Moderator Variables in Leadership Research

Abstract

Much recent research on leadership has concerned moderator (contingency) variables. This research has yielded equivocal and/or conflicting results. Conceptually distinct variables have been treated as if they operate in the same fashion. This paper suggests a typology of moderators based on the mechanisms by which moderators operate. Moderators are classified as neutralizers/enhancers, substitutes/supplements, or mediators depending on how they affect leader behavior-criterion relationships. The typology is applied to several contingency theories of leadership and implications for future leadership research and practice are discussed.