Leadership style and follower perceptions: evaluations of command within a military training context

Purpose This study aims to investigate how a leader’s binary gender and leadership style affect cadet perceptions within a military academy, focusing on the influence of gendered behaviors associated with each leadership style. Drawing on role congruity theory and expectation states theory, the study explores how gendered behaviors associated with leadership styles shape evaluations in an organizational context where leadership expectations are both highly salient and actively taught. Design/methodology/approach Using a 2 × 2 experimental design manipulating leader gender and leadership style, cadets at a military academy were asked to evaluate a fictional commandant. Findings Cadets expressed a preference for transformational over transactional leadership on measures of leader likability; however, neither style was perceived as more effective overall. A comparison of expectations states and role congruity theories show mixed results. Research limitations/implications The study is context-specific to a military academy setting, which may limit generalizability. In addition, the focus on binary gender and inability to distinguish sex and gender, reflects institutional constraints in the study design. Originality/value Military academies provide a unique context to evaluate leadership perceptions while they are being actively developed. This study contributes to the literature by comparing two well-known gender theories in an experimental setting.