The Relationship between Leadership and Time Orientation

Abstract

A number of authors have suggested that leaders and organizations have temporal orientations that influence the behavior of individuals within those organizations. However, this literature and empirical evidence from psychology regarding temporal orientation have been largely ignored by leadership experts and practitioners. This has left the leadership literature with a big hole in terms of our ability to explain many leadership issues and select and train leaders. Here we present a model of the relationship between leadership and time orientation that can serve as a springboard for further discussion and research. This model introduces the concepts of temporal alignment and temporal skills and suggests that successful leaders must temporally attune themselves to both tasks and situations. We also explore the practical implications of the model for the selection and development of leaders.