Comment on van Knippenberg and Lee (2023): SOE is walking the talk of the organization

Abstract

In issue 1 of 2023 of this journal, van Knippenberg and Lee argued that leader group prototypicality (LGP) and supervisor's organizational embodiment (SOE) are redundant constructs. With this commentary, we provide a historical timeline about the conceptualization of SOE within organizational support theory to explain the lack of construct redundancy at the theoretical level. We offer the metaphor of SOE as the supervisor “ walking the talk of the organization.” In contrast, LGP is a construct developed using Social Identity Theory that refers to the leader “ walking like other organizational members walk.” We offer alternative explanations to the redundancy arguments and evidence presented by van Knippenberg and Lee. We suggest that given the untested construct validity and reliability of both SOE and LGP operationalizations, using a single sample of cross-sectional self-report data is an incomplete methodological approach to provide empirical evidence and make theoretical-level decisions about construct redundancy. We conclude by providing some preliminary ideas that may help address the construct operationalization confusion in future research.