The impact of leader identity on leadership development : the role of leader future work self (LFWS), implicit self theories (IST) / implicit leadership theories (ILT) congruence and gender

Abstract

Leadership development focused on leader identity has increased in popularity over the past decades. However, research on leader identity and leadership development has not fully captured the role of an individual’s future identity, nor the gap between their self-views and ideal perceptions of leaders, have on their pursuit of leadership development. This thesis therefore fills the gap in our understanding and investigates the role of leader identity in individuals’ pursuit of leadership development and leadership more broadly. In the first empirical chapter, I introduce the concept of the Leader Future Work Self (LFWS), which is adapted from the Future Work Self (FWS) literature (Strauss et al., 2012). LFWS is proposed to contain both people’s hope and fears related to their future identity as a leader. This new model of LFWS illustrates the linkages between the hope and fear elements of LFWS and the related motivations and behavioural strategies for leadership development. In the second empirical chapter, I explore the impact of activating LFWS’s hope and/or fear elements on intention for leadership development (LI) and leader self-efficacy (LSE). The findings highlight the potential utility of imaginative narrative writing for activating LFWS’s hope elements. Moreover, I found that the strength of an individual’s LFWS may influence their LI, when hope elements of LFWS are activated. Furthermore, this chapter shows the need to consider the role gender plays in an individual’s LFWS. In the final empirical chapter, I extend my research on identity and leadership by empirically investigating the influence of congruence between Implicit self-theories (ISTs) and Implicit Leadership Theories (ILTs) on LSE. The findings highlight the importance of integrating the above congruence concept, as well as gender-related leadership characteristics, in the understanding of LSE. Overall, this thesis sheds light on the significance of both LFWS and IST/ILT congruence for our understanding of leadership development