Motivating language theory: antecedent variables – critical to both the success of leaders and organizations

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this conceptual paper is twofold, i.e. first, to elevate an assumption of Motivating Language Theory (MLT) – walk and talk congruence – to the level of antecedent variable serving as a prerequisite to the implementation of Motivating Language (ML) and second, to explore the components of walk and talk congruence (Behavioral Integrity and Credibility) to understand how they are vital in the establishment of trust at the organizational level which is the key lever for ML to be strategically implemented.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is cross-disciplinary, as it utilized MLT from the field of business; applied in the field of education with research from educational researchers; and for the purpose of utilization by organizations, leaders, and scholars from all fields.

Findings

The findings are leadership communication matters and is how leadership gets done, ML makes a difference to employees and organizations, trust is a critical factor in organizational success, Credibility is all that stands between a leader’s believability or not, and Behavioral Intergrity is the key determiner in walk and talk alignment.

Researchlimitations/implications

The implications for researchers are new research opportunities in the ML field.

Practicalimplications

The implications for practitioners are clear in terms of how to maximize leader effectiveness and organizational trust/citizenship, increase employee and organizational outcomes and drive leadership development.

Originality/value

The value of this paper is to both the practitioner and scholar in terms of application and deepening of the field.

Citation

Holmes, W.T. (2016), "Motivating language theory: antecedent variables – critical to both the success of leaders and organizations", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp. 13-16. https://doi.org/10.1108/DLO-10-2015-0085