Emotional Benefits of Leader Legitimacy

Abstract

Leaders with legitimacy attain substantial benefits in the workplace, like cooperation and minimal dissension from workers. We argue that legitimacy also benefits leaders by enhancing workers’ positive emotions and displays and reducing negative emotions and displays to their behaviors. Employed, adult study participants took the role of a worker and responded to a vignette description of a leader’s behaviors (use of fair/unfair decision- making procedures; high/low use of power benevolently) and status characteristics (Study 1, three months/three years of experience; Study 2, Black male/White male). Results confirm the expected patterns of effects of legitimacy on positive and negative emotions. Perceived legitimacy also largely mediates the effects of the leader’s behaviors and experience (but not race) on emotional responses. Legitimated leaders benefit from a flow of positive emotions and displays and are largely protected from negative emotions and displays that could jeopardize their legitimacy and ultimately the functioning of the work group.