Leader influence beyond the individual leader : group-level and member-level factors that affect leader influence

Abstract

Leadership is inextricably intertwined with the notion of influence. When examining the most prominent contemporary approaches to leadership, notably neo-charismatic leadership theories, trait-based approaches to leadership and leader-member exchange theories, the factors that determine leaders’ influence are sought in the individual leader. This paper uses social identity approaches to leadership as a basis for constructing a conceptual argument for investigating factors beyond the individual leader that impact on leaders’ influence. We focus on group-level factors that impact on leader influence. Using a minimal definition of social groups as point of orientation and framed by the philosophy of social constructionism, we show that two factors beyond the individual leader can be identified: group entitativity, or ‘groupiness’, is identified as a group-level factor, and group identification is identified as a member-level factor. This research contributes to a wider understanding of leader effectiveness by devoting closer attention to the effect of group dynamics on leader influence.