PERCEIVED AND BEHAVIOURAL CONSEQUENCES OF SOCIAL IDENTITY LEADERSHIP IN PERFORMANCE SETTINGS

The social identity approach to leadership asserts it is the shared connection between leader and group that forms the foundation of successful leadership. Specifically, in social identity leadership it is proposed effective leaders create a unified team identity that group members feel a part of, and an emotional connection with. The purpose of this thesis was to examine the effect of values associated with social identities (i.e., contents of identity) on group members’ behavioural mobilisation (e.g., time spent practicing) and task performance, and to examine leadership techniques to enhance effective leadership. Five studies are reported in three empirical chapters. Chapter two reported how leaders’ media communication focussed on team identities, values, and visions to mobilise TeamGB athletes towards peak performance and motivate public support at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Chapter three adopted a multi-study approach to examine the effect and meditational pathways of shared and contrasting identity values on perceived leadership effectiveness, behavioural mobilisation, and task performance, together with examining the influence of leadership techniques (i.e., power through and power over strategies) on the creation of shared values under typical conditions and following failure. Chapter three results indicated shared values associated with group identity were found to increase perceived effectiveness, behavioural mobilisation, and task performance compared to contrasting values. Further, behavioural mobilisation partially mediated the positive relationship between shared values and improved task performance. In addition, data showed under conditions of contrasting values leaders are better able to create shared values by adopting a power through, as opposed to a power over, approach and these positive effects were broadly maintained following failure. Chapter four recruited all the rugby teams from an intact league to explore how shared values relate to mobilisation of effort, and how leaders emerge as a centre of influence longitudinally. Chapter four findings demonstrated the importance of multiple shared values, while group (e.g., strong team bond) individual-level (e.g., empowerment) factors linked multiple shared values to high levels of mobilisation. Theoretical explanations of findings are provided in chapter five and related to collective mind, social support, and the social identity approach to leadership (e.g., social identity threat). This thesis makes an original and significant contribution to the field of leadership by evidencing how shared values within a group identity behaviourally mobilise group members to achieve the collective vision, and how power through leadership is most effective in creating shared values.