Followers transform leader identity into commitment mainly through emotional attachment, not categorization

Evidence

Organizational identity was a partial, not a full, mediator between transformational leadership and follower outcomes such as satisfaction and OCB, so there are almost certainly other psychological processes occurring simultaneously. Similarly, Study 2 points to the possibility that some aspects of social identity may be more important mediators of follower perceptions than others. Future research should be undertaken to specifically test whether the affective commitment component is a better predictor of follower perceptions than the social categorization or group self-esteem elements. We hypothesize that social categorization and group evaluation may be necessary precursors in order for followers to develop affective commitment, but it may be affective commitment that drives follower perceptions and behavior. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 1863

Categorization

• QUESTION: A testable hypothesis: does affective commitment outperform categorization and group self-esteem as a mediator? Worth chasing whether later research confirmed it.
• XREF: connects to: Leaders are accepted only when embodying features shared with followers — Ernesto Laclau, On Populist Reason, 153; No stable traits distinguish leaders from followers or predict effectiveness — Stephen Reicher, S. Alexander Haslam, and Nick Hopkins, Social identity and the dynamics of…, 27; Leadership acts on followers through collective group norms, not just individual exchange — Stephen Reicher, S. Alexander Haslam, and Nick Hopkins, Social identity and the dynamics of…, 34