Connecting influence tactics with full-range leadership styles

Abstract

Purpose

Full-range leadership theory and power-and-influence approaches to leadership emerge from different theoretical traditions, but may overlap conceptually and practically. Previous research has found connections between full-range leadership styles and leaders’ influencing behaviors. However, this research has been conceptually and methodologically limited, neither examining all full-range leadership styles nor all common influence tactics, and measuring only employees’ perceptions. The purpose of this paper is to address these limitations.

Design/methodology/approach

Follower-rated leadership styles and influence tactics, and leader-rated leadership styles were surveyed for 160 pairs of leaders and followers (n=320).

Findings

Core influence tactics and apprising were correlated with, and predicted, follower-rated transformational and transactional leadership, but confirmatory factor analysis provided a more nuanced view of these relationships. Rational persuasion (negatively) predicted passive-avoidant leadership. There were few significant correlations between leader-self-rated leadership styles and followers’ ratings of leaders’ influence tactics.

Originality/value

This study extends upon previous studies by more comprehensively connecting full-range leadership styles and influence tactics, and doing so with both leader-rated and follower-rated leadership styles. The results help to provide a clearer picture of the overlap between full-range and power-and-influence theories of leadership. The mismatches between results from leader-rated and follower-rated leadership styles raise conceptual, practical, and methodological questions for future research.

Citation

Curtis, G.J. (2018), "Connecting influence tactics with full-range leadership styles", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 39 No. 1, pp. 2-13. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-09-2016-0221