Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

How Authentic Leadership Influences Team Performance: The Mediating Role of Team Reflexivity

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examines how authentic leadership influences team performance via the mediating mechanism of team reflexivity. Adopting a self-regulatory perspective, we propose that authentic leadership will predict the specific team regulatory process of reflexivity, which in turn will be associated with two outcomes of team performance, effectiveness and productivity. Using survey data from 53 teams in three organizations in the United Kingdom and Greece and controlling for collective trust, we found support for our stated hypotheses with the results indicating a significant fully mediated relationship. As predicted the self-regulatory behaviors inherent in the process of authentic leadership served to collectively shape team behavior, manifesting in the process of team reflexivity, which, in turn, positively predicted team performance. We conclude with a discussion of how this study extends theoretical understanding of authentic leadership in relation to teamwork and delineate several practical implications for leaders and organizations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alvesson, M., & Sköldberg, K. (2000). Reflexive methodology: New vistas for qualitative research. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashford, S. J. (1986). Feedback-seeking in individual adaptation: A resource perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 29(3), 465–487.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Avolio, B., Gardner, W., Walumbwa, F., Luthans, F., & May, D. (2004). Unlocking the mask: A look at the process by which authentic leaders impact follower attitudes and behaviors. The Leadership Quarterly, 15(6), 801–823.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Avolio, B. J., & Walumbwa, F. O. (2014). Authentic leadership theory, research and practice: Steps taken and steps that remain. In D. V. Day (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of leadership and organizations (pp. 331–356). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1991). Social cognitive theory of self-regulation. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 248–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blau, P. M. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bliese, P. D. (2000). Within-group agreement, non-independence, and reliability: Implications for data aggregation and analysis. In K. J. Klein & S. W. J. Kozlowski (Eds.), Multilevel theory, research, and methods in organizations. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, M. E., & Mitchell, M. S. (2010). Ethical and unethical leadership: Exploring new avenues for future research. Business Ethics Quarterly, 20(4), 583–616.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bunderson, J. S., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2003). Management team learning orientation and business unit performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(3), 552–560.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carter, S. M., & West, M. A. (1998). Reflexivity, effectiveness, and mental health in BBC-TV production teams. Small Group Research, 29(5), 583–601.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (1998). On self-regulation of behaviour. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Cerin, E., & MacKinnon, D. P. (2009). A commentary on current practice in mediating variable analysis in behavioral nutrition and physical activity. Public Health Nutrition, 12, 1182–1188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Černe, M., Jaklič, M., & Škerlavaj, M. (2013). Authentic leadership, creativity, and innovation: A multilevel perspective. Leadership, 9(1), 63–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chan, A. Y. L. H., Hannah, S., & Gardner, W. (2005). Veritable authentic leadership: emergence, functioning and impacts. In W. B. Gardner, B. J. Avolio, & F. O. Wallumbwa (Eds.), Authentic leadership theory and practice. Origins, effects and developments. Oxford: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clapp-Smith, R., Vogelgesang, G. R., & Avey, J. B. (2009). Authentic leadership and positive psychological capital: The mediating role of trust at the group level of analysis. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 15(3), 227–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, J. F. (2003). Do we have enough? The accuracy of incomplete data from small groups. In Best paper proceedings of the Academy of Management, Seattle.

  • De Dreu, C. K. W. (2007). Cooperative outcome interdependence, task reflexivity, and team effectiveness: A motivated information processing perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(3), 628–638.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Jong, B. A., & Elfring, T. (2010). How does trust affect the performance of ongoing teams? The mediating role of reflexivity, monitoring, and effort. Academy of Management Journal, 53(3), 535–549.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeShon, R. P., Kozlowski, S. W. J., Schmidt, A. M., Milner, K. R., & Wiechmann, D. (2004). A multiple-goal, multilevel model of feedback effects on the regulation of individual and team performance. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(6), 1035–1056.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(3), 39–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D., & Walumbwa, F. (2005). “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 343–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22(6), 1145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, W. L., & Schermerhorn, J. R, Jr. (2004). Unleashing individual potential: Performance gains through positive organizational behavior and authentic leadership. Organizational Dynamics, 33(3), 270–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, J. M. (1990). Personality, affect, and behavior in groups. Journal of Applied Psychology, 75(2), 107–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gersick, C. J. G., & Hackman, R. J. (1990). Habitual routines in task performing groups. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 47(1), 65–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gevers, J. M. P., van Eerde, W., & Rutte, C. G. (2009). Team self-regulation and meeting deadlines in project teams: Antecedents and effects of temporal consensus. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 18(3), 295–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giallonardo, L. M., Wong, C. A., & Iwasiw, C. L. (2010). Authentic leadership of preceptors: predictor of new graduate nurses’ work engagement and job satisfaction. Journal of Nursing Management, 18(8), 993–1003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grandey, A. A., Fisk, G. M., Mattila, A. S., Jansen, K. J., & Sideman, L. A. (2005). Is “service with a smile” enough? Authenticity of positive displays during service encounters. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 96(1), 38–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guillaume, Y., van Knippenberg, D., & Brodbeck, F. (2013). Nothing succeeds like moderation: A social self-regulation perspective on cultural dissimilarity and performance. Academy of Management Journal, 57(5), 1284–1308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hackman, J. R. (1987). The design of work teams. In J. Lorsch (Ed.), Handbook of organizational behavior (pp. 315–342). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hackman, J. R. (2002). Leading teams. Setting the stage for great performances. Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hackman, J. R., & Wageman, R. (2005). A theory of team coaching. Academy of Management Review, 30(2), 269–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hambrick, D. C. (2007). Upper echelons theory: An update. Academy of Management Review, 32(2), 334–343.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hannah, S. T., Walumbwa, F. O., & Fry, L. W. (2011). Leadership in action teams: Team leader and members’ authenticity, authenticity strength, and team outcomes. Personnel Psychology, 64(3), 771–802.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A.F. (2012). PROCESS: A versatile computational tool for observed variable mediation, moderation, and conditional process modeling [White paper]. Retrieved from http://www.afhayes.com/public/process2012.pdf.

  • Hayes, A. F. (2009). Beyond Baron and Kenny: Statistical mediation analysis in the new millennium. Communication Monographs, 76(4), 408–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirst, G., Mann, L., Bain, P., Pirola-Merlo, A., & Richver, A. (2004). Learning to lead: The development and testing of a model of leadership learning. The Leadership Quarterly, 15(3), 311–327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirst, G., Walumbwa, F., Aryee, S., Butarbutar, I., & Chen, C. (2015). A multi-level investigation of authentic leadership as an antecedent of helping behavior. Journal of Business Ethics,. doi:10.1007/s10551-015-2580-x. (in press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hmieleski, K. M., Cole, M. S., & Baron, R. A. (2012). Shared authentic leadership and new venture performance. Journal of Management, 38(5), 1476–1499.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, J., & Liden, R. (2014). Making a difference in the teamwork: Linking team prosocial motivation to team processes and effectiveness. Academy of Management Journal,. doi:10.5465/amj.2012.1142.

    Google Scholar 

  • James, L. R., Demaree, R. G., & Wolf, G. (1993). Rwg: An assessment of within-group interrater agreement. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(2), 306–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kark, R., & Shamir, B. (2002). The dual effect of transformational leadership: Priming relational and collective selves and further effects on followers. In B. J. Avolio & F. J. Yammarion (Eds.), Transformational and charismatic leadership: The road ahead (pp. 67–91). Oxford: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirkman, B. L., & Rosen, B. (1999). Beyond self-management: antecedents and consequences of team empowerment. Academy of Management Journal, 42(1), 58–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein, K. J., & Kozlowski, S. W. J. (2000). From micro to meso: Critical steps in conceptualizing and conducting multilevel research. Organizational Research Methods, 3(3), 211–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Konradt, U., Schippers, M. C., Garbers, Y., & Steenfatt, C. (2014). Effects of guided reflection and feedback on team performance improvement: The role of team regulatory processes and emergent cognitive states. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology,. doi:10.1177/1046496414521303. (in press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kozlowski, S. W. J., & Ilgen, D. R. (2006). Enhancing the effectiveness of work groups and teams. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 7(3), 77–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leroy, H., Palanski, M. E., & Simons, T. (2012). Authentic leadership and behavioral integrity as drivers of follower commitment and performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 107(3), 255–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (1990). A theory of goal setting & task performance. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luthans, F. (2002). The need for and meaning of positive organizational behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23(6), 695–706.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luthans, F., & Avolio, B. J. (2003). Authentic leadership development. In K. S. Cameron, J. E. Dutton, & R. E. Quinn (Eds.), Positive organizational scholarship (pp. 241–258). San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackinnon, D. P., Lockwood, C. M., Hoffman, J. M., West, S. G., & Sheets, V. (2002). A comparison of methods to test mediation and other intervening variable effects. Psychological Methods, 7(1), 83–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marks, M. A., Mathieu, J. E., & Zaccaro, S. J. (2001). A temporally based framework and taxonomy of team processes. Academy of Management Review, 26(3), 356–376.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mathieu, J. E., Heffner, T. S., Goodwin, G. F., Salas, E., & Cannon-Bowers, J. A. (2000). The influence of shared mental models on team process and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(2), 273–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mathieu, J. E., Tannenbaum, S. I., Donsbach, J. S., & Alliger, G. M. (2013). A review and integration of team composition models: Moving toward a dynamic and temporal framework. Journal of Management,. doi:10.1177/0149206313503014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, D. M., Kuenzi, M., Greenbaum, R., Bardes, M., & Salvador, R. (2009). How low does ethical leadership flow? Test of a trickle-down model. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 108(1), 1–13. (Bombie).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maynard, M. T., Mathieu, J. E., Rapp, T. L., & Gilson, L. L. (2012). Something(s) old and something(s) new: Modeling drivers of global virtual team effectiveness. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33(3), 342–365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nederveen Pieterse, A., van Knippenberg, D., & van Ginkel, W. P. (2011). Diversity in goal orientation, team reflexivity, and team performance. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 114(2), 153–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2004). SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 36(4), 717–731.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rapp, T. L., Bachrach, D. G., Rapp, A. A., & Mullins, R. (2014). The role of team goal monitoring in the curvilinear relationship between team efficacy and team performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(5), 976–987.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rego, A., Reis Júnior, D., & Pina e Cunha, M. (2014). Authentic leaders promoting store performance: The mediating role of virtuousness and potency. Journal of Business Ethics, 120(4), 441–455.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rego, A., Sousa, F., Marques, C., & Pina e Cunha, M. (2012). Authentic leadership promoting employees’ psychological capital and creativity. Journal of Business Research, 65(3), 429–437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rego, A., Vitória, A., Magalhães, A., Ribeiro, N., & Pina e Cunha, M. (2013). Are authentic leaders associated with more virtuous, committed and potent teams? The Leadership Quarterly, 24(1), 61–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richter, A. W., West, M. A., Van Dick, R., & Dawson, J. F. (2006). Boundary spanners’ identification, intergroup contact, and effective intergroup relations. Academy of Management Journal, 49(6), 1252–1269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rousseau, V., Aubé, C., & Savoie, A. (2006). Teamwork behaviors: A review and an integration of frameworks. Small Group Research, 37(5), 540–570.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salancik, G. R., & Pfeffer, J. (1977). An examination of need-satisfaction models of job attitudes. Administrative Science Quarterly, 22(3), 427–456.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schippers, M. C., Den Hartog, D. N., & Koopman, P. L. (2007). Reflexivity in teams: A measure and correlates. Applied Psychology, 56(2), 189–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schippers, M. C., Den Hartog, D. N., Koopman, P. L., & van Knippenberg, D. (2008). The role of transformational leadership in enhancing team reflexivity. Human Relations, 61(11), 1593–1616.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schippers, M. C., Edmondson, A. E., & West, M. A. (2014). Team reflexivity as an antidote to information processing failures. Small Group Research, 45(6), 731–769.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schippers, M. C., Homan, A. C., & van Knippenberg, D. (2013). To reflect or not to reflect: Prior team performance as a boundary condition of the effects of reflexivity on learning and final team performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 34(1), 6–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schippers, M. C., West, M. A., & Dawson, J. F. (2015). Team reflexivity and innovation: The moderating role of team context. Journal of Management, 41, 769–788.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shamir, B., & Eilam, G. (2005). “What’s your story?” A life-stories approach to authentic leadership development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 395–417.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shin, Y. (2014). Positive group affect and team creativity: Mediation of team reflexivity and promotion focus. Small Group Research, 45(3), 337–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Somech, A. (2006). The effects of leadership style and team process on performance and innovation in functionally heterogeneous teams. Journal of Management, 32(1), 132–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sundstrom, E., Mclntyre, M., Halfhill, T., & Richards, H. (2000). Work groups: From the hawthorne studies to work teams of the 1990s and beyond. Group Dynamics, 4(1), 44–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swift, T. A., & West, M. A. (1998). Reflexivity and group processes. Sheffield: The ESRC Centre for Organization and Innovation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tjosvold, D., Tang, M. M. L., & West, M. A. (2004). Reflexivity for team innovation in china: the contribution of goal interdependence. Group & Organization Management, 29(5), 540–559.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trevino, L. K., & Brown, M. E. (2014). Ethical Leadership. In D. V. Day (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of leadership and organizations (pp. 524–538). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Knippenberg, D., van Knippenberg, B., De Cremer, D., & Hogg, M. A. (2004). Leadership, self, and identity: A review and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 15(6), 825–856.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waldman, D. A., Sully de Luque, M., Washburn, N., House, R. J., Adetoun, B., Barrasa, A., … Wilderom, C. P. M. (2006). Cultural and leadership predictors of corporate social responsibility values of top management: a GLOBE study of 15 countries. Journal of International Business Studies, 37(6), 823–837.

  • Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • West, M. A. (1996). Reflexivity and work group effectiveness: A conceptual integration. In M. A. West (Ed.), Handbook of work group psychology (pp. 555–579). Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • West, M. A. (2000). Reflexivity, revolution and innovation in work teams. In M. M. Beyerlein (Ed.), Product development teams: Advances in interdisciplinary studies of work teams (pp. 1–30). Greenwich: JAI.

    Google Scholar 

  • West, M. A., Garrod, S., & Carletta, J. (1997). Group decision-making and effectiveness: Unexplored boundaries. In C. L. Cooper & S. E. Jackson (Eds.), Creating tomorrow’s organizations: A handbook for future research in organizational behavior (pp. 293–316). Chicester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Widmer, P. S., Schippers, M. C., & West, M. A. (2009). Recent developments in reflexivity research: A review. Psychology of Everyday Activity, 2, 2–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong, C. A., Spence Laschinger, H. K., & Cummings, G. G. (2010). Authentic leadership and nurses’ voice behaviour and perceptions of care quality. Journal of Nursing Management, 18(8), 889–900.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yammarino, F., Dionne, S., Schrieseim, C., & Dansereau, F. (2008). Authentic leadership and positive organizational behavior: A meso, multi-level perspective. The Leadership Quarterly, 19(6), 693–707.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeow, J., & Martin, R. (2013). The role of self-regulation in developing leaders: A longitudinal field experiment. The Leadership Quarterly, 24(5), 625–637.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zaccaro, S. J., Heinen, B., & Shuffler, M. (2009). Team leadership and team effectiveness. In E. Salas, G. F. Goodwin, & C. S. Burke (Eds.), Team effectiveness in complex organisations. Cross-disciplinary perspectives and approaches2 (pp. 83–112). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aston University, Birmingham, UK

    Joanne Lyubovnikova, Alison Legood, Nicola Turner & Argyro Mamakouka

Authors
  1. Joanne Lyubovnikova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alison Legood
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Nicola Turner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Argyro Mamakouka
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joanne Lyubovnikova.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lyubovnikova, J., Legood, A., Turner, N. et al. How Authentic Leadership Influences Team Performance: The Mediating Role of Team Reflexivity. J Bus Ethics 141, 59–70 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2692-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2692-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation