Situationally Appropriate Leadership Styles and Team Performance: Is Trust Really Important

Abstract

This study aims to examine the impact of shared leadership and emergent leadership on team performance, with the moderating role of trust by employing Adaptive theory. To understand this, we conducted a cross-sectional study. Rooted within positivist philosophy, we employed quantitative method. Data was collected via questionnaire from 252 individuals from software and IT sector employees of Pakistan. Sample adequacy tests were applied before conducting multi-variate analysis. Using SPSS, we ran regression analysis and process macro for moderation analysis. The Harman test is applied to enquire about any existence of common method biases. Findings indicate that shared and emergent leadership are the key drivers of agile team performance. When leadership functions as a team process, it instills a sense of collective identity, increasing engagement and yield enhanced levels of team performance. Moreover, trust did not moderate the relationship between leadership styles and team performance. This study enhances our understanding of the differences between the interchangeably used leadership styles and their contribution to team performance in a digital setting