TESTING AN ADAPTED AND INTEGRATED MODEL OF MOTIVATION TO LEAD AND INTENTION TO APPLY

Leader development is a growing field of study within the leadership and human resource development (HRD) fields. As such, various studies have evaluated the traits, skills, and situational influences that contribute to an individual’s likelihood of becoming a leader. However, often researchers fail to examine an individual’s intention to apply for a leadership position within their examination of an individual’s leadership potential. Although prior research has examined the motivation to lead (MTL), very little research has examined the relationship between an individual’s MTL and their intention to apply for a leadership position. Furthermore, no research to date has evaluated the antecedents of MTL and their relationship to the intention to apply for a leadership position. Therefore, the current study integrated personality traits, values, past leadership experience, perceptions of leadership, and the motivation to lead within the same model to assess the impact on an individual’s intention to apply for a leadership position. A parsimonious model of the intention to apply for a leadership position (IALP) is derived through various statistical analyses such as factor analysis, hierarchical regression analysis, and path analysis. It was found that the personality traits of extraversion and openness to experience, as well as the value of vertical individualism either indirectly or directly influenced an individual’s intention to apply for a leadership position. Additionally, past leadership experience, leadership self-efficacy, and MTL were found to have a direct impact on an individual’s intention to apply for a leadership position. Therefore, impacts to theory, practice, and research were discussed