Summary of: Who takes the lead? A multi-source diary study
on leadership, work engagement, and job performance
1. The study focuses on the impact of transformational leadership behaviors and employee self-
leadership strategies on work engagement and job performance, taking into account employees'
varying need for leadership.
2. The researchers hypothesized that transformational leadership and self-leadership would
positively influence work engagement and job performance, with the effectiveness varying based
on employees’ need for leadership.
3. The study involved 57 leader-employee dyads who completed a quantitative diary survey over a
period of five weeks, providing data on transformational leadership behaviors, self-leadership
strategies, need for leadership, work engagement, and job performance.
4. The results showed that both transformational leadership behaviors and employee self-
leadership strategies were positively related to employee work engagement and job performance at
the weekly level.
5. Transformational leadership was more effective when employees had a high need for
leadership, whereas self-leadership was more effective when employees had a low need for
leadership. This suggests that the effectiveness of each type of leadership depends on employees’
varying need for guidance and motivation.
6. The study used a within-person approach to leadership, highlighting the fluctuations in
leadership behaviors within individuals from week to week, rather than focusing on average
behaviors across individuals.
7. The research also compared the relative contributions of transformational leadership and self-
leadership, finding that both types of leadership explained a significant amount of variance in
employees’ work engagement and job performance.
8. The article discusses the importance of studying leadership as behaviors that may vary over
time and situations, highlighting the implications for leadership training and development as well as
personnel selection.
9. The limitations of the study, including the potential for reversed causality and the need for further
research to explore the interplay between transformational leadership and employee self-
leadership, are also highlighted.
on leadership, work engagement, and job performance
1. The study focuses on the impact of transformational leadership behaviors and employee self-
leadership strategies on work engagement and job performance, taking into account employees'
varying need for leadership.
2. The researchers hypothesized that transformational leadership and self-leadership would
positively influence work engagement and job performance, with the effectiveness varying based
on employees’ need for leadership.
3. The study involved 57 leader-employee dyads who completed a quantitative diary survey over a
period of five weeks, providing data on transformational leadership behaviors, self-leadership
strategies, need for leadership, work engagement, and job performance.
4. The results showed that both transformational leadership behaviors and employee self-
leadership strategies were positively related to employee work engagement and job performance at
the weekly level.
5. Transformational leadership was more effective when employees had a high need for
leadership, whereas self-leadership was more effective when employees had a low need for
leadership. This suggests that the effectiveness of each type of leadership depends on employees’
varying need for guidance and motivation.
6. The study used a within-person approach to leadership, highlighting the fluctuations in
leadership behaviors within individuals from week to week, rather than focusing on average
behaviors across individuals.
7. The research also compared the relative contributions of transformational leadership and self-
leadership, finding that both types of leadership explained a significant amount of variance in
employees’ work engagement and job performance.
8. The article discusses the importance of studying leadership as behaviors that may vary over
time and situations, highlighting the implications for leadership training and development as well as
personnel selection.
9. The limitations of the study, including the potential for reversed causality and the need for further
research to explore the interplay between transformational leadership and employee self-
leadership, are also highlighted.
