Team Experience and Leadership Structure Preference

• Published in: al-Majallah al-ʻArabīyah lil-ʻulūm al-idārīyah 2022, Vol.29 (1), p.125-168
• Main Authors: Alabduljader, Nawaf M, Crane, Bret, Cohen, N. Andrew
• Format: Article
• Language: ara ; eng
• Subjects: إدارة الأفراد; إدارة الموارد البشرية; هيكل القيادة
• ISSN: 1029-855X; 2957-3521
• DOI: 10.34120/0430-029-001-005

The aim of this study is to explore how individuals' preferences for a leadership structure (shared versus hierarchical) are developed and the influence of team experience on their leadership preferences. The study uses longitudinal data and relies on surveys and questionnaires distributed to students throughout their course to collect data on individual leadership structure preferences, personality, and team trust and leadership structure. The sample includes 621 members in 107 student project teams. Our analysis is based on responses from 459 members from 105 teams. In this sample, 60% of participants are white/Caucasian, 21% are Asian, 57 % are male, and average age was 18. We find that individuals' preferences for a leadership structure (shared versus hierarchical) are both fixed and malleable. The results of the study suggest that team trust has a positive effect on individual's preference for shared leadership structure. In addition, we find that individuals in teams with high shared leadership structures and low team trust show lower preference for shared leadership structure, whereas individuals with high shared leadership structure and high team trust develop even stronger preferences for shared leadership structures. This study is the first of its kind to examine how individuals' experiences in teams influence their preferences for a specific leadership structure. Individuals may have predetermined preferences for hierarchical or shared leadership structures, but such preferences change based on individuals' experiences in teams with certain leadership structures. Our research contributes to the literature on leadership schema by deepening our understanding of leadership structure preferences, and it is the first to empirically test how our leadership schemas change due to individual experiences in teams. We also find that individuals' preferences for shared or hierarchical leadership structures are influenced by the past team experience. Specifically, we find that team trust influences the preference for shared or hierarchical leadership, in a way that individuals working in teams with higher team trust show greater preferences for shared leadership. Moreover, we find that individuals who experienced shared leadership structure have more favorable preferences for shared leadership in teams with high trust, whereas individuals that experienced shared leadership with low team trust develop less favorable preferences for shared leadership structure