Organizational Vision and System Influences on Employee Inspiration and Organizational Performance

Abstract

A model integrating multiple levels of leadership, leader charisma and organizational system influences on employee vision inspiration (motivation to help achieve their organizations' visions) was proposed and tested. The study employed data from 1,662 employees across 15 organizations. Results indicated that leader charisma was significantly and sizably related to employee inspiration, but differentially for different levels (executive versus supervisory) of leaders. Similarly, organizational system factors were significantly related to levels of employee inspiration, which significantly predicted multiple criteria for organizational performance. Practical and scientific implications of the results are considered.

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“…Zaccaro and Banks (2001) indicate that executive leaders formulate and promulgate organizational visions, while lower level leaders primarily transmit and reinforce them. Supporting that idea, James and Lahti (2011) provided data indicating that executive leaders vision-related communications and behaviors have significantly greater influence on employees' internalization of and motivation by a vision than do the communications and behaviors of lower-level leaders. That leads me to the following researchable propositions:…”

“…Leaders' vision may be a key element in achieving both organizational success in the present, and capacity to adapt to major environmental change (James & Lahti, 2011;O'Connell, Hickerson, & Pillutla, 2011;Zaccaro & Banks, 2001). Leaders need to develop and communicate an effective strategy for organizational success in current conditions while, at the same time, promoting the flexibility and creativity crucial for adaptation to catastrophe (9/11 Public Discourse Project, 2005;Jackson et al, 2004;Kapucu, 2006;Seifert, 2007).…”

“…Middle managers, on the other hand, may tend to serve a particularly crucial role relative to integrating learning within organizations (Beck & Plowman, 2009). Beck and Plowman argue that middle managers, being exposed to information from both lower level employees, and from top leadership, serve the functions of both transferring information across (within-organization) levels (cf, James & Lahti, 2011), and pulling together information from multiple levels into coherent knowledge. I propose, therefore, the following hypothesis for future research:…”

“…Leaders need to develop and communicate an effective strategy for organizational success in current conditions while, at the same time, promoting the flexibility and creativity crucial for adaptation to catastrophe (9/11 Public Discourse Project, 2005;Jackson et al, 2004;Kapucu, 2006;Seifert, 2007). An inspiring vision yields high motivation to set vision-related goals, and to strive to achieve them, increased creativity among workers and, ultimately, greater organizational success (James & Lahti, 2011;O'Connell et al, 2011). From those ideas, I derived the following research propositions:…”

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“…In addition to that, the leadership attributes that can be followed by the employees are enthusiasm and dedication. This is because leadership through example is imperative in improving employees' motivation (James & Lahti, 2011). Dedication in the followers will not be developed if a leader does not show any enthusiasm and responsibility in doing his tasks.…”