The psychology of leading together: free will beliefs, self-regulation, and self-efficacy in shared leadership

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YALVAÇ H. A., BAYKAL E., Daşyol F., Çakir E.

Frontiers in Psychology, cilt.17, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 17
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1884373
  • Dergi Adı: Frontiers in Psychology
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Linguistic Bibliography, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Psycinfo, Directory of Open Access Journals, MLA International Bibliography
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: free will, mediation analysis, perceived self-regulation, PLS-SEM, self-efficacy, shared leadership
  • Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
  • Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Introduction – In this study, a quantitative research model has been adopted and the possible relationships among shared leadership, perceived self-regulation, free choice, and self-efficacy have been examined. Methods – Snowball sampling surveyed 283 public and private white-collar workers online. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) tested the model in question. Our measurement approach has strong internal consistency, convergent validity, and discriminant validity for all variables. Results – In the structural model, perceived self-regulation substantially predicts self-efficacy. While shared leadership does not have a direct significant effect on self-efficacy, it has a significant and positive effect on perceived self-regulation, and self-regulation significantly increases self-efficacy. These findings reveal that perceived self-regulation plays a full mediating role in the relationship between shared leadership and self-efficacy. In contrast, the free will variable has no significant direct or indirect effect within the model. Discussion – The results confirmed our assumption regarding the positive impact of shared leadership on employees' self-efficacy perceptions, which occurs largely through self-regulation mechanisms. In this context, the study contributes to the organizational behavior and leadership literature, while also suggesting to practitioners that they should focus on leadership approaches that support self-regulation processes to increase employees' self-efficacy.