Self-Regulatory Focus in the Leadership Process

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஽ Academy of Management Review
2007, Vol. 32, No. 2, 500–528.

MOTIVATION TO LEAD, MOTIVATION TO
FOLLOW: THE ROLE OF THE SELFREGULATORY FOCUS IN LEADERSHIP
PROCESSES
RONIT KARK
Bar-Ilan University
DINA VAN DIJK
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
In this paper we integrate recent theories of motivation and leadership. Drawing on the self-regulatory focus theory and on self-concept based theories of leadership, we develop a conceptual framework proposing that leaders’ chronic self-regulatory focus
(promotion versus prevention), in conjunction with their values, influences their motivation to lead and, subsequently, their leadership behavior. We further suggest that leaders may influence the motivational self-regulatory foci of their followers, which will mediate different follower outcomes at the individual and group level.

chological processes and mechanisms through which leaders motivate followers. Recent developments in motivation theory stress the importance of people’s self-regulatory focus as a central component shaping their motivations and behavior (Higgins, 1997, 1998). This theoretical development may be helpful in attempting to understand the ability of leaders to influence and motivate followers by arousing different self-regulatory foci of followers.
Our goal here is to draw from transformational and charismatic leadership theory (e.g.,
Avolio, Bass, & Jung, 1999; Conger & Kanungo,
1998) and from identity and self-concept-based theories of leadership (e.g., Kark & Shamir, 2002;
Lord & Brown, 2004; Lord, Brown, & Freiberg,
1999; Shamir et. al., 1993; van Knippenberg &
Hogg, 2003), as well as from the theory of regulatory focus (Higgins, 1997, 1998),

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