Date of Award
5-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Lisa A. Steelman
Second Advisor
Jessica L. Wildman
Third Advisor
Gary N. Burns
Fourth Advisor
Emily Martinez-Vogt
Abstract
Despite the growing interest in leader transgressions due to their profound impact on organizations and their members, the boundary conditions influencing them remain unexplored. Consequently, this dissertation investigates the differential evaluation of leader transgressions based on such boundary conditions, focusing on the interaction between transgression type (integrity vs. competence), leader gender (female vs. male), and hierarchical status (supervisor vs. senior leader). Utilizing theoretical foundations from causal attribution theory, shifting standards, expectancy violation theory, and social identity theory, it is hypothesized that the impact of transgressions on organizational outcomes at multiple levels—including individual (perceived leader effectiveness), organizational (employee turnover intention), and group (stigma backlash for women)—varies depending on the nature of the transgression. Moreover, perceived leader trustworthiness is posited to mediate the relationship between transgressions and organizational outcomes. A 2x2x2 experimental between-subjects design was employed to test these hypotheses using experimental vignettes. Before the main study, a pilot study established the credibility of the vignettes. As hypothesized, integrity transgressions significantly reduce perceived trustworthiness more than competence transgressions. Contrary to initial expectations, the moderating effects of leader gender and hierarchical status were not statistically significant. However, exploratory analyses revealed that female leaders judged for integrity transgressions face disproportionately negative evaluations, particularly with high turnover intentions among followers and reduced perceptions of leader effectiveness, underscoring prevalent gender biases. Additionally, the findings highlight a significant "stigma by association" effect, adversely impacting the perception of female leadership following integrity breaches by female leaders. Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of how followers view and evaluate leader transgressions and emphasizes the critical need to consider boundary conditions when examining such transgressions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, enriching academic discourse and organizational practices.
Keywords: leader transgression, trust violation, leader gender, leader status, perceived trustworthiness.
Recommended Citation
Deepak, Pratibha, "The Icarus Paradox: Examining the Gender Bias in Leader Transgression" (2024). Theses and Dissertations. 1432.
https://repository.fit.edu/etd/1432