Experimentally Analyzing the Impact of Leader Positivity on Follower Positivity and Performance
Document Type
Article
Department or Administrative Unit
Management
Publication Date
4-2011
Abstract
This field experimental study examined the role that positive leadership plays in producing effective leader and follower outcomes. Specifically, a sample of engineers (N =106) from a very large aerospace firm were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions. Two conditions involved assigning these engineers to a low and high problem complexity condition. The other two conditions represented high versus low conveyed leader positivity. The results indicated a positive relationship between the leaders'' positivity and the followers'' positivity and performance as well as a negative relationship between problem complexity and follower positivity. The study limitations, needed future research, and practical implications of these findings conclude the article.
Recommended Citation
Avey, J.B., Avolio, B.J. & Luthans, F. (2011). Experimentally analyzing the impact of leader positivity on follower positivity and performance. The Leadership Quarterly 22(2), 282-294. DOI: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2011.02.004
Journal
The Leadership Quarterly
Rights
Copyright © 2011 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Comments
This article was originally published in The Leadership Quarterly. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.
Due to copyright restrictions, this article is not available for free download from ScholarWorks @ CWU.