Leadership and Social Identification in Military Units: Direct and Indirect Relationships¹

Abstract

This study examines some antecedents and consequences of social identification in military units. Data were collected from 2 samples in each unit: staff members and soldiers. It was found that identification with the unit was related to 3 categories of leader behavior: an emphasis on collective identity, an emphasis on shared values, and inclusive behaviors. Some of the effects of leader behaviors on members' social identification were mediated by their effects on unit culture. Some of the effects of leader behaviors on the social identification of more distant subordinates (soldiers) were mediated by their effects on the social identification of closer subordinates (staff members). Differential effects of leader behaviors on the 2 levels of subordinates were also discovered.

A Multilevel Examination of Benevolent Leadership and Innovative Behavior in R&D Contexts: A Social Identity Approach

“…For example, a high level of identification causes individuals to engage in behaviors that are congruent with their identity and express that identity. Similarly, identification with a collective increases the importance of the collective outcomes for the individual and thus the desire to make a contribution toward the achievement of such outcomes (Shamir, Zakay, Breinin, & Popper, 2000).…”

Leader distance: a review and a proposed theory

“…Depending on the leaders' hierarchical level, Class 3 leaders will either (a) have individual or group-level interaction with subordinate leaders who emulate the leader's behavior and, in turn, interact with followers on an individual or group level; or (b) they will interact homogenously at the group level with followers; or (c) both (a) and (b). The role-modeling of the active components of a leader's behavior (i.e., transformational and constructive transactional leadership) has been referred to as the "cascading effect" as demonstrated empirically by Bass, Waldman, Avolio, and Bebb (1987) (for further discussion on the cascading effect see Klein & House, 1998;Rainey & Watson, 1996;Shamir et al, 1993;Shamir, Zakay, Brainin, & Popper, 2000;Yammarino, 1994). …”

Transformational leadership and outcomes: role of relationship duration

“…Shamir et al (1998) found that a leader's emphasis on collective identity was related to subordinate's level of identification with the leader. Shamir et al (2000) found that staff members' (inner circle's) identification with the unit fully mediated the relationship between the leader's emphasis on collective identity and soldiers' (outer circle's) identification with the unit. Kark et al (2003) showed that transformational leadership was positively related to both followers' dependence and their empowerment and that personal identification mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and followers' dependence on the leader, whereas social identification mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and followers' empowerment.…”