Public managers’ leadership identity: concept, causes, and consequences

Unless public managers think of themselves as leaders, others will not follow them. A key question is whether their occupational identity is more central than their leadership identity. A representative survey shows that managers with more central leadership identities use transformational leadership more, while managers with balanced leadership-occupational identities tend to prioritize professional development leadership. If occupational identities dominate, managers exert less leadership. Managers with higher hierarchical positions, broader spans of control, and more leadership training have more central leadership identities. This highlights the relevance of studying leadership identity and finding better ways to develop it through leadership training.