Assertiveness and leadership perceptions : the role of gender and leader-member exchange

Abstract

This study extends the recent research on the significant non-linear association between perceived assertiveness and a leader’s social and instrumental outcomes. Using a 3 X 2 X 2 between-participants experimental design (N = 469), with three levels of assertiveness (high; moderate; low), two levels of gender (male; female), and two levels of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) quality (low; high), this study tested the main effects of assertiveness on leader social and instrumental outcomes, as well as the moderating effects of gender and LMX quality. The main effects hypotheses for assertiveness were supported, and as expected the moderate assertiveness condition was more predictive of positive leader outcomes when compared to the other two conditions. Gender did not significantly alter the main effects of assertiveness on leadership outcomes. However, LMX did interact significantly with assertiveness in predicting leadership effectiveness.