Neuroadaptive Leadership Transition Theory: A Multilevel Examination of Identity, Regulation and Systemic Legitimacy Among Latino Middle Managers in U.S. Corporate Contexts
Abstract
Leadership transition remains one of the most consequential yet theoretically fragmented areas within contemporary leadership scholarship. Existing models explain role adaptation, developmental progression, and identity experimentation, but remain largely grounded in linear assumptions of adjustment and insufficiently address the adaptive regulatory processes through which leaders sustain leadership functioning under ambiguity, legitimacy pressure, and structural constraint. These limitations become particularly salient within identity-salient organizational environments, where underrepresented leaders navigate heightened visibility, belonging uncertainty, and organizational evaluation pressures. This dissertation examines leadership transition among Latino middle managers within U.S. corporate contexts through a convergent mixed-methods design integrating quantitative survey data (n = 518) with Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (n = 16). The quantitative strand examined relationships among readiness, adaptability, cultural integration, and transition satisfaction, while the qualitative strand explored lived experiences of identity negotiation, sponsorship, fairness appraisal, and belonging. Integration of both strands enabled examination of leadership transition as a multilevel adaptive process spanning cognitive, relational, cultural, and structural domains. Findings indicate that leadership transition is best understood as a recursive regulatory process in which executive regulation, socio-emotional integration, identity reconstruction, and structural legitimacy interact to stabilize or destabilize adaptive capacity. These findings informed the development of Neuroadaptive Leadership Transition Theory (NLTT) as the research’s governing mid-range theory and the Neuro-Integrative Adaptive Leadership Transition (NIALT) Framework as its applied organizational framework. The dissertation advances leadership scholarship beyond stage-based transition models toward a systems-oriented explanation of leadership transition within complex organizational environments. Practically, the research provides an implementation-ready framework for inclusive leadership pipeline development, multilevel assessment, and organizational governance readiness.
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