The special issue submission deadline has been extended to December 1st, 2024 and the complete call for papers is available on SMA’s website at:
Theory Testing and Replications in Leadership Science
We encourage submissions that test, refine, replicate and extend existing leadership theories. We are open to a variety of methodological approaches as long as they are robust, consider levels of analyses appropriately, and adhere to open science principles adopted by JOMSR (see JOMSR Methods Checklist at https://journals.sagepub.com/authorinstructions/MSR). Specific emphasis should be given to how the study builds or extends theory, resolves controversy, addresses past methodological weaknesses, or addresses boundary and contextual conditions. As is the mission of JOMSR, papers will be considered regardless of the significance of the findings and can be initially reviewed with the results “masked” (i.e., while the study is fully completed, the initial submission includes only the introduction, hypotheses, and methods, and does not include the results and discussion sections). While not an exhaustive list, and not meant to curtail submissions in other areas, the following examples highlight areas that could address this call:
- Refinement of moral approaches to leadership (Fehr, Yam & Dang, 2015; Solinger, Jansen & Cornelissen, 2020; also see Lemoine et al., 2019);
- The role of affect in leadership (Martinko et al., 2018);
- Paths forward in leader member exchange research (Cropanzano, Anthony, Daniels & Hall, 2017; Scandura & Meuser, 2022);
- Further testing and refinement of theoretical models such as:
- Adaptive dynamic leadership theory (DeRue & Ashford, 2010)
- Shared leadership schema (Wellman, 2017)
- Intergroup leadership (Hogg, van Knippenberg & Rast, 2012);
- Reconceptualization of ethical and servant leadership (Banks, Fischer, Gooty & Stock, 2021)
- Tests to assess construct redundancy across two or more leadership styles/constructs, see for example:
- Hoch, Bommer, Dulebohn, & Wu (2018) with respect to ethical, authentic,
servant, and transformational leadership styles. - DeRue, Nahrgang, Wellman, & Humphrey (2011) with respect to trait and behavioral theories of leadership;
- Broad societal changes such as Black Lives Matters, the #metoo movement and the impact of issues like race, gender, intersectionality, culture, or more broadly, context, on our current understanding of leadership theories (e.g., Ladkin & Bridges Patrick, 2022; Oc, 2018; Shen & Joseph, 2021);
- Hoch, Bommer, Dulebohn, & Wu (2018) with respect to ethical, authentic,
- Methodological advances, such as machine learning (e.g., Lee, Inceoglu, Hauser & Greene, 2020).
Submission Process and Timeline
To be considered for the Special Issue, all manuscripts, including those prepared with results masked, should be submitted by December 1st, 2024, midnight U.S. Eastern Time. Submitted papers will undergo a double-blind review process and will be evaluated by at least two reviewers and a special issue editor. Final acceptance is contingent on the review team’s judgments of the paper’s contributions on three key dimensions:
– Contribution to theory refinement. Original research manuscripts should test hypotheses that are clearly grounded in existing theory. Manuscripts should clearly explain how the study either confirms, generalizes, limits, or refutes existing theory.
– Methodological rigor. Hypotheses tested with a rigorously designed study that balances internal and external validity will be more positively evaluated. The study design should be appropriate for testing the theory and hypotheses. Multiple studies within a single paper are not expected.
– Implications for researchers. The study’s findings should have clear implications for future research testing the specific unit theory (i.e., specific model or hypotheses) and for advancing the programmatic theory (i.e., general knowledge of leadership research).
Authors should prepare their manuscripts for blind review according to the JOMSR’s Submission Guidelines, which can be found at the following website: https://journals.sagepub.com/author-instructions/MSR
Manuscripts can be submitted electronically at: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jomsr
Brett Neely
Assistant Professor
U. of Nebraska, Lincoln
Lincoln NE