---
_id: '7103'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: 'This study aims to deepen the understanding of motivational drivers that
    shape leadership effectiveness by adopting a neo-configurational perspective.
    Drawing on McClelland’s theory of human motivation, we investigate how need for
    power (nPow), need for achievement (nAch), need for affiliation (nAff), and activity
    inhibition (AI) combine within leaders to enable two outcomes of leadership effectiveness:
    leadership satisfaction and career success. Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative
    analysis on data from 70 leader-follower dyads, we identify multiple alternative
    motive configurations that contribute to leadership effectiveness. Specifically,
    two configurations—termed the Bureaucratic (nPow, ~nAch, AI) and the Relaxed Leader
    (~ nPow, nAff, ~AI)—are sufficient for very high leadership satisfaction. For
    career success, we find three sufficient configurations, each highlighting the
    presence of either AI, nPow, or nAff which are complemented by the absence (~)
    of other motives or AI. These results demonstrate that leadership effectiveness
    is driven by multiple distinct configurations of motives, underscoring the causal
    complexity inherent in motivation-based leadership effectiveness. In doing so,
    this study contributes to motivation literature by reframing McClelland’s theory
    as a neo-configurational theory.'
author:
- first_name: Katharina
  full_name: Agethen, Katharina
  last_name: Agethen
- first_name: Sonja K.
  full_name: Ötting, Sonja K.
  last_name: Ötting
- first_name: Barbara
  full_name: Steinmann, Barbara
  id: '258651'
  last_name: Steinmann
  orcid: 0009-0000-3036-2684
citation:
  alphadin: '<span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Agethen, Katharina</span> ; <span
    style="font-variant:small-caps;">Ötting, Sonja K.</span> ; <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Steinmann,
    Barbara</span>: A neo-configurational perspective on implicit motives and leadership
    effectiveness. In: <i>Motivation and Emotion</i>, Springer Science and Business
    Media LLC (2026)'
  ama: Agethen K, Ötting SK, Steinmann B. A neo-configurational perspective on implicit
    motives and leadership effectiveness. <i>Motivation and Emotion</i>. 2026. doi:<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-026-10264-z">10.1007/s11031-026-10264-z</a>
  apa: Agethen, K., Ötting, S. K., &#38; Steinmann, B. (2026). A neo-configurational
    perspective on implicit motives and leadership effectiveness. <i>Motivation and
    Emotion</i>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-026-10264-z">https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-026-10264-z</a>
  bibtex: '@article{Agethen_Ötting_Steinmann_2026, title={A neo-configurational perspective
    on implicit motives and leadership effectiveness}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-026-10264-z">10.1007/s11031-026-10264-z</a>},
    journal={Motivation and Emotion}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media
    LLC}, author={Agethen, Katharina and Ötting, Sonja K. and Steinmann, Barbara},
    year={2026} }'
  chicago: Agethen, Katharina, Sonja K. Ötting, and Barbara Steinmann. “A Neo-Configurational
    Perspective on Implicit Motives and Leadership Effectiveness.” <i>Motivation and
    Emotion</i>, 2026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-026-10264-z">https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-026-10264-z</a>.
  ieee: K. Agethen, S. K. Ötting, and B. Steinmann, “A neo-configurational perspective
    on implicit motives and leadership effectiveness,” <i>Motivation and Emotion</i>,
    2026.
  mla: Agethen, Katharina, et al. “A Neo-Configurational Perspective on Implicit Motives
    and Leadership Effectiveness.” <i>Motivation and Emotion</i>, Springer Science
    and Business Media LLC, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-026-10264-z">10.1007/s11031-026-10264-z</a>.
  short: K. Agethen, S.K. Ötting, B. Steinmann, Motivation and Emotion (2026).
date_created: 2026-08-14T14:56:44Z
date_updated: 2026-08-18T11:33:46Z
department:
- _id: 4b2dc5c9-bee3-11eb-b75f-ecc80f94fb21
doi: 10.1007/s11031-026-10264-z
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
oa: '1'
publication: Motivation and Emotion
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1573-6644
  issn:
  - 0146-7239
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
status: public
title: A neo-configurational perspective on implicit motives and leadership effectiveness
tmp:
  image: /images/cc_by.png
  legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
  name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
  short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: '220548'
year: '2026'
...
---
_id: '4971'
author:
- first_name: Barbara
  full_name: Steinmann, Barbara
  id: '258651'
  last_name: Steinmann
  orcid: 0009-0000-3036-2684
  orcid_put_code_url: https://api.orcid.org/v2.0/0009-0000-3036-2684/work/177907960
- first_name: Anne
  full_name: Kleinert, Anne
  last_name: Kleinert
- first_name: Günter W.
  full_name: Maier, Günter W.
  last_name: Maier
citation:
  alphadin: '<span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Steinmann, Barbara</span> ; <span
    style="font-variant:small-caps;">Kleinert, Anne</span> ; <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Maier,
    Günter W.</span>: Promoting the underestimated: A vignette study on the importance
    of the need for affiliation to successful leadership. In: <i>Motivation and Emotion</i>
    Bd. 44, Springer Science and Business Media LLC (2020), Nr. 5, S. 641–656'
  ama: 'Steinmann B, Kleinert A, Maier GW. Promoting the underestimated: A vignette
    study on the importance of the need for affiliation to successful leadership.
    <i>Motivation and Emotion</i>. 2020;44(5):641-656. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-020-09833-7">10.1007/s11031-020-09833-7</a>'
  apa: 'Steinmann, B., Kleinert, A., &#38; Maier, G. W. (2020). Promoting the underestimated:
    A vignette study on the importance of the need for affiliation to successful leadership.
    <i>Motivation and Emotion</i>, <i>44</i>(5), 641–656. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-020-09833-7">https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-020-09833-7</a>'
  bibtex: '@article{Steinmann_Kleinert_Maier_2020, title={Promoting the underestimated:
    A vignette study on the importance of the need for affiliation to successful leadership},
    volume={44}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-020-09833-7">10.1007/s11031-020-09833-7</a>},
    number={5}, journal={Motivation and Emotion}, publisher={Springer Science and
    Business Media LLC}, author={Steinmann, Barbara and Kleinert, Anne and Maier,
    Günter W.}, year={2020}, pages={641–656} }'
  chicago: 'Steinmann, Barbara, Anne Kleinert, and Günter W. Maier. “Promoting the
    Underestimated: A Vignette Study on the Importance of the Need for Affiliation
    to Successful Leadership.” <i>Motivation and Emotion</i> 44, no. 5 (2020): 641–56.
    <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-020-09833-7">https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-020-09833-7</a>.'
  ieee: 'B. Steinmann, A. Kleinert, and G. W. Maier, “Promoting the underestimated:
    A vignette study on the importance of the need for affiliation to successful leadership,”
    <i>Motivation and Emotion</i>, vol. 44, no. 5, pp. 641–656, 2020.'
  mla: 'Steinmann, Barbara, et al. “Promoting the Underestimated: A Vignette Study
    on the Importance of the Need for Affiliation to Successful Leadership.” <i>Motivation
    and Emotion</i>, vol. 44, no. 5, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2020,
    pp. 641–56, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-020-09833-7">10.1007/s11031-020-09833-7</a>.'
  short: B. Steinmann, A. Kleinert, G.W. Maier, Motivation and Emotion 44 (2020) 641–656.
date_created: 2024-09-24T08:21:20Z
date_updated: 2026-06-18T15:40:20Z
doi: 10.1007/s11031-020-09833-7
intvolume: '        44'
issue: '5'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
oa: '1'
page: 641-656
publication: Motivation and Emotion
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1573-6644
  issn:
  - 0146-7239
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
status: public
title: 'Promoting the underestimated: A vignette study on the importance of the need
  for affiliation to successful leadership'
tmp:
  image: /images/cc_by.png
  legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
  name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
  short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: '245729'
volume: 44
year: '2020'
...
---
_id: '4980'
author:
- first_name: Barbara
  full_name: Steinmann, Barbara
  id: '258651'
  last_name: Steinmann
  orcid: 0009-0000-3036-2684
  orcid_put_code_url: https://api.orcid.org/v2.0/0009-0000-3036-2684/work/177910056
- first_name: Stefan L.
  full_name: Dörr, Stefan L.
  last_name: Dörr
- first_name: Oliver C.
  full_name: Schultheiss, Oliver C.
  last_name: Schultheiss
- first_name: Günter W.
  full_name: Maier, Günter W.
  last_name: Maier
citation:
  alphadin: '<span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Steinmann, Barbara</span> ; <span
    style="font-variant:small-caps;">Dörr, Stefan L.</span> ; <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Schultheiss,
    Oliver C.</span> ; <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Maier, Günter W.</span>:
    Implicit motives and leadership performance revisited: What constitutes the leadership
    motive pattern? In: <i>Motivation and Emotion</i> Bd. 39, Springer Science and
    Business Media LLC (2015), Nr. 2, S. 167–174'
  ama: 'Steinmann B, Dörr SL, Schultheiss OC, Maier GW. Implicit motives and leadership
    performance revisited: What constitutes the leadership motive pattern? <i>Motivation
    and Emotion</i>. 2015;39(2):167-174. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9458-6">10.1007/s11031-014-9458-6</a>'
  apa: 'Steinmann, B., Dörr, S. L., Schultheiss, O. C., &#38; Maier, G. W. (2015).
    Implicit motives and leadership performance revisited: What constitutes the leadership
    motive pattern? <i>Motivation and Emotion</i>, <i>39</i>(2), 167–174. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9458-6">https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9458-6</a>'
  bibtex: '@article{Steinmann_Dörr_Schultheiss_Maier_2015, title={Implicit motives
    and leadership performance revisited: What constitutes the leadership motive pattern?},
    volume={39}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9458-6">10.1007/s11031-014-9458-6</a>},
    number={2}, journal={Motivation and Emotion}, publisher={Springer Science and
    Business Media LLC}, author={Steinmann, Barbara and Dörr, Stefan L. and Schultheiss,
    Oliver C. and Maier, Günter W.}, year={2015}, pages={167–174} }'
  chicago: 'Steinmann, Barbara, Stefan L. Dörr, Oliver C. Schultheiss, and Günter
    W. Maier. “Implicit Motives and Leadership Performance Revisited: What Constitutes
    the Leadership Motive Pattern?” <i>Motivation and Emotion</i> 39, no. 2 (2015):
    167–74. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9458-6">https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9458-6</a>.'
  ieee: 'B. Steinmann, S. L. Dörr, O. C. Schultheiss, and G. W. Maier, “Implicit motives
    and leadership performance revisited: What constitutes the leadership motive pattern?,”
    <i>Motivation and Emotion</i>, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 167–174, 2015.'
  mla: 'Steinmann, Barbara, et al. “Implicit Motives and Leadership Performance Revisited:
    What Constitutes the Leadership Motive Pattern?” <i>Motivation and Emotion</i>,
    vol. 39, no. 2, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2015, pp. 167–74, doi:<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9458-6">10.1007/s11031-014-9458-6</a>.'
  short: B. Steinmann, S.L. Dörr, O.C. Schultheiss, G.W. Maier, Motivation and Emotion
    39 (2015) 167–174.
date_created: 2024-09-24T08:21:34Z
date_updated: 2026-03-17T15:29:10Z
doi: 10.1007/s11031-014-9458-6
intvolume: '        39'
issue: '2'
language:
- iso: eng
page: 167-174
publication: Motivation and Emotion
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1573-6644
  issn:
  - 0146-7239
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
status: public
title: 'Implicit motives and leadership performance revisited: What constitutes the
  leadership motive pattern?'
type: journal_article
user_id: '220548'
volume: 39
year: '2015'
...