Getting Old At The Top: The Role Of Affective Abilities And Leadership Role Characteristics In The Relationship Between Age And Leadership Behaviors

GETTING OLD AT THE TOP: THE ROLE OF AFFECTIVE ABILITIES ANDLEADERSHIP ROLE CHARACTERISTICS IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AGEAND LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORSbyGREGORY R. THRASHERMay 2017Advisor: Dr. Marcus W. DicksonMajor: Psychology (IndustrialOrganizational)Degree: Doctor of PhilosophyLeadership behaviors and the outcomes they foster have historically been a central issueto organizational researchers and practitioners alike. Interestingly, though, as the workforcecontinues to age, research on leadership from a lifespan perspective has been surprisingly rare.The current dissertation aims to address this gap in the literature through two main contributions.First, the main effect of age on the dimensions of task, relational, and change-oriented leadershipbehaviors is examined. Second, I examine how characteristics of leadership roles interact with ofage-related changes in affective abilities in the relationship between age and leadershipbehaviors. Results suggest that there is a positive effect of age on task and relational leadershipbehaviors with no effect on change-oriented leadership behaviors. Emotion regulation isidentified as a mediator in the relationship between age relational leadership behaviors. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.