Self-monitoring and trait-based variance in leadership: An investigation of leader flexibility across multiple group situations

Abstract

Response flexibility as a basis for leadership was examined. Ss were 108 students who completed the self-monitoring scale and 4 group tasks, interacting with different people on each task. Tasks required as leader styles either initiating structure, consideration, persuasion, or production emphasis. After each task, group members rated each other on perceived leadership and on 4 scales corresponding to the aforementioned leader styles. Results indicated that 59% of the variance in leadership emergence was trait based; for 2 of the 4 tasks, leader rankings were significantly correlated with task-relevant behaviors; self-monitoring was significantly correlated both with average leader rankings and with task-relevant behaviors on 2 of the tasks. These findings suggest that trait-based variance in leadership may be due to social perceptiveness and response flexibility. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)