Do I Dare? The Psychodynamics of Anticipated Image Risk, Leader-Identity Endorsement, and Leader Emergence

Cunningham, Julia Lee; Sonday, Laura; Ashford, Susan J.

doi:10.5465/amj.2018.1258

Cited by 17 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 87 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We expect that positive leader self-reflection will activate leader identity on a daily basis because this identity is malleable and likely to fluctuate over reasonably short timeframes. Indeed, recent empirical research shows that leader identity fluctuates moment to moment (Lee Cunningham et al, 2022), daily (Lanaj, Gabriel, et al, 2021;Peters & Haslam, 2018), and also weekly (Day & Sin, 2011;Middleton, Walker, & Reichard, 2019;Miscenko, Guenter, & Day, 2017). Consistent with this research highlighting the dynamic and malleable nature of leader identity, we examine how positive leader selfreflection activates leader identity day to day.…”

Section: Theoretical Developmentmentioning

confidence: 54%

“…Leader identity is closely related to leadership skill development; thus, activating leader identity is crucial to the success of organizational leaders (Day & Harrison, 2007;Day et al, 2009;DeRue & Ashford, 2010;Lester, Palanski, Hammond, & Clapp-Smith, 2017). According to theory, leaders may identify more strongly with their leader role on some days than on others, suggesting that leader identity is statelike and may vary across time and context (e.g., Ashford & DeRue, 2012;DeRue & Ashford, 2010;Lanaj, Gabriel, & Chawla, 2021; Lee Cunningham, Sonday, & Ashford, 2022).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Improving the Lives of Leaders: The Beneficial Effects of Positive Leader Self-Reflection

Lanaj

Foulk

Jennings

2022

Journal of Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Leader identity theory posits that, in addition to being positional, leadership is also a malleable state of mind. This means that even employees holding positions of authority within their organization may be nudged to identify more strongly with their leader role on some days versus others. The leadership literature, however, is silent about predictors that may prime leader identity day-to-day. We draw from leader identity theory and research on expressive writing to propose that leader identity can be activated daily via positive leader self-reflection (e.g., reflecting and writing about qualities that make one a good leader) in ways that are beneficial for the leader both at work and at home. We tested our theoretical expectations in two field experiments. In the first study, as expected, we find that leaders reported higher activated leader identity and more goal progress on intervention (vs. control) days. In turn, activated leader identity and goal progress enhanced leader well-being measured in the evening at home. Surprisingly, and contrary to expectations, the well-being enhancing effects of positive leader self-reflection were weaker for leaders who were higher (vs. lower) in identity fusion with their followers. In the second study, we demonstrate the malleable nature of leader identity by showing not only that positive leader self-reflection activates leader identity, but also that negative leader self-reflection diminishes its activation.

show abstract

Section: Theoretical Developmentmentioning

confidence: 54%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the Lives of Leaders: The Beneficial Effects of Positive Leader Self-Reflection

Lanaj

Foulk

Jennings

2022

Journal of Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Participants reported on their self-identification as leader or follower using the four-item measure from Lee et al (2016) (α = .89). This measure has been used in recent empirical work on leader identity (e.g., Jennings et al, 2022; Lanaj et al, 2022) and undergone rigorous construct validation (Lee et al, 2022). Sample items include “I believe I have the characteristics of a leader” and “I see myself as a leader.”…”

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Is it just me or am I the people’s choice? The stress and performance implications of (in)congruence between self- and other-identification as a leader or follower.

Bartels¹,

Wellman²

2023

Journal of Applied Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Identifying oneself and being identified by others as a leader (vs. a follower) is a critical aspect of informal leadership. But what happens when an organizational member’s personal leader identity differs from how others identify them? Grounded in stress appraisal theory, this study explores the individual-level implications of (in)congruence between self- and other-identification as a leader or follower. We develop a conceptual model that explains how different forms of leader identity (in)congruence generate stress appraisals that influence the focal individual’s in-role performance. We then describe two complementary studies testing the model. Study 1 is a multiwave, multisource field study of 226 coworker dyads. Study 2 is a controlled experiment with 648 full-time employees that assesses the causal relationship between different forms of leader identity (in)congruence and stress appraisals, as well as the generalizability of our findings to other-identification by an entire team. Across both studies, we find that identity incongruence (particularly when the focal individual identifies as a leader but others identify them as a follower) prompts hindrance stress appraisals that reduce in-role performance. In contrast, identity congruence (particularly congruence in identification as a leader) encourages challenge stress appraisals that enhance in-role performance.

show abstract

“…Furthermore, individual work reflection may enable individuals to regulate their emotions more effectively (Kross & Ayduk, 2017; Martin & Delgado, 2011). Individuals often find engaging in leadership behaviors a risky endeavor (Lee Cunningham et al, 2022; Zhang et al, 2020). The ability to regulate their feelings will allow them to feel less anxious about engaging in a greater quantity of task‐oriented, relational‐oriented, and change‐oriented leadership behaviors that will be functional in the team.…”

Section: The Relationship Between Individual Work Reflection and Lead...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The power of reflection for would‐be leaders: Investigating individual work reflection and its impact on leadership in teams

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Do I Dare? The Psychodynamics of Anticipated Image Risk, Leader-Identity Endorsement, and Leader Emergence

Cited by 17 publications

References 87 publications

Improving the Lives of Leaders: The Beneficial Effects of Positive Leader Self-Reflection

Improving the Lives of Leaders: The Beneficial Effects of Positive Leader Self-Reflection

Is it just me or am I the people’s choice? The stress and performance implications of (in)congruence between self- and other-identification as a leader or follower.

The power of reflection for would‐be leaders: Investigating individual work reflection and its impact on leadership in teams

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About