Advancing the Construct of Self-Leadership: A Bibliometric Review

Abstract

Self-leadership, or an individual's efforts to influence oneself to perform, ­is considered a prerequisite for leading others. Informed by Reichers and Schneider's (1990) 3-stage model of construct evolution, we leverage multiple bibliometric methods to map self-leadership's introduction, evaluation, and consolidation. This paper is guided by four research questions: RQA) What theories underlie self-leadership, and how is the construct elaborated over time? RQB) What is the nature of the current intellectual network, and who are the key conversants of self-leadership research? RQC) What are the past, present, and emerging trends in self-leadership research? RQD) What directions can researchers pursue to advance self-leadership firmly into the third stage of construct evolution based on Reichers and Schneiders’ model? To answer these questions, we critically examine the core theories underlying self-leadership and their elaboration through time (Stage 1; historiography) to uncover the strengths and gaps in the origination of the construct (RQA). We also reveal the dominating (and missing) perspectives of key conversants (e.g., co-authorship analysis; RQB). Moving through Stage 2 of construct evaluation and augmentation, we leverage a bibliographic coupling of 539 documents to identify and describe emergent research themes and a co-word analysis to contrast traditional and trending topics (RQC). We argue that the self-leadership construct has just progressed into Stage 3 (i.e., consolidation and accommodation) as self-leadership research remains somewhat isolated from the broader leadership and organizational studies literature. Finally, we detail future research strategies to integrate relevant theories, identify boundary conditions, and generalize self-leadership across contexts, demographics, and authors (RQD).