Managing Illegitimate Task Requests Through Explanation and Acknowledgment: A Discursive Leadership Approach

This study explored how discursive framing can mitigate an illegitimate task request—a request from a supervisor that extends beyond the appropriate parameters of the role. Using hypothetical vignettes in an experimental design, we examined how including an acknowledgment and/or explanation when making an illegitimate task request mitigated perceptions of illegitimacy and anger. Results indicate that acknowledgments mitigated perceptions of...