Wednesday, December 17, 2014 | 12:30pm-2:00pm | Room 335, HSBC Business School

Abstract

Can the expression of anger reduce or enhance leadership effectiveness? Extending research on the role of anger expression in leadership, this paper proposes and tests a critical factor which influences the impact of anger expression on leadership effectiveness. Results from an experimental study and two field studies revealed that leader’s anger expression differently influenced leader’s overall effectiveness depending on the context. Anger expression in performance context significantly reduced leadership effectiveness whereas anger expression in ethical context significantly enhanced leadership effectiveness. Appropriateness of the anger expression mediated this relationship. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.