Based on the Dispersed Leadership Theory in Teams, we examined the simultaneous
influence of three factors on team members’ attitudes and behavior: (1) interactional
leadership carried out by leaders, (2) team leadership performed by team members, and (3)
structural leadership exerted by work and organizational structures. Results from two policycapturing
studies revealed that structural, interactional and team leadership simultaneously
affect an individual’s behavior in terms of task behavior, task performance and commitment.
Results also indicated that the need for dispersed leadership was particularly high in
situations with high task uncertainty and where the learning of new task behavior was
required. Results from Study 2 further demonstrated the positive relationship between
interactional leadership, team leadership, and structural leadership with team members’ task
performance and commitment. Taken together, these findings provide evidence for the
Dispersed Leadership Theory in Teams which showed a way to structure and extend future
leadership research