How managers construe themselves as leaders, including their belief systems about people and power, would seem to have an important influence on how they interpret and act in their role. It would also seem important for their organisational fit and their personal development.
The question falls into the areas of social-cognition and self-identity.
I'm looking for theoretical and empirical references and any related questionnaire-based measures.
Brian,
I wrote my Doctoral paper on integrity within organizations and referenced the following paper in my research.
The authors cite some great studies as well!
Additionally, I will be uploading my own work onto ResearchGate fairly soon. I hope you can take the time to review it.
Good luck!
Article Authentic Leadership: Development and Validation of a Theory...
Anna:
Thank you for taking the time to respond with such an interesting article that researches the authenticity aspects of a leader's self-concept. I am sure it will prove valuable. I'll check this out in the article, but do you happen to know of research that compares (a) others' observations of a target leader's perceived authenticity with (b) the latter's self-ratings?
Hi Brian
I can't help you directly , but I think the literature is quite clear that self-ratings aren't very valid .... so, as you know, one must be very clear as to what the data will be used for and how to interpret the data once you get it.
By the way, are you the Brain O'Neill that work at PPC?
Yes, Len, it's your old coworker - hello and hope that all is well. Yes, I fully agree that self-ratings are problematic - though they have been, for many years, the foundation of trait and preference research and practice. And so is any form of self-report problematic regardless of context, whether introspective reflection, political interview, clinical assessment or autobiography. Even the confessional, I dare say. But despite that what people say about themselves and how they rate themselves are very interesting to us psychologists and that's why I have been working with leaders - to understand how they see themselves and how they want others to see them. Thus far, our data show some very interesting and predictable relationships between self-ratings of 'me-as-leader' and (a) personality traits and gender (b) organisational factors such as type of organisation (profit vs not-for-profit) and hierarchical level, and (c) interim vs full-time job applicants. I use the model and research findings in my executive coaching practice (though not a lot in my retirement) to raise self-awareness and promote self-development of an effective mindset for leading. So, if you know of any other research/practice into the cognitions managers/leader have about themselves and their self-identity I'd be very grateful to hear more. Very best wishes to you. Brian
Brian, definitely I recommend you to review the paper I shared with you.
I have also attached another paper for your consideration.
Also, have you looked into 360 feedback assessments?
Article Authentic Leadership and Behavioral Integrity as Drivers of ...
Hi Brian.
i think you might look (if you haven't already) at the works of:
1. Dunning and Kruger for bias re self analysis
2. Kaplan and Kaiser for one view of strength development
3. Zenger and Folkman for another view of strengths and weaknesses
4. then there is the Gallop works on strength development
5. then lots of "stuff" on the 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative feedback - watch though this is based on some crummy research (American Psychologist)
6. lots of work on feedback associated with the assessment centre (I have developed a proprietary module in my one week of assessor training ). One of my findings is that mangers as a whole have a different diagnoses of their strengths and weaknesses as compared to what is found during a 3 day integrated AC.
Keep in touch from time to time.
Len
Hello Brian,
Concerning your findings of relationship between leaders' self-rating and hierarchical level may be helpful my attached articles which point to the immorality (and a lack of integrity and authenticity) of job ignorant CEOs and plant managers who "ride" on successes achieved by high-moral and vulnerably involved trusted mid-levelers; I suppose few if any executive you work with admit practicing such a "riding", own lack of integrity and other untrustworthy practices s/he uses, but it seems that only eradicating these can lead to successful leaders' coaching.
Reuven Shapira
Reuven:
Many thanks for your informative and helpful response. I have been keen to learn more about the ethnographic approach to organisation context and leadership and your recent article helps a lot. Like you I have been interested in the dark side of leadership both theoretically and in my practice and have observed leaders exploiting subordinates' expertise for their own selfish ends. Purely anecdotally, most dysfunctional leaders, I have found, have huge blind spots about themselves; they are highly defended. I look forward to reading your paper.
Dear Mohammad Heydari:
Thank you for your kind response to my query about leaders' self-construal and identity. We are thinking along the same lines: in developing my leaders' self-awareness questionnaire, the early theory and research on leaders' behavioural styles was one of the sources I found useful and drew from. Thus, 3 of my styles (Facilitating and Developing, Including and Serving, Selective Engaging) are grounded in a relationship-oriented self, while the other 3 (Taking Charge, Challenging and Controlling, Practical Enabling) focus on the autonomous, self-actualising self. My approach contrasts with the earlier behavioural styles approaches in that it focuses on leaders' self-perceptions and belief systems rather than others' evaluations of their behaviour.
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