The relationship between leader fit and transformational leadership

Purpose The aim of the current study is to further understanding of transformational leadership antecedents by examining a gap in the literature that fails to address the relationship between leader fit and transformational leader behaviors. Design/methodology/approach This study examined the relationship between leaders' person-organization fit, needs-supplies fit, and demands-abilities fit and transformational leader behavior using a sample of 215 leaders in ten organizations, their supervisors, and 1,284 followers. Findings Demands-abilities fit was positively related to transformational leadership, whereas person-organization fit was negatively related. Transformational leadership was also related to leader effectiveness (rated by the leaders' own supervisors) and mediated the relationship between demands-abilities fit and supervisor ratings of leader effectiveness. Research limitations/implications Although demands-abilities fit was positively related to transformational leadership, these results should be interpreted with caution as it is not possible to infer causality from cross-sectional research. Thus, longitudinal or experimental research is needed to replicate these findings. Practical implications Whether promoting from within or hiring externally, organizations should place more emphasis on demands-abilities fit when trying to predict who will engage in transformational leadership behavior. In addition, leaders' own supervisors and followers appear to be in strong agreement on whether someone is an effective leader. Originality/value To the author's knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationship between leader fit and transformational leadership.