Will action follow words? Conditions for credibility of leadership intentions

Abstract

Talk without action is both cheap and ineffective. When leaders communicate a leadership intention to their followers, the credibility is important if the intention is going to affect the behavior of the followers. This article develops a theory about the conditions for credibility of leadership intentions. These conditions are good if the institutional framework, the leader’s characteristics and goals, and the leader’s prior behavior make it plausible that present and future leaders both can and will ensure that the intention is realized. To contribute to future research, the article develops expectations concerning the conditions for credibility and their effects. It also contains several points for practitioners and presents a terminology for developing the credibility of one’s own leadership intentions.