Leadership‐shaping experiences: a comparative study of leaders and non‐leaders
Leadership & Organization Development Journal
ISSN: 0143-7739
Article publication date: 12 June 2009
Abstract
Purpose
By comparing “leaders” with “non‐leaders” the current research attempts to shed light on the impact of early experiences on leaders' development.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is presented in two parts, quantitative and qualitative. In the first (quantitative) part, a group of soldiers perceived as leaders was compared with a group of soldiers perceived as non‐leaders, in order to examine the hypothesis that leaders have had more leadership experiences than non‐leaders. Confirmation of this hypothesis led to the qualitative part, in which the sense in which the reported experiences had contributed to leadership development was explored.
Findings
The leaders proved to have had more leadership experiences than non‐leaders in their youth. Such experiences impact on self‐perception as a leader, the development of self‐efficacy in leadership, and the accumulation of psychological and behavioral knowledge related to the manifestation of leadership.
Practical implications
Conceptually, the study adds knowledge regarding leadership development via natural experiences, particularly experiences that occur in early periods of life. Practically, the study adds knowledge that can improve selection processes of leaders, as well as knowledge that can be applied to leaders' development, particularly reflective methods.
Originality/value
The contributions of this study are methodological, conceptual, and practical. The study offers methods and instruments to assess leadership and distinguish leaders from non‐leaders..
Keywords
Citation
Amit, K., Popper, M., Gal, R., Mamane‐Levy, T. and Lisak, A. (2009), "Leadership‐shaping experiences: a comparative study of leaders and non‐leaders", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 30 No. 4, pp. 302-318. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730910961658
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited