Effects of motivation to lead on leadership preference: an empirical study

Abstract

According to the literature, science of management has started to become a jungle since 1960s. With the addition of many post-modern concepts, this jungle has turned into a much complex structure. A striking point is that a similar complexity is witnessed about a related subject leadership. A focal point of this current study is leadership within the contingency approach, precisely the issue of preferring leadership in ever-changing situations. There are many different leadership approaches and some emphasize situational changes, and all these may be related with the other focal point of this study: Motivation to lead (MTL) – i.e., the person’s willingness to claim and continue the role of leadership. The current study strives to uncover whether this willingness affects leadership preference in different situations. The results show that MTL can not fully affect leadership preference, albeit there is a partial effect.