New study challenges trend-driven leadership frameworks

The secret to effective leadership may lie in its simplicity. New research highlights the importance of strong leader-follower relationships over adopting trend-driven leadership frameworks, providing a more practical and actionable path for leaders and organisations.

The study examined 12 dominant leadership measures across 4,000 participants from five countries. It is among the most extensive investigations into leadership style effectiveness and redundancy, offering critical insights for researchers, practitioners, and organisations worldwide.

Associate Professor Nathan Eva from Monash Business School’s Department of Management said the findings challenge the traditional focus on specific leadership styles such as transformational, authentic, and ethical leadership, which often overlap.

“Our research demonstrates that leadership effectiveness is less about adopting a complex array of specific styles and more about fostering behaviours that build strong relationships with your team members,” Associate Professor Eva said. “Our findings show that follower perceptions and affect toward their leader play a central role in determining leadership effectiveness. Leadership is as much about relationships as it is about behaviours.

“Rather than chasing the latest trend, organisations should focus on strengthening leaders’ existing behaviours that align with the organisations’ values and strategic goals. This approach not only simplifies leadership development but also ensures more consistent and meaningful outcomes,” she further added.

The study advocates a shift in leadership development strategies, offering tailored recommendations for organisations, leaders, and consultants:

• Organisations: Prioritise building leadership behaviours aligned with core values rather than pursuing trend-driven frameworks.
• Leaders: Foster trust and collaboration with team members to enhance both team and organisational outcomes.
• Leadership consultants: Simplify training programs by focusing on a small set of universal behaviours that drive measurable success.

Co-author Associate Professor Joshua Howard underscored the study’s implications for leadership training and research.

“These findings call for leadership researchers and practitioners to rethink leadership training and measures,” Dr Howard said. “By focusing on the behaviours that matter, we can reduce complexity, improve outcomes, and foster more inclusive and resilient workplaces.

“This work pushes the field toward clarity and consolidation, ensuring leadership research and practice are more aligned and impactful.”

The research has significant global implications, encouraging organisations to rethink their leadership development approaches, streamline training programs, and equip leaders with the behaviours that matter most in driving success. By focusing on relationship-building and alignment with organisational values, the study offers a simplified, effective framework for modern leadership.

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