Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate leadership development in process management on the leader, group, and individual level of analysis, as well as broaden the knowledge surrounding process management and the variables of mastery-oriented leadership, a mastery climate, and self-efficacy. Training in process management is hypothesized to lead to a change in the leader’s mastery-oriented leadership, which then influence the unit’s mastery climate and the employee’s self-efficacy. The study utilizes a mixed-methods design, using data from an employee survey administered in a Norwegian municipality for the quantitative analyses, supplemented by qualitative data from semi-structured interviews. Three analyses will be conducted: 1) t-tests investigating potential changes on the variables due to the training (N intervention group pre-test = 22 and N post-test = 23, N control group pre-test = 13, and N post-test = 16), 2) mediation and moderation analysis investigating the relationship between the three variables (N = 289), and 3) thematic analysis for the semi-structured interviews (N = 4). Three hypotheses are proposed for investigating process management and the chosen variables, while five are proposed for investigating the relationship between the three chosen variables. Results indicate no change due to the process management training. Investigation surrounding the variables show a significant positive relationship between them – in addition to the moderating role of high levels of mastery climate on the relationship between mastery-oriented leadership and self-efficacy. The thematic analysis supplements these findings, indicating process management has associations to leadership and psychological safety in common with mastery-oriented leadership, cooperation with a mastery climate, and leadership with self-efficacy – and that the three chosen variables are related. These results have theoretical and practical implications regarding how leadership development in process management might impact a leader’s mastery-oriented leadership - which again can impact on the unit’s mastery climate and employee’s self-efficacy.