Effective management requires adaptable behaviors and leadership styles tailored to staff needs and circumstances. However, research often isolates individual leadership styles, overlooking their interaction and the intricate dynamics between leaders and followers. Leaders exhibit behavior fluctuations daily or based on individual followers, warranting exploration into how and when they adapt styles to grasp nuanced leadership dynamics. Drawing on complementary fit theory and ambidextrous leadership theory, we propose that the degree of fit between leader transformational leadership and follower proactive personality will determine his/her control toward the follower, captured by follower perceived authoritarian leadership. As leadership control is also crucial to organizational effectiveness, we also examine the relationship between authoritarian leadership and follower self-efficacy. Our study of 102 leaders and 342 followers in Taiwan reveals that misalignment heightens perceived authoritarianism. Also, authoritarian leadership exhibits a U-shaped relationship with follower self-efficacy, peaking when leaders display very high or very low authoritarianism. This study significantly contributes to team leadership and followership literature by illuminating adaptive leadership dynamics. Our findings offer key insights for effective leadership practices, emphasizing the intricate connections between leader styles, follower perceptions, and outcomes.
