Motivation to Lead: A Meta-Analysis and Distal-Proximal Model of Motivation and Leadership

To understand how motivation to lead (MTL) fits into the broader leadership literature, we present a meta-analytic review of MTL and test a Distal-Proximal Model of Motivation and Leadership. Using a database of 1,154 effect sizes from 100 primary studies, we found that the 3 types of MTL (affective-identity, social-normative, and noncalculative) had a unique pattern of antecedents and were only modestly correlated, indicating that MTL may be best operationalized as three separate motivational constructs instead of as one overarching construct. Further, the 3 MTL types were generally associated with individuals emerging as leaders, engaging in beneficial leadership behaviors (i.e., more transformational and transactional leadership, as well as less laissez faire leadership), and performing more effectively in leadership roles. Finally, meta-analytic path analysis demonstrated that the three MTL types partially explained the relationship between more distal predictors (i.e., gender, cognitive ability, the Big Five, past leader experience, and leader self-efficacy) and leadership emergence/effectiveness. Interestingly, we found that traits often viewed as beneficial for leadership (extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness) may have a darker side that is transmitted through MTL. Taken together, this study advances theory by clarifying the distinctiveness of the three MTL types, establishing MTL's relationship with leadership outcomes, and identifying MTL's role within the broader leadership domain.