Abstract
The leadership intention measure was developed to help organizations deal with the dynamic and complex realities of the 21st-century competitive global environment, which necessitates a more rapid and effective response to changes to survive. An effective approach for dealing with this reality is to involve employees in the various leadership processes for the organization. However, employees must be prepared to assume the responsibility for a more active leadership role. Before an organization can open their work environment for ‘leadership in all', determining whether members have the intention to exhibit leadership is critical. Therefore, this scale is based on the reasoned action behavioral model of Fishbein and Ajzen to determine the intentions of employees for engaging in leadership behavior. The LIM scale was validated in an organization whose stated culture encouraged leadership behavior by all. Results indicate that this measure would be a valuable tool for assessing organization readiness for facilitating and enabling leadership behaviors.
TopBackground
Leadership has been studied and debated for many years with numerous attempts to define what it means and how leadership theory should be developed and used in organizations. An extensive examination of leadership literature (Bass, 1990; Burns, 1978, 1998, 2003; Day, Harrison, & Halpin, 2009; Goethals & Sorenson, 2006; Greenleaf, 1977; Harter, 2006; Heifetz, 1994; Hickman, 1998; Hogan, Curphy, & Hogan, 1994; Hollander, 1992; House & Aditya, 1997; Jacobs, 1970; Locke, 1991; McCrimmon, 2006; Murrell, 1997; Northouse, 2004; Pearce & Conger, 2003; Raelin, 2003; Rost, 1991; Selznik, 1957; Stogdill, 1948, 1974; Uhl-Bein, 2006; Yukl, 2006) leads to two conclusions: (a) the predominant leadership perspective is based on authority positions with associated assumptions about the appropriate leadership traits, characteristics, and behaviors and (b) everyday individual leadership behaviors in organizations have not been adequately addressed in the literature, and little is understood about the factors that encourage and facilitate the leadership behaviors that support organizational effectiveness (Heifetz), particularly in complex and dynamic work environments.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Persuasion: One person voluntarily changing their mind about something based on arguments or evidence presented by another person.
Influence: The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself.
Leadership: Influence process by anyone in the organization derived from knowledge, the recognition of the need for a specific change, and the intention to influence others to accept the change idea and take appropriate action.