Determining the who and when of leading and following: A micro-temporal analysis of reciprocated leadership claiming and granting patterns in dyads

Adaptive leadership theory decouples leadership identities and behaviors from formal leadership roles, proposing that individuals negotiate who leads and who follows through reciprocated leader–follower actions. The present research tests the core tenets of this theory in the context of formal leader–follower dyads. We examine how formal leaders’ and followers’ claiming and granting behaviors are shaped by factors at the individual level (i.e., formal roles, leadership structure schemas (LSSs)), and relational level (i.e., convergence of LSSs, interaction history). We also assess whether reciprocated leadership claims enhance leader identity salience, independent of formal role. Applying a multi-method approach, combining survey-based measures and behavioral interaction coding data from 86 individuals in 43 dyads (4,262 behavioral units), we found that individuals in formal leader roles claimed leadership significantly more frequently than formal followers, yet LSS did not moderate these behaviors. Reciprocated claims and grants were not significantly linked to leader identity salience. However, early interaction patterns were linked to similar behavioral patterns later, underscoring the role of relational history in shaping leadership dynamics. These findings inform our understanding of leader identity construction in formal dyads, clarify the boundary conditions under which adaptive leadership theory applies, and offer practical guidance for fostering co-constructed leadership processes.