TY - JOUR
T1 - Showing leadership by not showing your face: An anonymous leadership effect
AU - GRACE, Diana
AU - Platow, Michael
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - We examined experimentally whether a person unknown to potential followers could be seen as showing leadership. Based on the social identity analyses of leadership, we predicted that would-be leaders pursuing group-oriented goals would be seen as showing leadership to a greater degree when they were anonymous than when they were identified. We predicted this pattern would reverse when would-be leaders pursued personal, self-oriented goals. Support for this hypothesis was found for all but the most highly identified group members. For extremely highly identified group members, a would-be leader's pursuit of group-oriented goals was all that mattered to produce relatively high levels of leadership perceptions. For all other participants, an anonymous, in comparison with an identifiable, group-motivated target was seen as showing relatively high levels of leadership. These data provide support for the social identity analysis of leadership, and help explain otherwise counter-intuitive and naturalistic observations of followership of anonymous leaders.
AB - We examined experimentally whether a person unknown to potential followers could be seen as showing leadership. Based on the social identity analyses of leadership, we predicted that would-be leaders pursuing group-oriented goals would be seen as showing leadership to a greater degree when they were anonymous than when they were identified. We predicted this pattern would reverse when would-be leaders pursued personal, self-oriented goals. Support for this hypothesis was found for all but the most highly identified group members. For extremely highly identified group members, a would-be leader's pursuit of group-oriented goals was all that mattered to produce relatively high levels of leadership perceptions. For all other participants, an anonymous, in comparison with an identifiable, group-motivated target was seen as showing relatively high levels of leadership. These data provide support for the social identity analysis of leadership, and help explain otherwise counter-intuitive and naturalistic observations of followership of anonymous leaders.
KW - Applied psychology
KW - Experimental psychology
KW - Industrial/organizational psychology
KW - Leadership
KW - Management
KW - Organizational behavior
KW - Psychology
KW - Social psychology
KW - Social sciences
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84927750297&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.mendeley.com/research/showing-leadership-not-showing-face-anonymous-leadership-effect
U2 - 10.1177/2158244014567476
DO - 10.1177/2158244014567476
M3 - Article
SN - 2158-2440
VL - 5
SP - 1
EP - 10
JO - Sage Open
JF - Sage Open
IS - 1
ER -