The impact of a leader’s demographic and professional characteristics on employee motivation: Do they really matter?
ISSN: 0142-5455
Article publication date: 30 October 2018
Issue publication date: 7 January 2019
Abstract
Purpose
Building on Upper Echelons Theory and prior research on strategic leadership, the purpose of this paper is to examine the possible effect on employee motivation of two sets of characteristics related to leaders: demographic (gender and age); and professional development (tenure, prior career experience in the organization and training).
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical analysis is based on data from a survey of Spanish educational organizations (secondary schools). The hypotheses are tested using hierarchical multiple regression analysis estimations.
Findings
The results reveal that the characteristics linked to a leader’s professional development have a significant impact on employee (teacher) motivation. Specifically, a long tenure in office has a negative effect, while prior career experience in an organization and continuous training have a positive impact. However, none of the leader’s demographic characteristics considered in the study has a significant impact on teacher motivation.
Practical implications
Several lines of managerial and educational policy action are suggested for improving employee (teacher) motivation, especially in the specific case of the schools considered here.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first attempts to explore what impact certain leaders’ characteristics have on employee motivation.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper is financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Reference: ECO2015-67434-R). The authors are grateful for the constructive comments of two referees.
Citation
Campos-García, I. and Zúñiga-Vicente, J.Á. (2019), "The impact of a leader’s demographic and professional characteristics on employee motivation: Do they really matter?", Employee Relations, Vol. 41 No. 1, pp. 119-141. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-10-2017-0253
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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