Awareness that questionnaire ratings of leaders may be subject to systematic errors has led to increased emphasis on understanding the perceptual/memory processes underlying leadership ratings. Subordinates may judge leadership effectiveness based on their implicit leadership theories. Folk theories of leadership refers to these deeply felt and idiosyncratic theories of leadership behaviors. Borman's (1983) "Trait-Implication Procedure" based on Kelly's Repertory Grid technique was used to examine the leadership categorization schema of ten senior executives from a wide variety of organizations. Results indicate some association between the folk theories of leadership and the background/experience of the respondent. Implications of these findings for future research and practice are discussed.
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