Learning about effective leader behavior from organizational upward feedback: A configurational perspective

Recent work has begun to develop a configurational approach to leadership behavior. It distinguishes categories of leader behaviors, explores how these co-occur, and argues that effective combinations of behaviors might differ depending on leadership function. In this paper, we present findings based on data from an organizational upward feedback, in which team leaders including executives are evaluated by their direct reports. A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) yields results that support and extend the configurational approach. There are multiple effective ways in which team leaders combine task-related, relations-related, change-oriented, and external behaviors. Whether these combinations are effective or ineffective depends in complex ways on the functions of leadership, in our case team motivation and contribution to firm performance. Overall, the paper demonstrates how data from upward feedback can be utilized to inform the evolving configurational approach to leadership, and it demonstrates how effective behavioral patterns are contingent on leadership function.