Multi-level implications of framing leadership perceptions as a dynamic process

This article integrates principles from connectionist and catastrophe theories with the process of leadership perceptions to derive and test multi-level hypotheses regarding the perception of leaders. The results of study 1 suggest that the leadership perceptions are at times stable, yet will behave dynamically under specific conditions; they lead to an investigation of personal relevance as the motivational factor underlying dynamic changes in leadership perceptions. Study 2 demonstrates that dynamic leadership perceptions are best explained from a dyad perspective, illustrating the joint effect of leader and perceiver characteristics.