Assessing the Effect of Leadership on Performance via Adaptation and Social Interaction: The Moderation of Learning Behavior and Learning Goal Orientation

Drawing upon theory of group leadership, this study aims to propose a holistic team-level model to present how different leadership styles influence team performance by simultaneously evaluating their mediating and moderating mechanisms. In the model, team performance is influenced by charismatic leadership, discipline-focused leadership, and dominance-focused leadership via the mediation of adaptation and social interaction. Besides, team learning behavior and learning goal orientation are examined as moderators. Empirical tests are conducted using the data of technology work teams from a major industry zone in Taiwan. The findings of this study reveal that enhancing team learning behavior is a prioritized issue for leveraging social interaction to boost team performance. Besides, if a team can coordinate its competitive capability to handle complicated things with high team learning goal orientation, teamwork and performance are unlikely hindered by adaptation. The findings of this study suggest that team leaders should remain flexible by switching among three proposed leadership styles as the team circumstances dictate so as to maximize team performance.