Evolution of the Concept of Implicit Leadership Theories: A Literature Review

Christopher Danis – Comenius University Bratislava, Faculty of Management, Odbojárov 10, 820 05 Bratislava, Slovakia

Anna Lašáková – Comenius University Bratislava, Faculty of Management, Odbojárov 10, 820 05 Bratislava, Slovakia

Abstract: This paper synthesizes existing research on implicit leadership theories (ILTs) — individuals’ unconscious cognitive frameworks or mental models that shape their perceptions, expectations, and evaluations of effec­tive leadership. Based on a thorough search and examination of the works on ILTs included in the Scopus database (n = 102), the authors explore the development, evolution, and contextual influences on ILTs, including the culturally endorsed ILTs stream of research (e.g., Globe project), and offer a comprehensive understanding of ILTs and their implications for perceived leadership effectiveness.

LIMEN Conference

9th International Scientific-Business Conference – LIMEN 2023 – Leadership, Innovation, Management and Economics: Integrated Politics of Research – SELECTED PAPERS, Hybrid (Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria), December 7, 2023

LIMEN Selected papers published by the Association of Economists and Managers of the Balkans, Belgrade, Serbia

LIMEN Conference 2023 Selected papers: ISBN 978-86-80194-79-0, ISSN 2683-6149, DOI: https://doi.org/10.31410/LIMEN.S.P.2023

Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission. 

References

Abdalla, I. A., & Al-Homoud, M. A. (2001). Exploring the implicit leadership theory in the Arabian Gulf states. Applied Psychology, 50(4), 506–531. https://doi.org/10.1111/1464-0597.00071

Adamovic, M., & Leibbrandt, A. (2023). Is there a glass ceiling for ethnic minorities to enter leadership positions? Evidence from a field experiment with over 12,000 job applications. Leadership Quarterly, 34(2). 101655. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2022.101655

Aria, M., & Cuccurullo, C. (2017). Bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of Informetrics, 11(4), 959-975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007

Boehme, L., Russ-Eft, D., Rovens, J., & Rovens, A. (2023). HR managers stereotyping frontline managers. International Journal of Training and Development, 27(3–4), 360–380. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijtd.12304

Bresnen, M. J. (1995). All things to all people? Perceptions, attributions, and con­structions of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 6(4), 495–513. https://doi. org/10.1016/1048-9843(95)90024-1

Chiu, C.-Y. C., Balkundi, P., & Weinberg, F. J. (2017). When managers become leaders: The role of manager network centralities, social power, and followers’ perception of leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 28(2), 334–348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.05.004

Cloutier, A. E., & Barling, J. (2023). Expectations of Leaders’ Mental Health. Journal of Leader­ship and Organizational Studies, 30(3), 276–296. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518231178637

Deal, J. J., & Stevenson, M. A. (1998). Perceptions of female and male managers in the 1990s: Plus ça change.. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 38(3–4), 287–300. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018741318216

Den Hartog, D. N., House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Antonio Ruiz-Quintanilla, S., Dorfman, P. W., Abdalla, I. A., Adetoun, B. S., Aditya, R. N., Agourram, H., Akande, A., Akande, B. E., Akerblom, S., Altschul, C., Alvarez-Backus, E., Andrews, J., Arias, M. E., Arif, M. S., Ashkanasy, N. M., Asllani, A., … Zhou, J. (1999). Culture specific and crosscultur­ally generalizable implicit leadership theories: Are attributes of charismatic/transforma­tional leadership universally endorsed? Leadership Quarterly, 10(2), 219–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(99)00018-1

Dietl, E., Rule, N., & Blickle, G. (2018). Core self-evaluations mediate the association between leaders’ facial appearance and their professional success: Adults’ and children’s percep­tions. Leadership Quarterly, 29(4), 476–488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2018.01.002

Eden, D., & Leviatan, U. (1975). Implicit leadership theory as a determinant of the factor struc­ture underlying supervisory behavior scales. Journal of Applied Psychology, 60(6),736– 741. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.60.6.736

Epitropaki, O., & Martin, R. (2004). Implicit Leadership Theories in Applied Settings: Fac­tor Structure, Generalizability, and Stability Over Time. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(2), 293–310. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.89.2.293

Epitropaki, O., & Martin, R. (2005). From Ideal to Real: A Longitudinal Study of the Role of Implicit Leadership Theories on Leader-Member Exchanges and Employee Outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(4), 659–676. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.90.4.659

Epitropaki, O., Sy, T., Martin, R., Tram-Quon, S., & Topakas, A. (2013). Implicit Leadership and Followership Theories “in the wild”: Taking stock of information-processing approaches to leadership and followership in organizational settings. The Leadership Quarterly, 24(6), 858-881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.10.005

Felfe, J., & Petersen, L.-E. (2007). Romance of leadership and management decision mak­ing. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 16(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/13594320600873076 

Gioia, D. A., & Sims, H. P., Jr. (1985). On Avoiding the Influence of Implicit Leadership Theo­ries in Leader Behavior Descriptions. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 45(2), 217–232. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316448504500204 

Holmberg, I., & Åkerblom, S. (2006). Modelling leadership-Implicit leadership theories in Sweden. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 22(4), 307–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2006.10.002 

House, R., Javidan, M., Hanges, P., & Dorfman, P. (2002). Understanding cultures and implicit leadership theories across the globe: An introduction to project GLOBE. Journal of World Business, 37(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1090-9516(01)00069-4 

Junker, N. M., & van Dick, R. (2014). Implicit theories in organizational settings: A systematic review and research agenda of implicit leadership and followership theories. The Leader­ship Quarterly, 25(6), 1154–1173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2014.09.002 

Keller, T. (1999). Images of the familiar: Individual differences and implicit leadership theo­ries. Leadership Quarterly, 10(4), 589–607. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1048-9843(99)00033-8 

Keller, T. (2003). Parental images as a guide to leadership sensemaking: An attachment per­spective on implicit leadership theories. Leadership Quarterly, 14(2), 141–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(03)00007-9 

Kono, T., Ehrhart, K. H., Ehrhart, M. G., & Schultze, T. (2012). Implicit leadership theories in Japan and the US. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 50(3), 367–387. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7941.2012.00026.x 

Lašáková, A. (2023). Vedenie ľudí. In Organizačné správanie (pp. 143-198). Bratislava: Univer­zita Komenského v Bratislave.

Lim, S., Othman, R., Zain, A. Y., & Pengiran, D. S. R. (2012). Implicit Leadership Theories of Bruneians. Journal of Asia-Pacific Business, 13(4), 302–319. https://doi.org/10.1080/10599231.2012.718674  

Lin, C.-H. V., & Sun, J.-M. J. (2018). Chinese employees’ leadership preferences and the rela­tionship with power distance orientation and core self-evaluation. Frontiers of Business Research in China, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s11782-018-0027-9 

Ling, W., Chia, R. C., & Fang, L. (2000). Chinese implicit leadership theory. Journal of Social Psychology, 140(6), 729–739. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224540009600513 

Lord, R. G., Foti, R. J., & de Vader, C. L. (1984). A test of leadership categorization theory: Inter­nal structure, information processing, and leadership perceptions. Organizational Behav­ior & Human Performance, 34(3), 343–378. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(84)90043-6 

Merritt, S. M., & Lynch, E. E. (2020). Weight and gender bias in observer perceptions of or­ganizational leadership: Effects of perceived leader prototypicality and unit performance. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12730 

Moorman, R. H., Darnold, T. C., Priesemuth, M., & Dunn, C. P. (2012). Toward the Measure­ment of Perceived Leader Integrity: Introducing a Multidimensional Approach. Journal of Change Management, 12(4), 383–398. https://doi.org/10.1080/14697017.2012.728746 

Moss, S. E., Kessler, S. R., Martinko, M. J., & Mackey, J. D. (2022). The Relationship Between Follower Affect for President Trump and the Adoption of COVID-19 Personal Protective Behaviors. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 29(2), 233–244. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518211010765 

Neal, M., Finlay, J., & Tansey, R. (2005). ‘My father knows the minister’. A comparative study of Arab women’s attitudes towards leadership authority. Women in Management Review, 20(7), 478–497. https://doi.org/10.1108/09649420510624729 

Neal, M., Finlay, J. L., Catana, G. A., & Catana, D. (2007). A Comparison of Leadership Pro­totypes of Arab and European Females. International Journal of Cross Cultural Manage­ment, 7(3), 291-316. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470595807083375 

Offermann, L. R., & Coats, M. R. (2018). Implicit theories of leadership: Stability and change over two decades. Leadership Quarterly, 29(4), 513–522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2017.12.003 

Offermann, L. R., Kennedy, J. K., Jr., & Wirtz, P. W. (1994). Implicit leadership theories: Con­tent, structure, and generalizability. The Leadership Quarterly, 5(1), 43-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/1048-9843(94)90005-1 

Oliver, A. G., Pfarrer, M. D., & Neville, F. (2022). Grand Challenges and Female Leaders: An Exploration of Relational Leadership During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Business and So­ciety. https://doi.org/10.1177/00076503221141880 

Powell, G. N., & Butterfield, D. A. (2011). Sex, gender, and the US presidency: Ready for a fe­male President? Gender in Management: An International Journal, 26(6), 394–407. https://doi.org/10.1108/17542411111164894 

Ritter, B. A., Hedberg, P. R., & Gower, K. (2016). Enhancing Teacher Credibility: What We Can Learn From the Justice and Leadership Literature. Organization Management Journal, 13(2), 90–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/15416518.2016.1152457 

Rush, M. C., Thomas, J. C., & Lord, R. G. (1977). Implicit leadership theory: A potential threat to the internal validity of leader behavior questionnaires. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 20(1), 93–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(77)90046-0 

Salinitri, G. (2020). LEADing From Behind: Exploring the Leadership Styles of Effective Teachers. Advances in Educational Marketing, Administration, and Leadership, 405-422. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-2430-5.ch021 

Schneider, D. J. (1973). Implicit personality theory: A review. Psychological Bulletin, 79(5), 294–309. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0034496 

Schyns, B. (2021). Being suspicious in the workplace: The role of suspicion and negative views of others in the workplace in the perception of abusive supervision. Leadership and Organ­ization Development Journal, 42(4), 617–629. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-06-2020-0242 

Schyns, B., & Schilling, J. (2011). Implicit leadership theories: Think leader, think effective? Journal of Management Inquiry, 20(2), 141–150. https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492610375989 

Sharifirad, M. S. (2021). Who is an ideal organizational leader in iran? Examining the content, structure, and consequences of iranian implicit leadership theories (iilts). Iranian Journal of Management Studies, 14(1), 107–140. https://doi.org/10.22059/IJMS.2020.290291.673813 

Stelmokienė, A., & Endriulaitienė, A. (2020). Congruence between real and ideal leader. What matters more in today’s work world: Ethical behavior of a leader or productivity? Busi­ness: Theory and Practice, 21(1), 184–191. https://doi.org/10.3846/btp.2020.11800 

Subramaniam, A., Othman, R., & Sambasivan, M. (2010). Implicit leadership theory among Ma­laysian managers: Impact of the leadership expectation gap on leader-member exchange quality. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 31(4), 351–371. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437731011043366  

Sy, T., Shore, L. M., Strauss, J., Shore, T. H., Tram, S., Whiteley, P., & Ikeda-Muromachi, K. (2010). Leadership perceptions as a function of race-occupation fit: The case of Asian Americans. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(5), 902–919. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019501  

Trichas, S., Schyns, B., Lord, R., & Hall, R. (2017). “Facing” leaders: Facial expression and leadership perception. Leadership Quarterly, 28(2), 317–333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.10.013  

Tsai, C.-J., & Qiao, K. (2023). A cross-cultural examination of the fit between expected and ob­served leadership behaviors and employee satisfaction: An empirical study of the expecta­tions and satisfaction of Chinese employees toward the leadership behaviors of their expa­triate supervisors. International Studies of Management and Organization, 53(1), 19–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/00208825.2023.2174924 

Ubaka, A., Lu, X., & Gutierrez, L. (2023). Testing the generalizability of the white leader­ship standard in the post-Obama era. Leadership Quarterly, 34(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2021.101591 

Zhang, G., Bai, Y., Caza, A., & Wang, L. (2014). Leader integrity and organizational citizen­ship behaviour in China. Management and Organization Review, 10(2), 299–319. https://doi.org/10.1111/more.12023