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I want to achieve my goals when I can? The interactive effect of leader organization-based self-esteem and political skill on goal-focused leadership

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to extend goal-focused leadership research. To accomplish our objective, we raise the questions: When do leaders work to foster and support the goal achievement of followers and can leaders’ efforts toward followers’ goal achievement impact followers’ attachment to the organization? Subsequently, this study asserts that leaders’ own psychological states – specifically organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) – influence leaders’ motivation to provide goal-focused leadership, but that leaders’ skills – particularly political skill – are important as well. Whereas leader OBSE (i.e., want to) represents a leader’s heightened motivation and belief that he or she can make a positive impact within an organization, leader political skill (i.e., can do) captures a leader’s ability to be an effective leader who encourages and supports organizationally-valued follower goal attainment. Further, using social exchange theory, we argue that the outcomes of goal-focused leadership include an enhanced attachment to the organization, as followers recognize and reciprocate the effort and resources given to them by the leader. Findings from a multi-source cross-sectional field survey of leader and follower dyads demonstrate that leader OBSE impacts follower affective commitment and turnover intentions via goal-focused leadership. Moreover, this particular indirect effect is enhanced when leader political skill is relatively high compared to relatively low. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.

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Data Availability

The dataset generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available at the Center for Open Science. The link to the repository is below. https://osf.io/hqkp5/?view_only=9c27467dd3a24f429b1603062615c063.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Current Psychology’s review team for very developmental and helpful feedback on previous drafts. We also thank the Management Faculty of Color Association’s Research Collaboration Initiative and The PhD Project, which serves as the impetus for initiating this project.

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  1. Farmer School of Business, Miami University, Oxford, United States

    Darryl B. Rice

  2. College of Business, Western New England University, Springfield, United States

    Natalie Cotton-Nessler

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Appendix

Appendix

Leader OBSE (supervisor-rated).

I count around here.

I am taken seriously around here.

I am important around here.

I am trusted around here.

There is faith in me here.

I can make a difference around here.

I am valuable around here.

I am helpful around here.

I am efficient around here.

I am cooperative around here.

Leader political skill (supervisor-rated).

I am able to make most people feel comfortable around me.

I am able to make most people feel at ease around me.

It is easy for me to develop good rapport with most people.

I understand people well.

I am good at getting others to respond positively to me.

I usually try to find common ground with others.

Goal-focused leadership (employee-rated).

My supervisor provides direction and defines priorities.

My supervisor clarifies specific roles and responsibilities.

My supervisor translates strategies into understandable objectives and plans.

My supervisor links the unit’s mission to the mission of the company overall.

My supervisor follows up to make sure the job gets done.

Employee affective commitment (employee-rated).

I would be very happy to spend the rest of my career with this organization.

I enjoy discussing my organization with people outside it.

I really feel as if this organization’s problems are my own.

This organization has a great deal of personal meaning for me.

Employee turnover intentions (employee-rated).

I often think about quitting.

I will probably look for a new job in the next year.

I will likely actively look for a new job in the next year.

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Rice, D.B., Cotton-Nessler, N. I want to achieve my goals when I can? The interactive effect of leader organization-based self-esteem and political skill on goal-focused leadership. Curr Psychol 42, 23081–23095 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03429-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03429-9

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