Leader Advancement Motive, Political Skill, Leader Behavior, and Effectiveness: A Moderated Mediation Extension of Socioanalytic Theory

Abstract

We examine socioanalytic theory from a leadership perspective and extend this research to examine the mediating mechanisms through which leader getting ahead motive and social competence influence leader effectiveness outcomes. A first-stage moderated mediation model was tested and supported, positioning the Leader Motive to Get Ahead × Political Skill interaction as influencing perceived institutional effectiveness and follower satisfaction with one’s leader through leader initiating structure behavior. This research both supports the relevance of socioanalytic theory for predicting leadership outcomes and extends socioanalytic theory to examine a mediating mechanism through which the interaction of the leader getting ahead motive and social competencies affects relevant performance outcomes. Contributions, strengths and limitations, directions for future research, and practical implications are discussed.

Notes

¹ In the present study, leader consideration behavior is included as a control, given the debatable and often inconsistent relationship it has shown with initiating structure. Judge et al. (2004) hypothesized and found mixed results regarding the significance of the relationship between these two variables, so conservatively we controlled for consideration behavior in this study.

² According to DeRue et al. (2011), leader effectiveness can be categorized by level of analysis (e.g., individual, organization), content (e.g., affective/relational, overall), and target of evaluation (e.g., leader, group). According to this classification, we examine follower satisfaction (i.e., an individual affective conceptualization of leader effectiveness) as well as follower ratings of institutional effectiveness (i.e., an overall organizational-level conceptualization of leader effectiveness).