The Effects of Regulatory Fit on Leadership Motivation

Kosova J. E., Özalp Türetgen İ.

18th European Congress of Psychology, Brighton, England, 3 - 06 July 2023, pp.228

  • Publication Type: Conference Paper / Summary Text
  • City: Brighton
  • Country: England
  • Page Numbers: pp.228
  • Istanbul University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Regulatory Focus Theory (Higgins, 1997) asserts that individuals try to achieve pleasure and avoid pain and use different strategies in doing so. These strategies are in two types: promotion focus and prevention focus. Promotion focus is related to the ideal self and the desire to achieve positive results, and the individual's need for progress whereas prevention focus is related to the fulfilment of responsibilities or obligations and regulates safety needs by avoiding negative consequences and losses. According to the Regulatory Fit Theory, the fit between self-regulation focus and environmental demands can affect people's attitudes or performance. For instance, promotion tasks require enthusiasm and creativity; prevention tasks may require vigilance and attention to detail. Thus, people would show better motivation or performance in the fields where there is a fit between self and context. Past studies have revealed that this fit affects motivation or performance, and the task type would be a predictor of the situational regulatory focus. However, there is a gap in the literature about the effects of this mechanism on motivation in the leadership fields. Fit between cognitive orientation and the context may affect leadership attitudes and behaviours. We expect that task type would moderate the relationship between chronic self-regulatory focus and leadership motivation. Specifically, promotion-focused people would be motivated for the leadership role in promotion tasks rather than prevention tasks, whereas preventionfocused people would be motivated in prevention tasks rather than promotion tasks. We plan to conduct the study in a sample of university students in the spring of 2023 and analyse moderating effects using PROCESS Macro for SPSS (Hayes, 2013). The potential findings of the study may contribute to Regulatory Fit Theory in the context of leadership and practices for job designs to increase person-job fit in organizations.