ABSTRACT
Many assume that leaders’ traits, such as self-monitoring and achievement orientation, are related to leader effectiveness. However, previous studies have not shown consistent results on the relationships between self-monitoring, achievement orientation, and leader effectiveness. Some empirical works show that high self-monitoring and achievement-oriented leaders are perceived as more effective. By contrast, other research demonstrates high self-monitoring and high achievement orientation to be hindrances to leader effectiveness. High self-monitoring leaders are “chameleon-like” and can show excellent behavioural flexibility; they can also be perceived as manipulative and not genuine. Some studies find that achievement orientation, albeit found in many effective leaders, is negatively associated with motivation to learn and willingness to accept new ideas. Therefore, this current study aims to investigate the relationships between self-monitoring, achievement orientation, and leader effectiveness. To limit common method bias, data was gathered from two different sources: leaders and subordinates, with a counterbalancing method in place. Data was collected from 215 pairs of leaders and subordinates in the financial and hospitality industries in Indonesia, using very good scales (α between 0.75 and 0.95). Multiple regression analysis demonstrates that achievement orientation is positively associated with leader effectiveness. However, self-monitoring has no relationship with leader effectiveness.
