The benefits of prosocial power motivation in leadership: Action orientation fosters a win-win

What is it about?

In today's rapidly evolving organizations, effective leadership requires empowering, relational, and collaborative qualities. Leaders who excel in creating motivating and engaging environments, where team members feel safe and invested in their organization's success, are highly sought after. Power motivation has been identified as a crucial factor that influences leadership behavior. However, being motivated by power often carries a negative connotation, as it is primarily associated with dominant and antisocial behaviors. Nevertheless, power motivation can also manifest in a prosocial manner, characterized by benevolent actions such as helping and guiding others. Research findings consistently demonstrate that when leaders channel their power motive in a prosocial manner, it leads to numerous positive outcomes, including enhanced follower well-being and increased productivity. The question that remains is: what determines how leaders express their need for power? According to Personality Systems Interactions (PSI) theory action orientation (i.e., the ability to self-regulate affect) is a decisive predictor for prosocial power enactment and initial empirical findings within student samples confirm this notion. Building on these findings, the present study examined the role of self-regulatory abilities (specifically, action orientation) as an antecedent for prosocial power enactment in a leadership sample (N = 383) and its relationship with power-related anxiety and well-being within leaders. Our results show that leaders with greater self-regulatory abilities are more likely to enact their power motive in a prosocial manner, which further leads to reduced power-related anxiety and greater well-being within leaders. KEY FINDINGS *Consistent with previous research, our results show that action orientation acts as a predictor for prosocial power motivation. Therefore leaders who show greater self-regulatory ability are more likely to enact their power motive in a prosocial manner. *Action orientation, through prosocial power motivation, leads to reduced anxiety in explicit power striving, resulting in greater well-being of leaders. Consequently, leaders themselves, alongside their followers, reap the benefits of enacting their power motivation in a prosocial fashion. *The integration of motivation and self-regulation research helps understand why leaders enact their power motive in a certain way. *Target-oriented interventions that specifically foster self-regulation ability can promote beneficial ways of power enactment, leading to a win-win situation for both followers and leaders.

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Photo by Riccardo Annandale on Unsplash

Photo by Riccardo Annandale on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This research emphasizes the crucial connection between effective leadership and the interplay of motivation and self-regulation. The findings underscore that prosocial leadership behavior goes beyond mere motivation; it is significantly influenced by leaders' self-regulatory abilities, particularly their action orientation. Empowering leaders with strong self-regulatory abilities can profoundly impact the work environment and contribute to organizational success. It promotes the adoption of beneficial power behaviors, reduces power-related anxiety, and enhances overall well-being for both leaders and their followers. Ultimately, this comprehensive approach to leadership development paves the way for a harmonious and productive organizational culture, where leaders inspire and elevate their teams, fostering greater success. By cultivating self-regulation in leaders, organizations can create a winning formula for sustained growth and prosperity.

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