Skip to main content
Search
Search
    Quick Search anywhere
    Quick search in Citations
Advanced Search
Skip main navigationClose Drawer MenuOpen Drawer Menu
Previous article
Next article
Original Article

An Art-Based Leadership Intervention for Enhancement of Self-Awareness, Humility, and Leader Performance

Published Online:May 08, 2014https://doi.org/10.1027/1866-5888/a000108

Abstract

This study represents a new cross-disciplinary approach. A year-long art-based leadership intervention was compared to conventional leadership training using a random allocation design. The study has examined whether the art-based intervention has a stronger beneficial impact on leaders’ development than the conventional program. Comparison was made utilizing leaders’ self-ratings and subordinates’ ratings of their leaders’ frequency of expressed laissez-faire leadership and capacity to cope with stress. Our findings show a striking difference in the development between the two groups. In addition to displaying less laissez-faire behavior, the leaders in the art intervention appear to have improved their self-awareness, humility, and stress coping, while contrasting results were noted in the conventional group. These findings confirm the earlier results in our research.

References

  • Aasland, M. S. , Skogstad, A. , Notelaers, G. , Nielsen, B. M. , Einarsen, S. (2010). The prevalence of destructive leadership behaviour. British Journal of Management, 21, 438–452. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8551.2009.00672.x First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Arvonen, J. (2006). The manager’s self-image affects efficiency. Psykologtidningen, 8, 4–8. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Ashford, S. (1989). Self-assessments in organizations: A literature review and integrative model. Research in Organizational Behavior, 11, 33–74. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Ashton, M. C. , Lee, K. (2001). A theoretical basis for the major dimensions of personality. European Journal of Personality, 15, 327–353. doi: 10.1002/per.417 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Atwater, L. E. , Roush, P. , Fischthal, A. (1995). The influence of upward feedback on self- and follower ratings of leadership. Personnel Psychology, 48, 35–59. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-6570.1995.tb01745.x First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Atwater, L. E. , Waldman, D. A. , Brett, J. F. (2002). Understanding and optimizing multisource feedback. Human Resource Management, 41, 193–208. doi: 10.1002/hrm.10031 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Atwater, L. E. , Yammarino, F. J. (1997). Self-other rating agreement: A review and model. In G. R. Ferris, (Ed.), Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 15, 121–174. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Avolio, B. J. , Reichard, R. J. , Hannah, S. T. , Walumbwa, F. O. , Chan, A. (2009). A meta-analytic review of leadership impact research: Experimental and quasi-experimental studies. The Leadership Quarterly, 20, 764–784. doi: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2009.06.006 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Avolio, B. J. , Walumbwa, F. O. , Weber, T. J. (2009). Leadership: Current theories, research, and future directions. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 421–449. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.60.110707.163621 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York, NY: Free Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Bass, B. M. (1990). Bass and Stogdill’s handbook of leadership theory, research, and managerial applications. New York, NY: Free Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Bauman, Z. (1995). Life in fragments. Essays in postmodern morality. Cambridge, MA: Basil Blackwell. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Baumeister, R. F. , Bratslavsky, E. , Finkenauer, C. , Vohs, K. D. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review of General Psychology, 5, 323–370. doi: 10.1037/1089-2680.5.4.323 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Broch, H. (1982). Die Schlafwandler [The sleepwalkers]. Stockholm, Sweden: Alba. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Brutus, S. , Fleenor, J. W. , McCauley, C. D. (1999). Demographic and personality predictors of congruence in multi-source ratings. Journal of Management Development, 18, 417–435. doi: 10.1108/02621719910273569 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Carver, C. , Scheier, M. (1981). Attention and self-regulation: A control theory approach to human behavior. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Church, A. H. (1997). Managerial self-awareness in high-performing individuals in organizations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82, 281 doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.82.2.281 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • de Vries, M. F. K. (1990). The organizational fool: Balancing a leader’s hubris. Human Relations, 43, 751–770. doi: 10.1177/001872679004300804 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Demerouti, E. , Van Eeuwijk, E. , Snelder, M. , Wild, U. (2011). Assessing the effects of a “personal effectiveness” intervention on psychological capital, assertiveness and self-awareness using self-other agreement. Career Development International, 16, 60–81. doi: 10.1108/13620431111107810 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Diamond, M. A. , Allcorn, S. (1984). Psychological barriers to personal responsibility. Organizational Dynamics, 12, 66–77. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Digman, J. M. (1997). Higher-order factors of the big five. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 1246–1256. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.73.6.1246 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Eden, D. (1985). Team development: A true field experiment at three levels of rigor. Journal of Applied Psychology, 70, 94 doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.70.1.94 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Edwards, J. R. (1993). Problems with the use of profile similarity indices in the study of congruence in organizational research. Personnel Psychology, 46, 641–665. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-6570.1993.tb00889.x First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Eisner, E. W. (2004). What can education learn from the arts about the practice of education? International Journal of Education and the Arts, 5, 1–12. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Fleenor, J. W. , Smither, J. W. , Atwater, L. E. , Braddy, P. W. , Sturm, R. E. (2010). Self-other rating agreement in leadership: A review. The Leadership Quarterly, 21, 1005–1034. doi: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2010.10.006 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Gardner, W. L. , Avolio, B. J. , Luthans, F. , May, D. R. , Walumba, F. O. (2005). Can you see the real me? A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16, 343–372. doi: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.003 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Goldshalk, V. M. , Sosik, J. J. (2000). Does mentor-protégé agreement on mentor leadership behavior influence the quality of a mentoring relationship? Group Organization Management, 25, 291 doi: 10.1177/1059601100253005 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Grint, K. (2010). Leadership: A very short introduction. New York, NY: OUP Oxford. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Halverson, S. K. , Tonidandel, S. , Barlow, C. B. , Dipboye, R. L. (2005, April). Self-other agreement on a 360-degree leadership evaluation. Paper presented at the 17th Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Toronto, Canada. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Haslam, S. A. , Reicher, S. D. , Platow, M. J. (2012). The new psychology of leadership: Identity, influence and power. New York, NY: Psychology Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Heatherton, T. F. , Baumeister, R. F. (1991). Binge eating as escape from self-awareness. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 86–108. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.110.1.86 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Hoel, H. , Salin, D. (2003). Organizational antecedents of workplace bullying. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, C. L. Cooper, (Eds.), Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace: International perspectives in research and practice (pp. 203–218). London, UK: Taylor & Francis. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Hoyle, R. H. , Kernis, M. H. , Leary, M. R. , Baldwin, M. W. (1999). Selfhood: Identity, esteem, regulation. Boulder, CO: Westview. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Hyde, M. , Jappinen, P. , Theorell, T. , Oxenstierna, G. (2006). Workplace conflict resolution and the health of employees in the Swedish and Finnish units of an industrial company. Social Science & Medicine, 63, 2218–2227. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Jackson, B. , Parry, K. (2008). A very short fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about studying leadership. London, UK: Sage. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Jones, A. M. (2005). The anthropology of leadership: Culture and corporate leadership in the American South. Leadership, 1, 259–278. doi: 10.1177/1742715005054437 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Judge, T. A. , LePine, J. A. , Rich, B. L. (2006). Loving yourself abundantly: Relationship of the narcissistic personality to self- and other perceptions of workplace deviance, leadership, and task and contextual performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 762–776. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.91.4.762 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Kernis, M. H. (2003). Toward a conceptualization of optimal self-esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14, 1–26. doi: 10.1207/S15327965PLI1401_01 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Krishnan, V. R. (2003). Power and moral leadership: Role of self-other agreement. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 24, 345–351. doi: 10.1108/01437730310494310 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Larsson, G. (2006). The developmental leadership questionnaire (DLQ): Some psychometric properties. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 47, 253–262. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9450.2006.00515.x First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Lazarus, R. S. (1999). Stress and emotions: A new synthesis. London, UK: Free Association Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Levinas, E. (1982). Ethics and infinity: Conversations with Philippe Nemo. Pittsburgh, PA: Duquesne University Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Lincoln, K. D. (2000). Social support, negative social interactions, and psychological well-being. Social Service Review, 74, 231–252. doi: 10.1086/514478 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Lindholm, M. (2006). Pedagogical foundations. Stockholm, Sweden: Försvarsmakten. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Nussbaum, P. (1995). Poetic justice literary imagination and public life. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Olivier, R. (2001). Inspirational leadership – Henry V and the muse of fire. London, UK: Spiro. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Ricoeur, P. (1991). From text to action: Essays in Hermeneutics II ( K. Blamey, J. B. Thompson, Trans.). Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press (Original work published 1986). First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Ricoeur, P. (1992). Oneself as another ( K. Blamey, Trans.). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press (Original work published 1990). First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Romanowska, J. , Larsson, G. , Eriksson, M. , Wikstrom, B. M. , Westerlund, H. , Theorell, T. (2011). Health effects on leaders and co-workers of an art-based leadership development program. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 80, 78–87. doi: 10.1159/000321557 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Romanowska, J. , Larsson, G. , Theorell, T. (2013). Effects on leaders of an art-based leadership intervention. Journal of Management Development, 32, 1004–1022. doi: 10.1108/JMD-02-2012-0029 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Selart, M. , Johansen, S. T. (2011). Ethical decision making in organizations: The role of leadership stress. Journal of Business Ethics, 99, 129–143. doi: 10.1007/s10551-010-0649-0 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Skogstad, A. , Einarsen, S. , Torsheim, T. , Aasland, M. S. , Hetland, H. (2007). The destructiveness of laissez-faire leadership behavior. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 12, 80–92. doi: 10.1037/1076-8998.12.1.80 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Sparrowe, R. T. (2005). Authentic leadership and the narrative self. The Leadership Quarterly, 16, 419–439. doi: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.004 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Taylor, P. J. , Russ-Eft, D. F. , Taylor, H. (2009). Transfer of management training from alternative perspectives. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 104–121. doi: 10.1037/a0013006 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Van Velsor, E. , Taylor, S. , Leslie, J. B. (1993). An examination of the relationships among self-perception accuracy, self-awareness, gender, and leader effectiveness. Human Resource Management, 32, 249–263. doi: 10.1002/hrm.3930320205 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Yammarino, F. J. , Atwater, L. E. (1993). Understanding self-perception accuracy: Implications for human resource management. Human Resource Management, 32, 231–247. doi: 10.1002/hrm.3930320204 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar