Implicit leadership theory among Malaysian managers

Crisis leadership from the perspective of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to identify traits and behaviors of organization leaders that were deemed helpful by employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an exploratory qualitative study that utilized online surveys. Data from 155 participants were subjected to content analysis.

Findings

Several interrelated traits and behaviors of effective crisis leadership were identified. These were clustered into three superordinate themes – attending to the person, taking charge and showing the way forward and sustaining the spirit.

Research limitations/implications

Findings from this paper can be furthered by conducting quantitative studies to validate themes and/or test a conceptual model of effective crisis leadership. Gathering data from other populations at different points in time during the COVID-19 pandemic may also be useful.

Practical implications

A review of leadership development programs and organization norms and values is recommended in order to ensure that they are consistent with crisis leadership competencies.

Originality/value

This paper helps address the gap on follower-centered perspectives about organizational leadership responses to crises and highlights the importance of care and compassion in leading employees during difficult times.

Role of integrity system, internal control system and leadership practices on the accountability practices in the public sectors of Malaysia

Purpose

This study aims to assess the status of current practices of accountability and its relationship with the practices of integrity system, internal control system and leadership qualities in the public sector of Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

This study collected primary data from 109 departments and agencies under 24 federal ministries in Malaysia. The data were analysed under descriptive statistics, ordinal regression and structural equation modelling (SEM). Several diagnostic tests were conducted to check the validity and reliability of data and models, such as Cronbach alpha test, Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin test, Shapiro–Wilk test, internal consistency reliability, indicator reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity.

Findings

The regression and SEM results show that the practices of integrity system and leadership quality had statistically significant positive relationship, but the practice of internal control system showed mixed relationship with the practices of accountability.

Practical implications

The findings of the study will help the policymakers to ensure better accountability in the public sector in Malaysia and other countries.

Originality/value

This is an original study based on primary data to examine the current practices of accountability and its relationship with the practices of integrity system, internal control system and leadership qualities in the public sector of Malaysia.

Implicit change leadership, change management, and affective commitment to change

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine differences in implicit change leadership schemas and their relationship with change management (CM) of employees of academic institutions and business enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a quantitative approach through surveys with 645 employees in academic institutions and business enterprises. Path analysis and regression were conducted to determine the relationships between the constructs.

Findings

Results show that CM mediates the relationship of change leadership schemas and affective commitment to change in both business enterprises and academic institutions. However, differences were found in the change leadership schemas that predict perceived effectiveness of CM. Execution competencies predicted effectiveness of CM in business enterprises whereas strategic and social competencies predicted perceived effectiveness of CM in academic institutions.

Research limitations/implications

The limitations of the study were the use of self-report data and its cross-sectional design. Future research may use longitudinal designs and multiple sources of data to explore the relationship of change leadership schemas and perceived effectiveness of CM. Moreover, leadership schemas may be examined in other types of organizations such as non-profits, government agencies and social enterprises.

Practical implications

Results suggest that change leadership schemas are context-dependent. Thus, it is important to consider organizational culture and follower schemas when choosing change leaders and executing change. Moreover, differences in the saliences of change leader schemas by type of organization suggest the need to adopt contextually nuanced approaches to the selection and development of change leaders.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to organizational change literature by providing evidence of differences in change leadership schemas among academic institutions and business enterprises.

Building an implicit change leadership theory

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a model for implicit change leadership theory (ICLT) and to explore its relationship with perceived effectiveness of change management (CM).

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed a mixed-methods design. It used a qualitative approach to identify schemas on the traits and behaviors of an ideal leader and schemas on what constitute effective CM. A quantitative approach was followed to test the conceptual model.

Findings

The study suggests five competencies of ideal change leaders: strategic and technical competencies, execution competencies, social competencies, character, and resilience. Together, these five competencies comprise an ICLT. Moreover, schema congruence correlates with perceived effectiveness of CM. The closer the congruence between subordinates’ ideal change leader and their actual change leader, the greater the perceived effectiveness of CM.

Research limitations/implications

The study was limited to employees in the Philippines. It is thus suggested that data gathering in other populations be conducted to allow for generalizability of results. The research was cross-sectional in design, that limits causal explanations. Longitudinal studies examining perceptions and attitudes during and after the implementation of change could provide more robust evidence of the relationships between schemas and perceptions of change.

Practical implications

The results suggest that to increase the chances of success of their change initiatives, organizations could consider leadership development interventions that could enhance the competencies of their leaders in the implicit change leadership constructs. Organizations also need to consider employee schemas of effective CM when implementing change.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this paper is to expand implicit leadership theory by applying it to a specific leadership context, that of organizational change, and to derive an ICLT.

Ideal and Confucian implicit leadership profiles in China

Purpose

This paper is a regional exploratory study of implicit leadership theories in two regions of China. The purpose of this paper is to compare ideal vs Confucian leadership profiles and explore the possibility of a cultural hybrid perspective of leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

This study empirically explores leadership profiles through indigenous leadership research and compares implicit leadership theories of Confucian leadership and ideal leadership among a group of 128 managers representing two regions in mainland China. In doing so, measures developed by Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness that were translated into the local language are employed.

Findings

The results empirically show that a region known to have a deeper cultural entrenchment interprets Confucian ideology as ideal leadership, while a region more disconnected from the cultural center transforms its ideology based on more globally accepted leadership ideals.

Practical implications

The findings of this study caution leadership researchers (whether universally-etic or specifically-emic focused) from making generalizations regarding leadership. Although there might be some broad universals of leadership, context-specific leadership practices are deeply rooted between and within cultures.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature by providing insight on implicit leadership theories in China and by proposing a culturally hybrid perspective of leadership based on globalization and cultural entrenchment forces.

What matters most in leader selection? The role of personality and implicit leadership theories

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to determine the primary basis upon which raters make decisions in the context of selection for formal leadership positions. Specifically, this paper examines the applicant’s personality, the rater’s personality, and the congruence between the applicant’s personality and the rater’s implicit leadership theories (ILTs) as predictors of interview scores.

Design/methodology/approach

– The hypotheses were tested via random coefficient modeling analyses using HLM software with the control variables included in Step 1 and the main effects entered in Step 2, and interaction effects in Step 3 as appropriate.

Findings

– Analyses suggest that both applicant and rater personality impact interview scores, but raters do not appear to select leaders on the basis of their conceptualization of an ideal leader.

Research limitations/implications

– The results suggest that raters may not consider their own ILTs when attempting to identify future leaders. Given this lack of a natural tendency toward selecting individuals that match one’s perceptions of an ideal leader, future research should focus on adapting current selection methods to leader selection and the development of new selection methods that are more valid.

Practical implications

– These findings suggest that current staffing practices may not encompass the most effective tools for selecting future leaders of the organization. These results highlight the importance of clarifying the outcome goals of the selection process in advance by giving raters a clear representation of the qualities and ideals that should be present in potential leaders.

Originality/value

– This study is among the first to examine the relationships between personality and ILTs in the context of a formal leadership selection process and makes a significant contribution to the literature by providing insight into the influence of both rater and applicant personality differences along with rater conceptualizations of ideal leadership in the context of formal leadership selection.

If You’re Not With Me You’re . . . ? Examining Prototypes and Cooperation in Leader–Follower Relationships

This study investigated how congruence between dyadic partners’ leader and follower prototypes affects leader–member exchange (LMX) quality. Specifically, we examined cooperation as a process variable in the dyadic relationship. Participants in a laboratory setting completed a group task followed by dyadic task in the context of a leader–follower relationship. Observed cooperation mediated the relationship between congruence on leader prototypes and leader assessed LMX quality, and the relationship between congruence on leader prototypes and LMX agreement. As congruence on leader prototypes decreased, leaders were less likely to be cooperative in an exchange relationship. As congruence on follower prototypes decreased, there was a greater chance leaders would cooperate but followers would defect.

Leader-member exchange and resource accessibility of subordinates

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for leader-member exchange (LMX) in the context of global integration strategy of multinational corporations (MNCs). Further, an interaction effect of leader's network centrality and leader's alignment with MNC policies on LMX and resource accessibility is proposed.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper begins with the notion that different departments in a subsidiary of an MNC are likely to have different requirements for integration within the MNC network. This paper extends the literature by suggesting that employees working in the same department of a subsidiary of an MNC are likely to have different perception of the degree of integration of their subsidiary with other nodes in the MNC network.

Findings

– The paper posits that employees forming the “in-group” of a subsidiary leader are more likely to perceive their subsidiary as more integrated than the “out-group” employees; contribute more by way of knowledge transfer than the “out-group” employees; and perform better than the “out-group” employees, because of the moderating effect of leader's network centrality on the relationship between LMX and resource accessibility.

Research limitations/implications

– The research has implications for the role of subsidiary leaders in shaping the perceptions of their subordinates toward the global integration strategy of an MNC.

Originality/value

– The study fills a gap by integrating the LMX and MNC global integration strategy literatures and proposing the existence of perceptual differences, even at subordinate level.