“Do I have the right to lead?” A process model of identity work in a leadership development program

Purpose While developmental programs act as identity workspaces, existing frameworks treat leader self-efficacy (LSE) as a static antecedent rather than a dynamic regulator. Addressing this gap, this study investigates the co-evolution of leadership identity and LSE within a post-Soviet MBA context to explain how initial confidence dictates divergent developmental trajectories. Design/methodology/approach Anchored in an interpretivist paradigm, we employed qualitative research methods to analyze 30 in-depth narrative interviews from two MBA cohorts. Thematic and narrative analyses were used to capture longitudinal identity shifts and LSE recalibration. Findings We reveal that identity evolution is regulated by LSE recalibration, manifesting in two distinct trajectories: empowerment (for low initial LSE) and grounding (for high initial LSE). These trajectories progress through four phases – Preparation, Orientation, Experimentation and Confirmation. From these findings, we derive the Confidence-Framed Leadership-Identity Evolution (CF-LIE) model, demonstrating how peer validation and cultural holding environments catalyze identity shifts. Research limitations/implications The retrospective, single-cohort qualitative design captures meaning-making but precludes real-time observation of LSE fluctuations. Furthermore, because the CF-LIE model emerged within a post-Soviet institutional context characterized by high power distance, its theoretical transferability requires longitudinal testing across divergent cultural and organizational typologies. Practical implications This study shifts the architectural focus of leadership programs from competency acquisition to targeted identity scaffolding. Curricula must be structurally calibrated to incoming LSE baselines – engineering early mastery experiences for the empowerment trajectory and strategic dissonance for the grounding trajectory. Furthermore, institutions must intentionally design “holding environments” that normalize identity friction as a core mechanism for leader emergence. Originality/value This study reconceptualizes LSE from a static antecedent into a dynamic regulator of identity work. The emergent CF-LIE model bridges social identity and self-efficacy theories, providing a processual architecture for leadership development in transitional economies.