Embodying Intuitive Leadership: A Mixed-Methods Examination of Embodied Intuitive Experiences of Authentic Transformational Leaders

Abstract

Research on intuition as a tool for leadership success has offered great insight into the ways in which intuition is defined by researchers and used by leaders. Much of the research on intuition has highlighted the difficulty in defining intuition, whereas leadership studies have focused mainly on organizational leadership and defining leadership based on hierarchical employment-related job titles. The driving inquiry of this study was to examine the connection between leadership and embodied intuition by asking the following question: What are the somatic features of embodied intuition experienced by leaders? The subquestion that furthers this inquiry is do leaders believe their intuition is related to their leadership development, expression, or trajectory?

This mixed-methods study broadened the understanding of leadership to be more inclusive of leaders in a variety of roles and settings by using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Using a variety of assessments, this study examined participants’ leadership traits, use of intuition, and body awareness in order to identify authentic transformational leaders who utilize intuition and have a strong connection to their body and examined whether intuition may be related to one’s authentic transformational leadership development, expression, or trajectory. Participants with the highest expressions of embodied intuition and authentic transformational leadership traits were interviewed utilizing micro-phenomenological methods for understanding intuition as an embodied source of knowledge. Furthermore, results showed that there were correlations between leadership traits, intuition, and body awareness and that participants attributed their intuition to leadership development, expression, and trajectory in a variety of ways.