How does perceived job stress induce authoritarian leadership behavior? The role of recovery level and proactive personality

Purpose Previous research widely acknowledges that authoritarian leadership behavior has negative effects on employees. However, much less is known about why leaders engage in such behavior. This paper draws on the conservation of resources theory to illuminate how and when leaders’ perceived job stress may trigger authoritarian leadership behavior in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach We recruited 303 leaders from various industries based on a three-wave data collection design and employed the moderated indirect effect model to test our proposed hypotheses. Findings The results demonstrated that leaders’ perceived job stress led to their authoritarian behavior. Additionally, proactive personality mitigated the negative effect of perceived job stress on recovery level and weakened the indirect effect of recovery level on the relationship between perceived job stress and authoritarian leadership behavior. Practical implications We suggest that leaders should actively manage their stress to reduce potential authoritarian behavior in the workplace. Besides, both organizations and leaders should recognize the positive role of proactive personality in enhancing leadership. We also provide recommendations for leaders to improve the level of recovery. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature on authoritarian leadership by exploring why leaders engage in authoritarian behavior. Additionally, it deepens the understanding of when the negative relationship between perceived job stress and recovery level can be mitigated by addressing the role of proactive personality. It also advances the recovery literature by shifting its focus from self-oriented outcomes to interpersonal-related consequences.