Leanne Atwater

Leanne Atwater joined the University of Houston in July 2008. Dr. Atwater earned her bachelor's and Master's degrees from San Diego State University and worked as a personnel research psychologist for the Navy Personnel Research and Development Center. She completed her Ph.D. in social/organizational psychology at Claremont Graduate School in 1985.

She does research in the areas of leadership, self-perception, and gender. She has published over 60 papers in highly respected journals. She is the former editor of The Leadership Quarterly. She teaches leadership and management to graduate and undergraduate students. She also teaches Executive Education for the Bauer College

Areas of Expertise

Leadership, gender, feedback

Courses

• Leadership Development Human Resource Management Organizational Behavior

Education

• B.A. - San Diego State University - Psychology
• M.A. - San Diego State University - Psychology
• Ph.D. - Claremont Graduate School - Social/Organizational Psychology

Recent publications:

• Taylor, S., Sturm, R., Atwater, L., & Braddy, P. (in press). Underestimating one’s leadership impact: Are women leaders more susceptible. Organizational Dynamics.
• Atwater, L., Kim, Y., Witt, A., Collison, K., Latheef, Z., Longacre, T., & Zheng, D. Reactions to Abusive Supervision: Examining the Roles of Emotions and Gender (in press). International Journal of Human Resources Management).
• Day, D., Fleenor, J., Atwater, L., Sturm, R., & McKee, R. (2014). Advances in leaders and leadership development: A review of 25 years of research and theory. The Leadership Quarterly, 25, 63-82.
• Sturm, R., Taylor, S., Atwater, L., & Braddy, P. (2014). Leader Self-awareness: An examination and implications of women’s under-prediction. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35, 657-677. doi: 10.1002/job.1915.
• Braddy, P., Sturm, R., Atwater, L., Smither, J., & Fleenor, J. (2013). Validating the feedback orientation scale in a leadership development context. Group and Organization Management, 38, 6, 690-716.
• Carmeli, A., Atwater, L., Levi, A. (2011) How leadership enhances employee’s knowledge sharing at work: The intervening roles of relational and organizational identification. Journal of Technology Transfer, 36, 257-274.
• Fleenor, J., Smither, J., Atwater, L., Braddy, P., & Sturm, R. (2010). Self-other rating agreement in leadership: A review. (Invited) Leadership Quarterly Yearly Review, 21, 1005-1034.
• Perry, S., Witt, A., Penny, L., & Atwater, L. (2010) The downside of goal-focused leadership: Exploring the exhaustion effect among unmotivated workers. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95, 1145-1153
• Walker, A., Smither, J., Atwater, L., Domminick, P., Brett, J., & Reilly, R. (2010). Personality and multisource feedback improvement: A longitudinal investigation. Journal of Behavioral and Applied Management, 175-204. (Best Paper Award)
• Atwater, L., Wang, M., Smither, J., & Fleenor, J. (2009). Are cultural characteristics associated with the relationship between self and others’ ratings of leadership? Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 4, 876-886.
• Atwater, L., & Carmeli, A. (2009). Leader-member exchange, feelings of energy and involvement in creative work. Leadership Quarterly, 20, 264-275.
• Smither, J., Brett, J., & Atwater, L. (2008). What do leaders recall about multisource feedback? Journal of Leadership and Organization Studies, 14,3,202- 218.
• Atwater, L., Brett, J., & Charles, A. (2007). The delivery of workplace discipline: Lessons learned. Organizational Dynamics, 36, 4, 392-403
• Atwater, L., Brett, J., & Charles, A. (2007). Multi-source feedback: Lessons learned and implications for practice. Human Resource Management Journal, 46, 285- 307.
• Atwater, L., & Brett, J. (2006). Feedback format: Does it influence managers’ reactions to feedback? Journal of Organizational and Occupational Psychology, 79, 517- 532.
• Atwater, L., & Brett, J. (2006). 360 degree feedback to managers: Does it result in changes in employee attitudes? Group and Organization Management, 31, 5, 578-600.
• Atwater, L., Ostroff, C., Waldman, D., Robie, C., & Johnson, K. Self-Other agreement: How much does it matter across cultures. (2005). International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 13, 25-40.
• Atwater, L., & Brett, J. (2005) Antecedents and consequences of reactions to developmental 360 degree feedback. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 66, 32- 548.
• Brett, J., Atwater, L., & Waldman, D. (2005).Effective delivery of workplace discipline: Do women have to be more participatory than men? Group and Organization Management, 30, 5, 487-513.
• Ostroff, C., Atwater, L., & Feinberg, B. (2004) Understanding self-other agreement: A look at rater and ratee characteristics, context and outcomes. Personnel Psychology, 57, 333-375.
• Dionne, S., Yammarino, F., Atwater, L., & Spangler, D. (2004). Transformational leadership and team training and performance. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 17, 178-193.
• Atwater, L., Brett, J., Waldman, D., DiMare, L., & Hayden, M. (2004). Male and female perceptions of the gender-typing of management sub-roles Sex Roles, 50, 191-199.
• Siegel, D., Waldman, D., Atwater, L., & Link, A. (2004). Toward a theory of effective transfer of scientific knowledge from academicians to practitioners: Qualitative evidence from the commercialization of university technologies. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 21, 1, 115-142.
• Waldman, D., Atwater, L., & Davidson, R. (2004). The role of individualism and the Big 5 in the prediction of performance in a leaderless group discussion. Journal of Personality, 72, 1-28.
• Ostroff, C., & Atwater, L. (2003). Does whom you work with matter? Effects of referent group gender and age composition on managers’ compensation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 4, 725-740.
• Siegel, D., Waldman, D., Atwater, L., & Link, A. (2003). Improving the effectiveness of commercial knowledge transfers from universities to firms. Journal of High Technology Management Research, 14, 111-133.
• Atwater, L., Waldman, D., & Brett, J. (2002). Understanding and optimizing multisource feedback. Human Resource Management Journal, 41, 2, 193-208.
• Antonakis, J., & Atwater, L. (2002). Leader distance: A review and proposed theory. Leadership Quarterly, 13, 6, 673-704.
• Dionne, S., Yammarino, F., Atwater, L., & James, L. (2002). Neutralizing the substitutes for leadership theory: Leadership effects and common-source bias. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 3, 454-464.
• Brett, J., & Atwater, L. (2001). 360-degree feedback: Perceptions of accuracy, Reactions, and perceptions of usefulness. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 930-942.
• Atwater, L., Carey, J., & Waldman, D. (2001). Gender and discipline in the workplace: Wait until your father gets home. Journal of Management,27, 537-
• Atwater, L., Waldman, D., Carey, J., & Cartier, P. (2001). Recipient and observer reactions to discipline: Are managers experiencing wishful thinking? Journal of Organizational Behavior, 22, 249-270.
• Waldman, D., & Atwater, L. (2001). Attitudinal and behavioral outcomes of an upward feedback process. Group and Organization Management, 26,2,189-205.
• Atwater, L., Waldman, D., Atwater, D., & Cartier, P. ( 2000). An upward feedback field experiment: Supervisors’ cynicism, follow-up and commitment to subordinates, Personnel Psychology, 53, 275-298.
• Atwater, L., Dionne, S., Avolio, B., & Camobreco, J. (1999). A longitudinal study of the leadership development process: Individual differences predicting leader effectiveness. Human Relations, 52, 9, 1-20.
• Weisband, S., & Atwater, L. (1999). Evaluating self and others in electronic and faceto-face groups. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, 632-639. Waldman, D., Atwater, L., & Antonioni, D. (1998). Has 360 feedback gone amok? Academy of Management Executive, 12, 2, 86-94. (Best Paper Award 1998)
• Atwater, L., Ostroff, C., Yammarino, F., & Fleenor, J. (1998). Self-other agreement: Does it really matter? Personnel Psychology, 51, 577-598.
• Atwater, L., Dionne, S., Camobreco, J., Avolio, B., & Lau, A. (1998). Individual attributes and leadership style: Predicting the use of punishment and its effects. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 19, 559-576.
• Van Fleet, D., & Atwater, L. Gender neutral names: Don't be so sure. (1997). Sex Roles, 37, 1/2, 111-123.
• Atwater, L., & Yammarino, F. (1997). Self-other rating agreement: A review and model. Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 15, 121- 175.
• Atwater, L., Camobreco, J., Dionne, S., Avolio, B., & Lau, A. (1997). Effects of rewards and punishments on leader charisma, leader effectiveness, and follower reactions. Leadership Quarterly, 8, 2, 133-152.
• Yammarino, F., & Atwater, L. (1997). Do managers see themselves as others see them? Implications of self-other rating agreement for Human Resources Management. Organizational Dynamics, 25, 35-44.
• Atwater, L., & Van Fleet, D. (1997). Another ceiling: Can males compete for traditionally female jobs. Journal of Management., 23, 5, 603-626.
• Atwater, L., & Yammarino, F. (1996). Bases of power in relation to leader behavior: A field investigation. Journal of Business and Psychology, 11, 1, 3-22.
• Atwater, L., & Wright, W. (1996). Power and transformational leadership in public and private organizations. International Journal of Public Administration, 19, 6, 963- 989.
• Bass, B., Avolio, B., & Atwater, L. (1996). The transformational and transactional leadership of men and women: An extension of some old comparisons. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 45, 1, 5-34. (Best paper award 1996)
• Atwater, L. (1995). The relationship between supervisory power and organizational characteristics. Group and Organization Management, 20, 4. 460-485.
• Atwater, L., Roush, P., & Fischthal, A. (1995). The influence of upward feedback on self- and follower ratings of leadership. Personnel Psychology, 48, 35-59.
• Waldman, D., & Atwater, L. (1994). The nature of effective leadership at different levels in an R & D hierarchy. Journal of High Technology Management Research, 5, 2, 233-246.
• Atwater, L., & Roush, P. (1994). An investigation of gender effects on followers' ratings of leaders, leaders' self-ratings and reactions to feedback. Journal of Leadership Studies, 1, 4, 37-52.
• Yammarino, F., & Atwater, L. (1993). Understanding self-perception accuracy: Implications for human resources management. Human Resource Management Journal, 32, 231-247.
• Atwater, L., & Yammarino, F. (1993). Personal attributes as predictors of superiors' and subordinates' perceptions of military academy leadership. Human Relations, 46, 5, 645-668.
• Atwater, L. (1992). Beyond cognitive ability: Improving the prediction of performance. Journal of Business and Psychology, 7, 27-44.
• Atwater, L., & Yammarino, F. (1992). Does self-other agreement on leadership perceptions moderate the validity of leadership and performance predictions? Personnel Psychology, 45, 141-164.
• Roush, P., & Atwater, L. (1992). Using the MBTI to understand transformational leadership and self-perception accuracy. Military Psychology, 4, 1, 17-34.
• Atwater, L., Penn, R., & Rucker, L. (1991). Personal qualities of charismatic leaders. Leadership and Organizational Development Journal, 12, 2, 7-10.
• Atwater, L. (1988). The relative importance of situational and individual variables in predicting leader behavior: The surprising impact of subordinate trust. Group and Organization Studies, 13, 3, 290-310.
• Shettel-Neuber, J., Bryson, J., & Young, L. (1978). Physical attractiveness of the 'other person' and jealousy. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 4, 4, 612-615.

Books

• Bolea, A., & Atwater,L. (2022). Deepening the Leadership Journey, NY: Routledge. Bolea, A., & Atwater, L. (2021). Becoming a Leader: Nine Elements of Leadership Mastery, NY: Routledge. Bolea, A., & Atwater, L. (2015). Applied Leadership Development. Taylor & Francis; Routledge
• Atwater, L., & Waldman, D. (2008). Leadership, Feedback and the Open Communication Gap. LEA.
• Waldman, D. & Atwater, L. (1998). The Power of 360 Degree Feedback. Gulf Publishing.
• Atwater, L., & Penn, R. (Eds.). (1989). Military Leadership: Traditions and Future Trends. Annapolis, MD: Action Printing.