The Impact of Leader Behavior on Team Processes
- The modern work environment is subject to constant change with a notable shift from individual to team-based work structures. This transition necessitates an improved un-derstanding of how managerial actions influence the dynamics within these teams, to optimally align them for success. Despite the substantial research about leader effec-tiveness and team effectiveness based on organizational performance indicators, it is rather infrequent that the direct influence of leader behavior on teams is explored. This thesis aims to address this gap by answering how leader behaviors impact team pro-cesses in the context of German medium to large-scale IT-enterprises. Using a quanti-tative cross-sectional methodology, individuals working in team-based structures under direct supervision were surveyed. Analyzing data from 94 respondents via hierarchical linear regression analysis, several significant relationships were identified. In general, leader behavior has a strong positive impact on team processes. Furthermore, task-oriented leaders have the greatest positive influence on action processes, while relation-oriented leaders have the greatest positive influence on interpersonal processes. Change-oriented leaders also significantly influence action processes and interpersonal processes, albeit less strongly than their counterparts. These results provide implications for team management practices, emphasizing the importance of leader behavior for aligning team processes in the direction of success.