The Role of Follower Homophily, Power Distance Orientation, and Employability, with Mats Ehrnrooth and Alexei Koveshnikov.
Highlights
Drawing on follower-centric leadership theory, in this study, we examine whether the individual characteristics of followers and the nature of leader-follower relationships constitute possible boundary conditions for the effects of authoritarian and benevolent paternalistic leadership on followers’ turnover intentions. More specifically, we explore the boundary conditioning role of the following three factors: the perceived homophily between the leader and the follower, the follower’s individual-level power distance orientation, and the follower’s perceived employability. We test our model in the high-power distance cultural context of Russia. In addition to finding that both leadership styles generally decrease followers’ turnover intentions, our analysis shows that the two styles operate very differently. We find that authoritarian leadership is more effective among followers with higher follower-leader homophily and power distance orientation, whereas benevolent paternalistic leadership is effective only among followers with low perceived homophily and power distance orientation, and more effective among followers with higher perceived employability. Therefore, by gaining a better understanding of how the two leadership styles’ effects on followers are contingent on followers’ situational and personal characteristics, this study extends research on non-participative types of leadership and their functioning.
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Cite
Ehrnrooth, M., Koveshnikov, A., and Wechtler, H. (2022). Authoritarian and Benevolent Leadership: The Role of Follower Homophily, Power Distance Orientation, and Employability. Personnel Review.