Motivation to Lead: Preparing Leaders of the Future through an Understanding of Role Ambiguity and Perceived Organizational Support

The purpose of the current study was to expand on previous research on motivation to lead (MTL) by testing a situational model of MTL that included two contextual variables (i.e., goal and process clarity and perceived organizational support [POS]). Although researchers have acknowledged individual differences and situational factors may affect MTL, studies on how aspects of the work context impact an individual's MTL are limited. Thus, the current study empirically examined the effects of situational variables while controlling for individual differences previously found as predictors of an individual's MTL. The hypotheses were tested with hierarchical multiple regression applied to cross-sectional data collected from a sample of retail employees (N = 170) at stores on the east coast of the United States. The hypotheses were partially supported. Contextual variables did account for significant additional variance in noncalculative MTL after controlling for individual differences. However, POS and goal and process clarity did not account for significant additional variance in affective-identity MTL and social-normative MTL. Past leadership experience and personality were the only significant predictors of affective-identity MTL, and values and personality were the only significant predictors of social-normative MTL. Theoretical and practical implications are presented and suggestions for future research are discussed.