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JOURNAL OF LEADERSHIP STUDIES, Volume 14, Number 3, 2020
© 2020 University of Phoenix
View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com • DOI:10.1002/jls.21707
Despite the importance of implicit leadership theories (ILTs) and the prevalence of egalitarian leadership
models, few studies address the lack of collective leadership constructs in ILTs. Given the dominance of
leadership instruments using leader-centric measurements, a popular ILT questionnaire was augmented
with 16 new items that represented collective, emerging, and egalitarian constructs. A principal com-
ponents analysis was conducted on a 37-item questionnaire with 528 university faculty, staff, and stu-
dents. The fve-component solution explained 52.5% of the total variance. The model retained two
previous ILT components (dedication and intellectual) and found three new ones. These were identifed
as collective, generative, and integrative and consisted of 12 items that represent collective ILTs. The
fndings suggest that prototypical and leader-centric ILTs are giving way to collective models.
RETHINKING IMPLICIT
LEADERSHIP THEORIES:
TOMORROW’S LEADERS ARE
COLLECTIVE, GENERATIVE,
AND ADAPTIVE
JOSH WILSON
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, MALCOLM NORTH
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, DUSTON MORRIS
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AND RHONDA MCCLELLAN
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Department of Leadership Studies, University of Central Arkansas,
Conway, AR, USA
Implicit leadership theories (ILTs) greatly infuence how
people view and accept others as leaders. Leader catego-
rization theory suggests individuals develop prototypes
of what leaders look like and do (Lord, Foti, & Phil-
lips, 1982). ILTs greatly infuence the formation and
success of the leader and follower relationship (Lord,
Foti, & De Vader, 1984). Followers will not perceive
people desiring to lead who do not match their ILTs
Correspondence: Josh Wilson, 1515 Henderson Road, Malvern, AR 72104, USA. E-mail: jbwilson6@gmail.com