Impact of transformational leadership on followers’ influence strategies

Abstract

Effects of leader‐member exchange, transformational leadership, and perceived value system congruence between leader and follower on follower's six upward influence strategies‐assertiveness, bargaining, coalition, friendliness, higher authority, and reasoning were studied using a sample of 281 managers working in various organizations in India. Results show that transformational leadership mediates the relationship between LMX and congruence. Both LMX and transformational leadership are related positively to friendliness and reasoning, and negatively to higher authority. Congruence is not related to influence strategies. Transformational leadership is the best predictor of friendliness, and neither LMX nor congruence explains significant additional variance in friendliness. Similarly, LMX is the best predictor of reasoning, and neither transformational leadership nor congruence explains significant additional variance in reasoning. Controlling for transformational leadership makes the relationship between LMX and higher authority non‐significant and controlling for LMX makes the relationship between transformational leadership and higher authority non‐significant.