HOW ENTRY-LEVEL EMPLOYEES CONSTRUCT THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP IN A LARGE ORGANIZATION: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY INTO LEADERSHIP DISTANCE, FOLLOWER EXPERIENCE, AND CEO INFLUENCE

Abstract

Responsible Leadership (RL) has emerged as an essential response to globalization, corporate scandals, the erosion of trust in leaders, and the need for organizations to be both ethically and effectively successful in a rapidly changing world. Although the RL movement is gaining momentum, conceptual gaps remain in its definition, and there is very little empirical research on how followers perceive and construct their views of RL. The purpose of this study is to address a gap in empirical research by employing Narrative Inquiry (NI) to explore how employees in large organizations understand and experience RL through the lens of their relationships with their CEO. To provide a focused, bounded analysis of RL within a single organization, this study explores how entry-level employees construct their perceptions of RL as it relates to their CEO. As this study was confined to a single company, the results enable a controlled examination of the impact of leadership across extreme hierarchical distances, while eliminating potential variation attributable to multiple CEOs, organizational culture, and/or varying stakeholder roles. From a constructivist perspective, the study examines RL as a relational/co-constructed phenomenon shaped by organizational systems and constituent expectations. Therefore, the primary focus of this study is to develop an understanding of the relational dynamics of RL and to demonstrate the value of followers’ perspectives. By offering a means to capture followers’ lived experiences, this study provides insights into how RL is defined, enacted, and evaluated in organizational settings. Ultimately, the findings of this study add to leadership theory by deepening our understanding of how RL is constructed, thereby closing the gap in followers’ perspectives. Furthermore, this study has practical applications for developing leadership in large organizations and can inform organizational operating strategies that promote trust, engagement, and responsible decision-making.