Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 13, 2026

A Methodology for Capturing Joint Visual Attention Using Mobile Eye-Trackers
Published on: January 18, 2020
Exploring the Curvilinear Effect of Motivation to Lead on Leadership Emergence: The Moderating Role of Shared Team
Jinkai Cheng1, Yating Luo1, Feng Hu2
1Business School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
Abstract:
Given the potential significance of the motivation to lead in answering the question of who will most highly emerge for leadership positions, the motivation to lead has garnered considerable attention. Nevertheless, we put forward a distinct perspective on the influence of the motivation to lead on leadership emergence. Based on the theory of leadership identity construction, we developed and tested a potential curvilinear relationship between individual motivation to lead and leadership emergence while also examining the moderating role of shared team vision. This study involved 639 employees across 159 work teams, with data collected using a multi-wave, round-robin approach. The results of social relations analyses indicated that individual motivation to lead has an inverted U-shaped relationship with leadership emergence. Meanwhile, shared team vision positively moderates the curvilinear relationship, such that those teams with weak shared vision experience foreshortened and weakened positive effect from motivation to lead. These results underscore the importance of comprehending the level of leadership motivation that can promote or prevent leadership emergence within work teams.
Related Concept Videos
Motivational Bias
Social Loafing
Incentive Theory: Pull Theory of Motivation
The theory differentiates between...
Drive-Reduction Theory: Push Theory of Motivation
Secondary Motives: Power Motivation and Achievement Motivation
Power motivation is characterized by the desire to influence, control, or have an impact on others. It is shaped by an individual's experiences, social environment, and cultural context. People with high power motivation are...
Impact of Individuals on a Group

