Leader Role Transition: A Systematic Review and Agenda for Future Research

Abstract

Leader role transition is a critical stage in which new leaders learn leadership skills, develop their leader identity, and gain social validation. As the successful transition to one's leader role has important implications for individual career success and organizational performance, research interest in this topic has steadily grown over the last decade. However, this literature is developing in a rather fragmented and isolated manner. The absence of a unifying conceptual framework stands to potentially stymy progress and understanding of this phenomenon. Therefore, we highlight leader role transition as a unique leadership topic and aim to provide a holistic understanding of leader role transition as a dynamic process. In a systematic review of 136 articles, we identify three key lines of inquiry (i.e., adjustment, identity transformation, and social construction) and synthesize them through the lens of role transition theory. In doing so, we develop an integrative framework that aims to move this literature toward a more comprehensive and process-based understanding of leader role transition. We conclude our review with recommendations for future research directions.