Age and Transformational Leadership

Abstract

Abstract. Based on socioemotional selectivity theory, this study examined the indirect relationship between leader’s age and transformational leadership through motivation to lead. This study also investigated managerial discretion as a moderator of the association between age and motivation to lead. A multisourced and two-wave study of 186 Chinese leader–follower dyads shows that leader’s age was indirectly related with transformational leadership through motivation to lead. Managerial discretion moderates the negative age–motivation to lead relationship such that the relationship was significant and negative only for leaders with low managerial discretion. This study provides implications for the management of an increasingly age-diverse workforce and can inform human resource management practices aiming to maximize leadership effectiveness at a later age.