The Co-Construction Of Leadership In Change-Related Interactions Between Leaders And Followers

This article in the journal Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift fur Angewandte Organsationspsychologie (GIO) aims at presenting how leadership at times of change can be understood as a dynamic, mutual influence process between leaders and followers and shows the potential this perspective holds for the effectiveness of leadership. The main task of leaders is often seen in managing and influencing their followers. This task is challenging, especially in the context of organizational change, when it comes to motivating employees to change their behavior. Against the background of continuous change nowadays, it is therefore important to develop an understanding of the emergence of positive and negative interaction dynamics in conversations between leaders and followers. Leadership research offers different theoretical perspectives on the emergence and development of leadership and the influence processes taking place between leaders and followers. The present article examines the different leadership perspectives against the background of the challenges of organizational change and derives practical implications. This article shows how the understanding of leadership as a dynamic, mutual process can be used to design positive leadership processes at the level of followers, leaders, and the organization.