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.

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.

Journal

The Leadership Quarterly

Rights

Copyright © 2011 Published by Elsevier Inc.

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