The Dark Side of Variability: Developing a Measure of Perceived Leader Inconsistency

Abstract While research has highlighted the benefits of variability in leader behavior to help deal with different demands, erratic variability in behavior might be problematic. Preliminary research suggests that when leader behavior seems to vary unpredictably, followers can perceive it as inconsistent, which triggers negative reactions. Such perceptions of leader inconsistency seem to be quite common. However, our current understanding of perceptions of inconsistent leader behavior is limited due to the lack of a comprehensive measurement framework. We define inconsistent leader behavior and develop a short scale (ILB-4) to measure follower perceptions of leader inconsistency. We also develop two additional scales that measure perceptions of more specific manifestations of inconsistency, focusing on inconsistency in initiating structure and in consideration. Across seven studies (total N = 1715), including multi-source ( N = 631 leader–follower dyads) and time-separated ( N = 215) data, we establish the psychometric properties of these measures and test the nomological network of perceived inconsistent leader behavior. Taken together, the results suggest that the ILB-4 is a valuable measurement tool that can further our understanding of the antecedents and consequences of such perceptions. The specific measures of perceived inconsistency in initiating structure and consideration are reliable and related to other constructs as expected. While being helpful for explaining intricacies in inconsistency, they do not explain variance in outcomes over and above the more general ILB-4. Thus for most purposes, one can rely on the shorter ILB-4 scale.