Beyond Prototypicality: Identity Leadership Is About Shaping and Embedding a Sense of Social Identity, Not Just Representing It
Beyond Prototypicality: Identity Leadership Is About Shaping and Embedding a Sense of Social Identity, Not Just Representing It
StatusVoR
Alternative title
Authors
Wilson-Lemoine, Jérémy E.
Swiatczak, Martyna D.
Steffens, Niklas K.
van Dick, Rolf
Kerschreiter, Rudolf
Arslan Akfirat, Serap
Avanzi, Lorenzo
Ballada, Christine Joy A.
Barghi, Bita
Bazarov, Tahir
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Date
2026-03-03
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Journal of Applied Social Psychology
Issue
3
Volume
56
Pages
Pages
251-270
ISSN
0021-9029
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Access date
2026-03-03
Abstract PL
Abstract EN
Research inspired by the social identity theory of leadership has focused predominantly on the importance of a leader being seen to be representative of the groups they lead. However, beyond this, research suggests that leaders also need to create, advance, and embed a sense of shared social identity in those groups. In the present research, we explore how these different facets of identity leadership combine to form distinct leader profiles. We draw on two heterogeneous independent samples from the Global Identity Leadership Development project (N = 7682; N = 7855) to explore profiles of leaders’ engagement in identity leadership. In both studies, a latent profile analysis of the results of a CFA using a bifactor-(S − 1) model was conducted. In each case, the analysis identified two different predominant identity leadership profiles: ‘engaged identity leaders’ and ‘moderate-inconsistent identity leaders’. Employees working with engaged identity leaders reported substantially more positive job-related attitudes. The results were very similar across the two studies and suggest that this profile analysis is generalizable. The findings support suggestions that identity leadership is multidimensional rather than solely a matter of identity prototypicality.
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Keywords PL
Keywords EN
bifactor‐(S − 1) model
identity leadership inventory
latent profile analysis
leadership
social identity
identity leadership inventory
latent profile analysis
leadership
social identity
Keywords other
Sustainable Development Goals
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