Leader motivation as a building block for sustainable leader careers: The relationship between leadership motivation profiles and leader and follower outcomes

• Published in: Journal of vocational behavior Vol. 120; p. 103428
• Main Authors: Auvinen, Elina, Huhtala, Mari, Kinnunen, Ulla, Tsupari, Heidi, Feldt, Taru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Elsevier Inc 01.08.2020; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Career intentions; Careers; Follower-rated leader behaviors; Leadership; LMX; Motivation; Motivation to Lead; Occupational well-being; Person-centered research; Resources; Sustainable career; Motivation to Lead; LMX; Person-centered research; Career intentions; Sustainable career; Occupational well-being; Resources; Follower-rated leader behaviors
• ISSN: 0001-8791; 1095-9084
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103428

This study investigates leaders' motivation to lead (MTL) as a personal resource for building a sustainable career as a leader. Using a person-centered methodology, we identified different latent profiles of leadership motivation. These motivational profiles were compared with leaders' occupational well-being and leadership-related career intentions, and with follower-rated leader behaviors and LMX relationship quality. The survey data consisted of 1003 Finnish leaders from various sectors of working life. Of these leaders, 233 recruited their followers to participate in this study, resulting in 987 follower participants. Latent Profile Analysis identified four distinctive MTL profiles: 1) Affective-Identity-based MTL (42%), 2) Low overall MTL (41%), 3) Low Affective-Identity and High Non-Calculative MTL (12%) and 4) High Affective-Identity and Social-Normative MTL (5%). Leaders in the profile with low affective-identity MTL and high non-calculative MTL experienced the poorest occupational well-being, were likely to resign from their current leadership position or apply for less challenging leadership positions, and received the most unfavorable assessments from their followers regarding their leader behaviors and LMX. Leaders whose motivation was based on high affective-identity and social-normativity had good occupational well-being and were most likely to pursue a more challenging career as a leader. To conclude, personal leadership motivation plays an important role in leaders' well-being and in their followers' satisfaction. Thus to create and support sustainable leader careers, both leader candidates themselves and practitioners in HRM and executive selection should consider the underlying motivational resources for leadership. This can help to better align individual careers with the employing organization and create better person-career fit. •Leaders differ in their leadership motivation (four motivation profiles found).•Profiles with intrinsic motivation associated with positive self- and other-ratings.•Leaders in expert settings reported high Non-Calculative Motivation to Lead (MTL).•Novel idea of MTL as personal resource is offered for practice and theory promotion.•Idea of MTL as resource is vital for sustainable careers and executive selection.