adults were asked to indicate whether they would obey or challenge the leader’s request. Regression analyses show that individuals with weaker coproduction beliefs demonstrate a stronger intent to obey unethical requests, whereas individuals with stronger coproduction beliefs demonstrate a stronger intent to engage in constructive resistance. This relationship is partially mediated by displacement of responsibility. Findings also identify an interaction between followers’ belief in the coproduction of leadership and romance of leadership, such that individuals with stronger coproduction beliefs who romanticize leaders reported a stronger intent to obey unethical requests. Results are discussed in relation to research on obedience to authority and burgeoning research on followership.

Approaching Leadership With a Follower Focus

This introduction provides an overview of the special issue of Zeitschrift fur Psychologie on ‘‘Followercentric Approaches to Leadership.’’ The purposes of the special issue were to highlight new research on followers’ needs, motivations, and attributions as critical aspects of the leadership relationship. In addition, we hope to have brought together a set of papers that represent new potential directions in research that stem from the examination of followers and followership. Many of the empirical findings and theoretical contributions in this special issue suggest that, just as not all leaders are the same, followers vary (sometimes dramatically) in their needs for certain types of leaders and leadership. In addition, followers differ in their susceptibility and responsiveness to certain types of leadership (e.g., adverse, charismatic, transformational, directive vs. supportive). Over the past several decades, scholars have focused increased attention on followers and followership as a critical component of the leadership relationship. Anyone interested in leadership has likely considered the role of followers, whether active or passive, as fundamental to our understanding of the development, impact, and maintenance of leadership processes. A followercentric approach to leadership highlights new questions and new approaches. For example, how do individual characteristics and qualities of followers influence the development of leaders? What roles do followers’ needs, values, wants, and preferences play in their tolerance or affinity for certain leadership styles? What types of leadership help in developing effective followership, and what types of followership help in developing effective leadership? These questions, among others, are the focus of this special issue. This special issue therefore has a dual purpose. First, we wanted to highlight what types of research questions emerge from a followercentric approach. To this end, we sought empirical studies that considered: (1) followers’ characteristics and potential biases that influence attributions of leadership, including attributions for organizational success and failure and the ‘‘romance of leadership’’ (Meindl, 1995); (2) the role of follower characteristics, perceptions, and motivations in interpreting leadership ratings, as well as the potential impact of situational factors such as the role of crisis and follower uncertainty or fear on these processes; and (3) the social construction of leadership, including social contagion processes and other interfollower processes that enhance or suppress leadership. Second, we also hoped to include new theories and perspectives on the study of leadership and followership. The vast majority of studies of leadership are cross-sectional comparisons of leadership styles and followers’ perceptions of leaders’ styles; only within the last two decades have scholars begun to study the other side of the proverbial coin, focusing on followers’ styles and the processes of followership. The studies in this special issue examine what it means to ‘‘reverse the lens’’ (Shamir, 2007) in leadership research by studying how followers perceive and enact their own roles in the co-production of leadership.