ImplicitLeadership
Theories
JuniorͲProf.Dr.BrookeA.Shaughnessy
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Agenda
• WhatareImplicitLeadershipTheories(ILTs)?
• HistoryofILTs
• TheoriesbehindILTs
• WhyareILTsrelevant?
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ImplicitLeadershipTheories(ILTs)
ImplicitLeadership Theory
ImplicitFollowership Theory
• “Cognitivestructuresor • “Cognitivestructures
prototypesspecifying
andschemasaboutthe
thetraitsandabilities
traitsandbehaviors
thatcharacterize
thatcharacterize
leaders”(Epitropaki etal.,2013; followers”(Epitropaki etal.,
Lord,Foti &DeVader,1984;Lord&
Maher,1991)
2013;Sy 2010)
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ILT:Prototypematchingprocess
Prototype of effective
leadership
Intelligent
High Verbal Skills
Fair
Good interpersonal Skills
Prototype
matching
Observed Leadership
Behaviors
Leader
Evaluation
My boss is a
good leader
Rating Behaviors (using global impressions)
Intelligent
High Verbal Skills
Fair
Question: Does your boss have good social
skills?
Answer: Yes, he’s a good leader so he must have
good social skills
Explicitleadershiptheories
• Constructionsofaleaderbasedondataand
scientificobservations
• Strivetoportrayanobjectivereality(Sternberg,1985)
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WhyunderstandILTs?
• ILTssetupaninterpretiveframeworkthrough
whichinformationisprocessed(Chiu,Hong&Dweck,1997)
• Partofthesensemaking process(Weick,1995)
• Implicitbeliefsplayanoverwhelmingrole– evenin
thefaceofscientificevidence(Lewandowsky,Oberauer &
Gignac,2013)
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HistorybehindILTs
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TheEvolutionof
LeadershipResearch
1900:Traitsapproaches
1950:Behavioraltheories
1990s
1960:Contingencytheories
HistoryofILTs
1975Ͳ Source
ofbiasin
leadership
measurement
1980s–
Focusedon
theeffectthis
“bias”hadon
leadership
perceptions
Through
1990s–
Contentand
measurement
(butinthe
lab)
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1990onwards
– Applied
settingswere
usedand
explicitly
addressedthe
contentof
realmanagerͲ
follower
dyads
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TheoriesbehindILTs
Howdoweformtheseimplicitbeliefs?
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ImplicitLeadershipTheory
• “WeKnowaLeaderWhenWeSeeOne”
• Leadershipcategorization
• Peopleobservebehavior
• Quicklycompareittotheircognitivecategoryofaleader
• Leadershipprototype
• Aperson’scognitiveimageofleadertraitsand
characteristics
• Leadershipexemplar
• Aspecificpersonregardedasaleader
Why„implicit”?
• Thesesystemsmayoperateautomatically,outside
ofconsciousawareness
• Peoplerespondtotheirinternalrepresentationof
theworld
• Ausefulmechanismtoexplaincuriousfindings
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Whatis‚implict’inILTs?(1)
• Laybeliefs
• “Ourperceptionoftheworldisunavoidablyinfluenced
byourbeliefsabouttheworld” (Feyerabend,1965;Nisbett &Wilson,
1977).
• “Beliefsthatprovidesomemannerofexplanation,
definition,orassumptionthatallowsnavigationofthe
socialworld”
• “Theyarebasicandunscientifictheoriesabouthowthe
worldisorworks”
• Folktheories,commonsensetheories,implicittheories
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Whatis‚implict’inILTs?(2)
LayBeliefs
• Lackofimpactawareness
• Unawarethataschemaiseven
activated
• Donotrealizethattheschema
involvedisimpactingbehavioror
actions
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TopͲdowncognition
• Peoplerelyonwaystosimplifycognition(i.e.,
schemas)tocopewithcomplexinformation(Galambos
etal.,1986;Lord&Maher,1991)
• Fillinthegaps(i.e.,I_antch_co_ate ic_cr_am)
• Schemas
• Cognitiveframeworktoorganizeandinterpret
information
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Howdoweformimplicitbeliefs?
• Schemasaredeveloped:
• Throughsocialization
• Priorexperienceswithaleaderorafollower
• Schemasareactivated:
• Wheninteractingwithsomeoneresemblingthat
category(i.e.,leaderorfollower)
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Socialcategorizationtheory
• Theclassificationofpersonsintogroupsonthe
basisofcommonattributes (Turneretal.,1987)
•
•
•
•
Acognitiveprocess
Dependsuponsocialsituation
Helpsusformimpressionsquickly
Uses pastexperiencestoguidenewinteractions
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InformationprocessingandLeadership
RationalModel
ExpertModel
Information
Processingand
Leadership
Cyberneticmodel
LimitedͲcapacitymodel
Lord&Maher,1991
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LimitedͲcapacitymodel
• Reliesonprinciplesofcognitivesimplification
• Effectiveresponsesinlimitedinformationsituations
dependonschemas
• Effective=Satisfactory
• Mostimpactfulexample:
• Leadershipcategorizationapproach
Lord&Maher,1991
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Leadershipcategorization
• Organizationalmembers,throughsocializationand
pastexperienceswithleadersdevelopILTs
• Cognitivestructuresorprototypesofleadervs.nonͲ
leader
• RecognitionͲbasedprocess
• Onthebasisoftheperceivedmatch
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Leadershipcategorization(2)
Prototypeapproach
Exemplarview
• Perceiverscompare
individual/current
leaderwithanabstract
ideaofaleader
• Perceiverscompare
individual/current
leaderbasedwitha
personmost
representativeofthe
category
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Currentvs.Idealleader
• Subordinatesactivelyengageinthisimplicit
processing(vanQuaquebekeetal.,2011)
• Cognitivelycomparingtheircurrentleaderwiththeir
idealleader
A.K.A.Goodleadershipisintheeyeofthebeholder
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Currentvs.IdealLeader(2)
vanQuaquebekeetal.,2011
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Connectionistperspective
• Leadershipisinherentlydynamicandcomplex
• Explainshowperceptionscanbefluidandcontext
sensitive,yetconsistentandstable(Fotietal.,2008)
• Leadershipcategoriesvarybothwithinand
betweenindividuals
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Romanceofleadership
• Leadershipbestunderstoodasasocialconstruction
• Existsmainlyinthemindoftheperceivers
• LeadersaslargerͲthanͲlife
• Overemphasizedemphasisonheroic,personalqualities
• Implicittheoriessimplifiedourunderstandingof
leadership
• Suchthatwepinpointedthecausalfactorstothe
individual,nottheorganizationorenvironment
(Meindl,1995)
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Romanceofleadership(2)
• Overallyattributecollectiveperformanceto
leadership– especiallywhenaclearsuccessor
failure
• Asuccessfulteamorpoorperformanceassignsof
goodandbadleadership,respectively
(Meindl,1995)
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WhyareILTsrelevant?
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Pleaseimaginealeaderyouwould
describeasaverytypicalleader.
• Understanding
• Sincere
• Helpful
• HardͲWorking
• Pushy
• Dominant
• Manipulative
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• Demanding
• Energetic
• Inspiring
• Enthusiastic
• Intelligent
• Strong
• Bold
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Identifytypesofleaders
• Certainfacialfeaturesmaybethoughttobeindicativeofgoodleadershipora
goodfitforaleadershiprole
• Mightbeseenasmorelegitimatewhenpossessingthesecharacteristics
Olivolaetal.2014
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DistinguishLeadervs.Manager
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WheredoI fitin?
• Ourimageofourselves(Keller,1999)
• Tendtosayprototypicalleadersaresimilartoourself
view
• However,RomanceofLeadershipcancreatelofty,
distantimagesofleadershipͲ>
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