Leading Under Threat: A Systematic Review Of Leader Identity Threat Research And Future Directions

Leader identity threat has attracted increasing scholarly attention, yet existing research remains theoretically fragmented and conceptually dispersed. To address this gap, we analyze 96 peer-reviewed studies published from 2011 to July 2026 using the PRISMA framework, bibliometrix analysis, and the TCCM (Theory, Context, Characteristics and Methodology) framework. By applying this method, this study makes a novel contribution by providing a clear and organized road map for advancing research in the evolving field of leader identity threat. The findings reveal a field that evolved from an early emphasis on leadership and gender stereotypes experienced by underrepresented leaders toward a broader examination of professional identity, social identity, and relational and behavioral processes. Leader identity threats arise not only from subordinate characteristics and relational factors, but also from organizational and contextual factors, demographic characteristics, and leader behavior and characteristics. These threats are associated with markedly different responses, ranging from avoidance and embracing change to retaliation to leadership emergence, with subsequent implications on the team, group, and psychological outcomes. Consequently, the cognitive appraisals, emotional processes, and relational mechanisms explaining these divergent pathways remain insufficiently integrated, while subordinates, team, career, and organizational-level consequences are comparatively underexplored. This review highlights opportunities to improve existing literature by integrating underutilized theories, adopting longitudinal and multi-level research designs, and examining leader identity threat across diverse organizational and cultural contexts.