The Best of Peer-Reviewed Management Research

Cutting edge insights extracted from peer-reviewed studies from the latest and most highly reputed research journals. Save time and become a smarter leader. Bite-sized learning on your own schedule. Constantly updated and ever growing.

3 minute quick summaries

Research insights curated from the these top universities and more.

Leaders who express vulnerability at work are percieved as more trustworthy

Research from State University of New York, Buffalo and University of Colorado, Boulder.

📋 Introduction

Paper Title: Modeling How to Grow: An Inductive Examination of Humble Leader Behaviors, Contingencies, and Outcomes
Year of Publication: 2012
Journal: Academy of Management Journal
Authors: Bradley P. Owens (State University of New York, Buffalo), David R. Hekman (University of Colorado, Boulder)

Findings

This qualitative study aimed to uncover the behaviors associated with humble leadership, the outcomes of these behaviors, and the situational factors that influence their effectiveness. Through 55 in-depth interviews with leaders from various contexts, the authors developed a model of humble leadership.

The key findings were:

Humble leader behaviors include admitting mistakes and limitations, spotlighting follower strengths and contributions, and modeling teachability.
These behaviors lead to positive outcomes such as follower engagement, relational trust, loyalty, and psychological freedom.
Humble leadership fosters a preference for small, continuous changes and fluid organizing within teams.
The effectiveness of humble leadership is influenced by the leader's perceived competence and sincerity, the level of threat and time pressure in the situation, and the organization's learning culture and hierarchical rigidity.

Why this happens

Humble leadership works by legitimizing followers' own developmental journeys and creating a safe environment for learning and growth. When leaders openly admit their mistakes, followers feel more comfortable taking risks and learning from failures. By spotlighting followers' strengths, humble leaders boost their self-efficacy and engagement. Modeling teachability encourages followers to adopt a growth mindset and actively seek learning opportunities.

Moreover, humble leadership creates a culture of continuous improvement, as teams focus on making small, incremental changes rather than large, disruptive ones. This approach allows for greater adaptability and agility in the face of uncertainty.

Overall, humble leadership fosters a supportive, growth-oriented environment that enables followers to thrive and reach their full potential. By modeling the behaviors they wish to see in their teams, humble leaders inspire others to embrace learning and development as a core part of their work.

💡 Our recommendation

Leaders should model personal growth and development for their followers by openly engaging in their own learning process, as this will encourage followers to do the same and create a culture of growth and development.