Skip to main content

Defining Respectful Leadership: What It Is, How It Can Be Measured, and Another Glimpse at What It Is Related to

Journal of Business Ethics volume 91, pages 343–358 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Research on work values shows that respectful leadership is highly desired by employees. On the applied side, however, the extant research does not offer many insights as to which concrete leadership behaviors are perceived by employees as indications of respectful leadership. Thus, to offer such insights, we collected and content analyzed employees’ narrations of encounters with respectful leadership (N 1 = 426). The coding process resulted in 19 categories of respectful leadership spanning 149 leadership behaviors. Furthermore, to also harness this comprehensive repertoire for quantitative organizational research, we undertook two more studies (N 2a = 228; N 2b = 412) to empirically derive a feasible item-based measurement of respectful leadership and assess its psychometric qualities. In these studies, we additionally investigated the relationships between respectful leadership as assessed with this new measurement and employees’ vertical and contextual followership as assessed via subordinates’ identification with their leaders, their appraisal respect for their leaders, their feeling of self-determination, and their job satisfaction.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price includes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  • Anderson, E. (1993). Value in ethics and economics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baard, P.P., Deci, E.L., & Ryan, R.M. (2004). Intrinsic need satisfaction: A motivational basis of performance and well-being in two work settings. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 34(10), 2045–2068. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2004.tb02690.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bass, B.M., & Riggio, R.E.(2006). Transformational leadership (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ, US: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bettencourt, B.A., & Miller, N. (1996). Sex differences in aggression as a function of provocation: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 119, 422–227. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.119.3.422.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Birch, T.H. (1993). Moral considerability and universal consideration. Environmental Ethics, 15, 313–332.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boeckmann, R.J., & Tyler, T.R. (2002). Trust, respect and the psychology of political engagement. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32(10), 2067–2088. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2002.tb02064.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boezeman, E.J., & Ellemers, N. (2007). Volunteering for charity: Pride, respect, and the commitment of volunteers. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(3), 771–785. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.771.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boezeman, E.J., & Ellemers, N. (2008a). Pride and respect in volunteers’ organizational commitment. European Journal of Social Psychology, 38(1), 159–172. doi:10.1002/ejsp.415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boezeman, E.J., & Ellemers, N. (2008b). Volunteer recruitment: The role of organizational support and anticipated respect in non-volunteers’ attraction to charitable volunteer organizations. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(5), 1013–1026. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.93.5.1013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Branscombe, N.R., Spears, R., Ellemers, N., & Doosje, B. (2002). Intragroup and intergroup evaluation effects on group behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(6), 744–753. doi:10.1177/0146167202289004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brennan, R.L., & Prediger, D.J. (1981). Coefficient kappa: some uses and misuses, and alternatives. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 41, 687–699. doi:10.1177/001316448104100307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chemers, M.M. (2003). Leader effectiveness: An integrative review. In M. A. Hogg & R. S. Tindale (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of social psychology: Group processes (pp. 376-399). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publisher.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chhokar, J.S., Brodbeck, F.C., & House, R.J. (Eds.).(2007). Culture and leadership across the world: The GLOBE book of in-depth studies of 25 societies. Mahwah, NJ: LEA Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, D., Nisbett, R.E., Bowdle, B.F., & Schwarz, N. (1996). Insult, aggression, and the southern culture of honor: an “experimental ethnography”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 945–960. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.70.5.945.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Cremer, D. (2003). Noneconomic motives predicting cooperation in public good dilemmas: The effect of received respect on contributions. Social Justice Research, 16(4), 367–377. doi:10.1023/A:1026361632114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Cremer, D., & Tyler, T.(2005). A matter of intragroup status: The importance of respect for the viablity of groups. In M. Thomas-Hunt (Ed.), Research on managing groups and teams (Vol. 7, pp. 1-21). Greenwich. CT: Elsevier Science Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E.L., & Ryan, R.M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227–268. doi:10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dillon, R.S: 2003, ‹Respect’, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Fall 2003 Edition. Retrieved October 05, 2004, from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2003/entries/respect/.

  • Dillon, R. S. (2007). Respect: A philosophical perspective. Gruppendynamik und Organisationsberatung, 38(2), 201-212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Downie, R.S., & Telfer, E.(1969). Respect for Persons. London: George Allen&Unwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellingsen, T., & Johannesson, M. (2007). Paying respect. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 21(4), 135–149. doi:10.1257/jep.21.4.135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frankena, W.K. (1986). The ethics of respect for persons. Philosophical Topics, 14, 149–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gagné, M., & Deci, E.L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26, 331–362. doi:10.1002/job.322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein, D.K., & Rockart, J.F. (1984). An examination of work-related correlates of job satisfaction in programmer/analysts. MIS Quarterly, 8(2), 103–115. doi:10.2307/249347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graen, G.B., & Uhl-Bien, M. (1995). Relationship-based approach to leadership: Development of leader-member exchange (LMX) theorie of leadership over 25 years: Applying a multi-level multi-domain approach. The Leadership Quarterly, 6, 219–247. doi:10.1016/1048-9843(95)90036-5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graf, M. M. and N. van Quaquebeke: 2007, Respected Leaders: A Question of Accepted Influence, Personal Power/Legitimacy, and Personal Identification. Paper Presented at the 13th European Congress on Work and Organizational Psychology, Stockholm

  • Hill, T.E., Jr. (1998). Respect for persons. In E. Craig (Ed.), Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G.H. (1991). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. London, New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • House, R.J., Hanges, P.J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P., & Gupta, V.(2004). Culture, leadership, and organizations: The GLOBE study of 62 societies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Judge, T.A., Piccolo, R.F., & Ilies, R. (2004). The forgotten ones? The validity of consideration and initiating structure in leadership research. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(1), 36–51. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.89.1.36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kant, I.: 1788, Critic der practischen Vernunft. Riga Johann Friedrich Hartknoch

  • Kelman, H.C. (1958). Compliance, identification, and internalization: Three processes of attitude change. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, 2, 51–60. doi:10.1177/002200275800200106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kunin, T. (1955). The Construction of a New Type of Attitude Measure. Personal Psychology: A Journal of Applied Research, 8, 65-77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • La Guardia, J.G., Ryan, R.M., Couchman, C.E., & Deci, E.L. (2000). Within-person variation in security of attachment: A self-determination theory perspective on attachment, need fulfillment, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 367–384. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.79.3.367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lind, E.A., & Tyler, T.R.(1988). The social psychology of procedural justice. New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mael, F.A., & Ashforth, B.E. (1992). Alumni and their alma mater: A partial test of the reformulated model of organizational identification. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13, 103–123. doi:10.1002/job.4030130202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margalit, A. (1998). The decent society (N. Goldblum, Trans.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mason, E.S. (1994). Work values: A gender comparison and implications for practice. Psychological Reports, 74(2), 415–418.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayring, P.: 2000, ‹Qualitative Content Analysis’, Forum Qualitative Sozial Forschung 1(2). http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/1089/2385

  • Miller, D.T. (2001). Disrespect and the experience of injustice. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 527–552. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Organ, D.W., Podsakoff, P.M., & MacKenzie, S.B.(2006). Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Its nature, antecedents, and consequences. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pettit, P. (1989). Consequentialism and respect for persons. Ethics, 100, 116–126. doi:10.1086/293149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Podsakoff, P.M., Podsakoff, N.P., MacKenzie, S.B., & Lee, J.-Y. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rawls, J. (1999). A theory of justice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raz, J. (2001). Value, respect and attachment (Vol. 4). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sennett, R. (2003). Respect in a world of inequality (1st ed.). New York: W.W. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shamir, B., House, R.J., & Arthur, M.B. (1993). The motivational effects of charismatic leadership: A self-concept-based theory. Organization Science, 4, 577–594. doi:10.1287/orsc.4.4.577.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, B. (2007). Respect, equality, and power: A social psychological perspective. Gruppendynamik und Organisationsberatung, 38(3), 309–326. doi:10.1007/s11612-007-0027-2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, B., Lücken, M., & Stürmer, S. (2006). The added value of respect: Reaching across inequality. The British Journal of Social Psychology, 45(3), 535–546. doi:10.1348/014466605X57637.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, B., & Stürmer, S. (2003). Respect for group members: Intragroup determinants of collective identification and group-serving behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29(2), 183–193. doi:10.1177/0146167202239043.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, B., & Stürmer, S. (2005). In search of the active ingredient of respect: A closer look at the role of acceptance. European Journal of Social Psychology, 35(6), 809–818. doi:10.1002/ejsp.272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sleebos, E., Ellemers, N., & De Gilder, D. (2007). Explaining the motivational forces of (dis)respect: How self-focused and group-focused concerns can result in the display of group-serving efforts. Gruppendynamik und Organisationsberatung, 38(3), 327–342. doi:10.1007/s11612-007-0028-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, H.J., Tyler, T.R., Huo, Y.J., Ortiz, D.J., & Lind, E.A. (1998). The self-relevant implications of the group-value model: Group membership, self-worth, and treatment quality. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 34(5), 470–493. doi:10.1006/jesp.1998.1360.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spears, R., Ellemers, N., & Doosje, B. (2005). Let me count the ways in which I respect thee: Does competence compensate or compromise lack of liking from the group? European Journal of Social Psychology, 35(2), 263–279. doi:10.1002/ejsp.248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, A. L., & Corbin, J. M. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (2nd edition). Sage: London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, W.D., & Walter, S.D. (1988). A reappraisal of the kappa coefficient. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 41, 949–958. doi:10.1016/0895-4356(88)90031-5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, T.R., & Blader, S.L.(2000). Cooperation in groups: Procedural justice, social identity, and behavioral engagement. Philadelphia: Psychology press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, T.R., & Blader, S.L. (2003). The group engagement model: Procedural justice, social identity, and cooperative behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 7(4), 349–361. doi:10.1207/S15327957PSPR0704_07.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, T.R., Boeckmann, R.J., Smith, H.J., & Huo, Y.J.(1997). Social justice in a diverse society. Boulder, CO: Westview.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, T.R., & Lind, E.A.(1992). A relational model of authority in groups. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Vol. 25, pp. 115-191). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Dick, R., Wagner, U., Stellmacher, J., & Christ, O. (2004). The utility of a broader conceptualization of organizational identification: Which aspects really matter? Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 77(2), 171–191. doi:10.1348/096317904774202135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Knippenberg, B., & van Knippenberg, D.(2003). Leadership, identy and influence: Relational concerns in the use of influence tactics. In D. van Knippenberg & M. A. Hogg (Eds.), Leadership and power: Identity processes in groups and organizations (pp. 123-137). London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Knippenberg, D., van Knippenberg, B., De Cremer, D., & Hogg, M.A. (2004). Leadership, self, and identity: A review and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 15, 825–856. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2004.09.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Quaquebeke, N. and F. C. Brodbeck: 2008, ‹Entwicklung und erste Validierung zweier Instrumente zur Erfassung von Führungskräfte-Kategorisierung im deutschsprachigen Raum’, Zeitschrift für Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie 52(2), 70–80. Development and first validation of two scales to measure leader categorization in German-speaking countries. doi:10.1026/0932-4089.52.2.70

    Google Scholar 

  • van Quaquebeke, N., Henrich, D.C., & Eckloff, T. (2007). “It’s not tolerance I’m asking for, it’s respect!” A conceptual framework to differentiate between tolerance, acceptance and respect. Gruppendynamik und Organisationsberatung, 38(2), 185–200. doi:10.1007/s11612-007-0015-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Quaquebeke, N., S. Zenker and T. Eckloff: 2008, ‹Find Out How Much it Means to Me! The Importance of Interpersonal Respect in Work Values Compared to Perceived Organizational Practices’, Journal of Business Ethics (online first). doi:10.1007/s10551-008-0008-6

  • Yukl, G.A., & Van Fleet, D.D.(1992). Theory and research on leadership in organizations. In M. D. Dunnette & L. M. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (5th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 147-198). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Niels van Quaquebeke

  2. Respect Research Group, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Tilman Eckloff

Authors
  1. Niels van Quaquebeke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tilman Eckloff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Niels van Quaquebeke.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

van Quaquebeke, N., Eckloff, T. Defining Respectful Leadership: What It Is, How It Can Be Measured, and Another Glimpse at What It Is Related to. J Bus Ethics 91, 343–358 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0087-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0087-z

Keywords

  • interpersonal respect
  • followership
  • leadership
  • self-determination
  • work values