Identifying effective identity leadership behaviours for exercise leaders: Perspectives from identity leadership experts and exercisers

The social identity approach to leadership argues that leaders' effectiveness rests on their success in creating, representing, advancing, and embedding a sense of shared identity among group members. However, it does not specify precisely how they can achieve this (i.e., through what behaviours). This gap extends to the exercise context, where research has shown that exercisers participate more frequently to the extent they perceive their leaders engage in identity leadership, yet little guidance exists regarding the specific behaviours that exercise leaders can use to demonstrate this leadership style. We aimed to address this through two studies. In Study 1, we used the Delphi method to identify behaviours that identity leadership experts (primarily from Europe, Australia, and North America and defined as researchers with at least one peer-reviewed identity leadership publication; N = 15) believed exercise class leaders could engage in to demonstrate their identity leadership and foster exercisers' future class attendance. Experts reached consensus on 16 behaviours that characterised identity leadership, and tended to perceive these behaviours would help foster exercisers' future class attendance. In Study 2, we recruited 150 exercise class attendees from the United Kingdom. These participants rated the extent to which the behaviours derived in Study 1 would increase their likelihood of attending future classes and achieve the theoretical goals specified by identity leadership theory. All mean ratings were above the mid-point on the rating scales for both questions, suggesting we had identified a pool of identity leadership behaviours with potential applied benefit. Identity leadership behaviours rated particularly positively by exercisers included leaders modelling and demonstrating exercisers, following established rules and standards, and providing different forms of social support. Findings advance theoretical understanding, strengthen the foundation for further tests of identity leadership theory, and provide new insights into how its applied benefits could be unlocked.