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1 – 10 of 12
Article
Publication date: 4 May 2020

Lisa Mainiero

The #MeToo movement has brought questions of sexuality and power in the workplace to the forefront. The purpose of this paper is to review the research on hierarchial consensual…

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Abstract

Purpose

The #MeToo movement has brought questions of sexuality and power in the workplace to the forefront. The purpose of this paper is to review the research on hierarchial consensual workplace romances and sexual harassment examining the underlying mechanisms of power relations. It concludes with a call to action for organizational leaders to adopt fair consensual workplace romance policies alongside strong sexual harassment policies.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper represents a conceptual review of the literature on consensual workplace romance, sexual harassment, passive leadership and power relations. Passive leadership leads to a climate of incivility that in turn suppresses disclosures of sexual harassment (Lee, 2016). Consensual workplace romances across hierarchical power relations carry significant risks and may turn into harassment should the romance turn sour.

Findings

Two new concepts, sexual hubris and sexploitation, are defined in this paper. Sexual hubris, defined as an opportunistic mindset that allows the powerful to abuse their power to acquire sexual liaisons, and its opposite, sexploitation, defined as a lower-status member using sexuality to gain advantage and favor from an upper-level power target, are dual opportunistic outcomes of an imbalanced power relation. Sexual hubris may increase the likelihood for sexual harassment such that a mindset occurs on the part of the dominant coalition that results in feelings of entitlement. Sexploitation is a micromanipulation tactic designed to create sexual favoritism that excludes others from the power relation.

Research limitations/implications

Sexual hubris and sexploitation are conceptualized as an opportunistic mechanisms associated with imbalanced power relations to spur future research to tease out complex issues of gender, sexuality and hierarchy in the workplace. Sexual hubris serves to protect the dominant coalition and shapes organizational norms of a climate of oppression and incivility. Conversely, sexploitation is a micromanipulation tactic that allows a lower-status member to receive favoritism from a higher-power target. Four research propositions on sexual hubris and sexploitation are presented for future scholarship.

Practical implications

Most organizational leaders believe consensual romance in the office cannot be legislated owing to privacy concerns. Passive leadership is discussed as a leadership style that looks the other way and does not intervene, leading to workplace hostility and incivility (Lee, 2016). Inadequate leadership creates a climate of passivity that in turn silences victims. Policies concerning consensual workplace romance should stand alongside sexual harassment policies regardless of privacy concerns.

Social implications

The #MeToo movement has allowed victims to disclose sexual misconduct and abuse in the workplace. However, the prevalence of sexual harassment claims most often can be traced to a leadership problem. Employers must recognize that sexual hubris and sexploitation arise from imbalances of power, where sex can be traded for advancement, and that often consensual workplace romances end badly, leading to claims of sexual harassment. Consensual romance policies must stand alongside sexual harassment policies.

Originality/value

Sexual hubris and sexploitation are offered as novel concepts that provide a mechanism for conceptualizing the potential for abuse and manipulation from unbalanced power relations. These are original concepts derived from the arguments within this paper that help make the case for consensual workplace romance policies alongside sexual harassment policies.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal , vol. 35 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 January 2024

Nelly Nelly, Harjanto Prabowo, Agustinus Bandur and Elidjen Elidjen

The major purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of job competency in the effect of transformational leadership to performance of university lecturers. This…

Abstract

Purpose

The major purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of job competency in the effect of transformational leadership to performance of university lecturers. This article also attempts to examine the direct effect of transformational leadership on job competency and lecturer performance.

Design/methodology/approach

For the purpose of the study, quantitative research was applied by conducting an empirical survey with the active participation of 223 lecturers. The survey was conducted in ten high-ranked private universities in Jakarta, Indonesia. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed for the measurement and structural model analyses.

Findings

The results reveal that the effect of transformational leadership on lecturer performance is expressed only by indirect effect (through lecturer competency). Even though transformational leadership has a positive direct effect on lecturer performance, it is not statistically significant. This paper highlights the crucial role of lecturer competency in the performance of academic scholars. The findings suggest transformational leadership is fundamental in fostering competencies, which, in turn, improve the work performance of university lecturers.

Originality/value

This study makes significant contributions to the understanding of the interaction between transformational leadership and performance in higher education, and the statistical significance of lecturer work competency in mediating this relationship. The results of this study provide a snapshot of the contextual mechanism linking transformational leadership and lecturer performance.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 38 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2016

Jessie Ho

Past research on transformational leadership in organizations has neglected the organizational context in which such leadership is embedded, and the significance of the…

Abstract

Past research on transformational leadership in organizations has neglected the organizational context in which such leadership is embedded, and the significance of the disposition of followers. The purpose of the present study was to enrich and refine transformational leadership theory by linking it to organizational context and the self-esteem of followers. It was expected that organizational characteristics and subordinatesʼ self-esteem could moderate the effects of transformational leadership behavior on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and organizational citizenship behavior. Results revealed that only organizational-based self-esteem (OBSE) significantly moderated the impact of transformational leadership behavior on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Within-and-between-analysis procedures (WABA) were used to determine the appropriate level of data analysis. Research finding suggests that managers should provide individualized performance feedback for high OBSE subordinates and spend more time coaching those subordinates with low OBSE on a one-to-one basis.

Details

International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, vol. 19 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1093-4537

Article
Publication date: 27 April 2020

Xifang Ma, Wan Jiang, Linlin Wang and Jing Xiong

This study examined a curvilinear and moderated relationship between transformational leadership and employee creative performance in a real-world setting by drawing from the…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study examined a curvilinear and moderated relationship between transformational leadership and employee creative performance in a real-world setting by drawing from the too-much-of-a-good-thing effect and the substitutes for leadership perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

We used multisource data collected from 232 employees and their immediate supervisors to test all hypotheses.

Findings

We found empirical support for an inverted U-shaped relationship between transformational leadership and employee creative performance. Moreover, job factor (i.e. job formalization) and individual differences (i.e. power distance) moderated the curvilinear relationship, such that the curvilinear relationship was more pronounced with lower job formalization or higher power distance of employees.

Originality/value

Our findings shed light on the inconsistent reports of transformational leadership's effects on employee creativity in previous studies. We extended substitutes for leadership perspective by providing a more systematic view for future research on how leadership and its substitutes jointly influence employee outcomes.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 58 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

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Article
Publication date: 10 March 2020

Meltem Ceri-Booms

The research studies the role of contextual moderating variables on the relationship between person-oriented leadership behaviors (POLBs) and team performance. The authors claim…

Abstract

Purpose

The research studies the role of contextual moderating variables on the relationship between person-oriented leadership behaviors (POLBs) and team performance. The authors claim that the varying effect sizes between POLBs and team performance are large because of the context the team is functioning in. Therefore, based on the framework of Johns (2006), this paper aims to investigate the moderating role of the relevant demographic (leader gender), social (in-group collectivism and team size), task (skill differentiation) and methodological (common method bias and the rater of the team performance) contextual variables in the study.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors accumulated evidence from 48 independent primary studies (N team = 4,276) to run the meta-analytic analyses. The authors followed the procedures described by Schmidt and Hunter (2015). For the categorical moderators, the analyzes were aided by the Hunter–Schmidt meta-analysis programs (2.0) (Schmidt and Le, 2014), which is an interactive software using a random-effects model. In the analyzes for the continuous moderators, the authors used Lipsey and Wilson’s (2001) statistical package for the social sciences macros and run meta-regressions using a random-effects model with unrestricted maximum likelihood.

Findings

The results indicate that the relationship weakens when female leaders exhibit these behaviors and when the team size increases. On the other hand, in-group collectivism strengthens the relationship. The study also found that the common method bias and the assessment method of the team performance are significant moderators altering the relationship.

Practical implications

The study highlights the perceptual differences and biases based on leader gender. Acknowledging these biases may help practitioners to appreciate the female qualities in leadership and decrease the undervaluation of female effectiveness. To create high-performing teams, leaders in high in-group collectivist countries are expected to develop a family feeling in the team by showing their concern for personal issues and build close interpersonal relationships. Researchers should use multiple sources to assess the predictor and criterion variables and also opt for more objective assessment methods for team performance.

Originality/value

With this study, the authors follow a substantively different perspective compared to the past meta-analytic reviews on this relationship. Rather than testing the inquiry whether there is a relationship between the two variables, the authors specifically focus on the role of contextual moderating variables. Several researchers have acknowledged that contextual considerations are critical in leadership-team performance research. Nevertheless, the body of research remains to be not cohesive. Thus, the study answers a call in the leadership area for a more context-based and cohesive understanding of the effects of leadership on team performance.

Details

Team Performance Management: An International Journal, vol. 26 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1352-7592

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 January 2014

Arménio Rego, Dálcio Reis Júnior, Miguel Pina e Cunha, Gabriel Stallbaum and Pedro Neves

The purpose of this paper is to show how store positive affective tone predicts store performance (i.e. sales achievement) through creativity, and how store negative affective…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show how store positive affective tone predicts store performance (i.e. sales achievement) through creativity, and how store negative affective tone enhances the relationship between positive affective tone and creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 94 stores of a Brazilian retail chain is used to test the model. Store supervisors reported (October 2011) the store's affective tone and creativity relative to the last six months. Three periods are considered for measuring performance: the last six months (May to October 2011), the preceding four months (January to April 2011), and the subsequent semester (November 2011 to April 2012).

Findings

The main findings are: positive affective tone predicts the stores’ performance through the mediating role of creativity, even after controlling the effects of preceding stores’ performance; negative affective tone makes the relationship between positive affective tone and creativity stronger.

Originality/value

The paper empirically validates theory suggesting that creativity may be a source of retail stores’ competitive advantage, and shows that fostering positive affective tone may be a pathway to promote creativity. The paper also suggests that negative affective tone is not necessarily a “problem”; rather, it can be used to enhance the favorable impact of positive affective tone upon creativity. These are important contributions for the retailing literature, considering that creativity (mainly at the team and organizational level) in that field is understudied. It is also an important contribution to the literature on the services sector, in which research on creativity is scarce.

Details

Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-4529

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 June 2012

Iain L. Densten and James C. Sarros

The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically the effect of cultural and social acceptance on CEO leadership.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically the effect of cultural and social acceptance on CEO leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

Several instruments were used to capture key concepts (i.e. Organisational Culture Profile, Marlowe‐Crowne Social Desirability Scale, Transformational Leadership Inventory, and Leader Reward and Punishment Questionnaire), which were examined using confirmatory factor analysis. Data were collected from 635 Australian CEOs.

Findings

The results of hierarchical multi‐regression analysis clarified the importance of self‐deception and impression management as influential context factors, and how both operate at the pinnacle of organisations. The study also identifies that transformational and transactional leadership behaviours were uniquely influenced by specific cultural dimensions, and suggests that CEOs use combinations of these behaviours to respond to four cultural dimensions (i.e. emphasis on rewards, performance orientation, innovation, and stability) in order to produce competitive advantages.

Research limitations/implications

The study highlights how CEOs are still vulnerable to conforming to the social norms of their organisation and also how CEOs use a repertoire of leadership behaviours, in response to the importance of different cultural dimensions.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the leadership literature by directly addressing how context impacts on CEO leadership in three specific areas: social acceptance needs, demographics and culture. Further, the study investigates CEO transformational and transactional leadership behaviours rather than global constructs, and directly addresses the common method variance issue.

Details

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 33 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7739

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 May 2010

Afroditi Dalakoura

The purpose of this paper is to revisit the prevalent perceptions of leadership development, consider the constructs that affect leadership development in an organization, and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to revisit the prevalent perceptions of leadership development, consider the constructs that affect leadership development in an organization, and propose a collective framework for leadership development.

Design/methodology/approach

Existing leadership development literature is appraised. The paper identifies the factors that determine leadership development and focuses on the context in which leadership is developed.

Findings

The paper implies that leadership development involves multiple and coordinated actions.

Practical implications

The paper provides guidelines for successful leadership development in practice.

Originality/value

The paper takes a holistic approach to leadership development and proposes a set of items for measuring leadership development.

Details

Journal of Management Development, vol. 29 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0262-1711

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 September 2022

Ramy Hindiyeh and Jennifer Cross

The purpose of this paper is to identify, through an exploratory meta-analysis, which process- and outcome-related antecedents have the strongest relationship to overall team…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify, through an exploratory meta-analysis, which process- and outcome-related antecedents have the strongest relationship to overall team performance. The secondary objective is to create an understanding of the extent to which relative research interest in each construct to date has aligned with its reported effects.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a random-effects meta-analysis on studies that have measured the relationship between at least one process or outcome factor and overall team performance. The number of studies, effect size and between-study variances are captured and analyzed for each process/outcome factor. Prior literature has explored relationships between various process/outcome factors and overall team performance. This study expands on previous literature by examining a comprehensive set of process/outcome factors and their relative impact on overall team performance.

Findings

A meta-analysis of 190 effect sizes extracted from 52 empirical studies over the past two decades (1999–2020) showed the specific process and outcome factors that most strongly contributed to overall team performance were efficiency, schedule and innovation. In addition, only a weak correlation was found between process and outcome factors’ relationships with overall team performance and how often they are studied in the research community.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the body of knowledge on team performance by examining prior research to identify the relevant impact of various process and outcome factors on overall team performance. In addition, this study also assesses the extent to which research interest in these factors has appeared to match their relative impact. Analyzing the relative impact of various process and outcome factors allows researchers and practitioners to better identify methods to create improvement in overall team performance. Based on the findings, prioritizing efficiency, schedule and innovation may promote overall team performance.

Details

Team Performance Management: An International Journal, vol. 28 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1352-7592

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 February 2009

Doris Jepson

The purpose of this paper is to explore empirically the importance of context on participants' understanding of leadership behaviour in 12 companies in the German and UK chemical…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore empirically the importance of context on participants' understanding of leadership behaviour in 12 companies in the German and UK chemical industries. In doing so, it also seeks to review existing literature on contextual influences on leadership and to look more closely at the possible conceptualisation of such contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

Findings are drawn from a wider study of 105 qualitative interviews conducted in the German and UK chemical industries in 2004/2005. Textual analyses of these research data have focused on the importance and nature of different contexts, such as the immediate social, cultural, institutional and historical.

Findings

The findings indicate that it is the immediate social context in the form of organisational departments that seems to influence leadership behaviour most. The influence of this context on leadership is further shaped by other contexts such as the education of employees, present occupations and national origin.

Research limitations/implications

The findings support the usefulness of the conceptual framework introduced here and especially the assumption that different types and levels of context interact to shape the specific and continuously changing context in which individuals understand and enact leadership. Although clearly confined to the limits of the data set, the finding has potentially significant implications for the focus of leadership development for managers.

Originality/value

The paper responds to Berry and Cartwright's call for a wider contextualisation of leadership, which has so far remained unanswered in LODJ.

Details

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 30 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7739

Keywords

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