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Purpose

This paper reports the results of three quantitative studies on destructive leadership in a military context. The aim is to identify (a) which behaviors are considered passive leadership in this type of context, (b) outcomes of passive leadership, and (c) hierarchical differences regarding outcomes of passive leadership.

Design/Methodology

Questionnaire data was collected from (a) three Swedish military groups (n = 428), (b) military personnel in Estonia, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands (n = 625), and (c) Swedish military personnel serving in Afghanistan (n = 289).

Results

The results show that passive leadership in a military context is defined as behaviors related to being “passive, cowardly” and “uncertain, unclear, messy”. Passive leadership behaviors had a stronger impact (than active destructive leadership behaviors) on outcomes such as emotional exhaustion and propensity to leave the organization. The results also reveal that passive leadership behaviors are more common on higher hierarchical levels compared to lower.

Limitations

Limitations related to common method variance, response set tendencies and lack of response rate are discussed.

Research/practical implications

The results emphasize the importance of focusing on passive leadership behaviors in the research field of destructive leadership. From a practical perspective, implications for military organizations are discussed.

Originality/Value

Since most of the studies on passive leadership are conducted in civilian settings, the results from this paper contribute with context-specific knowledge about passive leadership in a military setting.