Is self-leadership the new silver bullet of leadership? An empirical test of the relationship between self-leadership and organizational commitment

Self-leadership is theoretically assumed to be the key management approach in modern knowledge work because it strengthens the employees’ commitment. This study examines the relationship between self-leadership and affective organizational commitment empirically. An underlying assumption in the self-leadership research, that employees are guided and committed by internal work ideals, is tested, and self-leadership is compared to motivational factors in traditional management theories. The results show that self-leadership positively affects organizational commitment, while the internal work ideals overall do not seem to have the expected effect. However, the effect of self-leadership on commitment disappears when the relationship is controlled for traditional motivational factors. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed, and foci for future research are suggested.