A Longitudinal Study of the Leadership Development Process: Individual Differences Predicting Leader Effectiveness

Abstract

This study tracked the leadership development of 236 male cadets from matriculation through graduation at a military college. Cognitive ability, physical fitness, prior influence experiences, and self-esteem measured in Year I were relevant to predicting those who assumed formal leadership positions in Year 4. Physical fitness and prior influence experiences measured when cadets entered the college predicted leader effectiveness rated in their fourth year. Stress tolerance and moral reasoning levels did not predict leader emergence or effectiveness, though the set of individual difference measures significantly predicted emergence and effectiveness. Physical fitness levels and moral reasoning increased over time for all cadets, though surprisingly, levels of self-esteem and stress tolerance did not increase over time. Overall the study demonstrated that leadership effectiveness and emergence could be predicted from early measures of individual differences.

Emergent Leadership Structures in Informal Groups: A Dynamic, Cognitively Informed Network Model

“…When it comes to genericand task-leadership, though, self-monitoring has no effect. Finally, consistent with previous studies (Atwater et al, 1999), individuals with greater self-esteem are more likely to emerge as leaders.…”

“…For instance, one might consciously adjust their behavior or use impression management to gain greater endorsement from others (Brown, 2012) or might consciously endorse a group member with high selfesteem as leader (Atwater et al, 1999). By focusing on relational schemas, our proposed explanatory model complements existing research on the role of deliberate thinking in leadership emergence.…”

“…Since research also found that people with higher self-esteem are more likely to be regarded as leaders (Atwater et al, 1999), we used the Rosenberg (1989) self-esteem scale to control for this effect. Finally, we controlled for the effect of self-monitoring, i.e., the ability to adjust one's behavior to better fit different social situations, as prior studies found that high self-monitors are more likely to emerge as leaders (Mehra, Kilduff, & Brass, 2001).…”

Empathy and the emergence of task and relations leaders

“…Atwater & Yammarino (1993) found that leader intelligence related to subordinate ratings of leadership. A longitudinal study by Atwater, Dionne, Avolio, Camobreco, & Lau (1999) found that individuals with greater cognitive ability were more likely to emerge as leaders.…”

An Approach to Understand the Role of Identity in Engineering Leadership

“…Existing models of leadership development would suggest that the practice of mentoring a novice practitioner to become a master practitioner is analogous to the mentoring activities found to be a key driver of the development of a variety of leadership skills and behaviors (Atwater, Dionne, Avolio, Camobreco, & Lau, 1999;Schell, 2010). Additionally, apprenticeships into mastery often begin with structured learning approaches designed to achieve basic proficiency in the profession, similar to formal leadership development training (Avolio & Bass, 1994;Van Velsor, McCauley, & Ruderman, 2010).…”