Leaders engaged in self-leadership: Can followers tell the difference?

Abstract

Manz (1983, 1986) proposed a model in which use of strategies of self-leadership refine and focus individual work related cognitive processes and causal reasoning, leading to improved work behaviors. Organizational leaders who make greater use of self-leadership strategies should more frequently exhibit behaviors associated with effective leadership. In this study, we examined the relationships between a leader’s use of three self-leadership strategies (behavior-focused, natural reward, and constructive thought) and leader behaviors using data provided by 75 leaders and 225 of their followers working within a non-profit organization. Our analysis showed that a leader’s behavior-focused self-leadership strategies were related to three of the five leadership behaviors comprising a model of effective leadership. Constructive thought and natural reward self-leadership efforts were significantly related to leader behaviors only for leaders with high levels of internal locus of control. From a practical standpoint, the small effects experienced by followers suggest the impact of the use of self-leadership strategies on the behaviors of leaders may be limited and depend on the individual characteristics of the leader.

Keywords

self-leadership leadership practices inventory leader behaviors locus of control

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