leadership and group decision making lect 2 Flashcards
what is leadership
social influence an indiv asserts over others to structure behaviours and relationships in groups
yperen and vliet
what is hogg and vaughns definition of leadership
getting group members to achieve group goals
good leader theories
great person theory
transformational leaders
leader behaviour theories
contingency theory
what is the great person theory
hogg and vaughn
certain characteristics acquired early in life make for good leaders
traits: intelligent, attractive, talkative, taller, healthier etc
are leadership traits reliable
some leaders do not have these classic traits
stoghill: evidence does not support trait approach as correlation between traits and leadership is low (.3)
what are the big 5 traits
openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, emotional stability
which of the big 5 are the best predictors of leadership
extraversion, openness to experience and conscientiousness
correlation between 5 traits and leadership
judge correlation of .58
traits associated with bad leadership
narcissism, machiavellanism, psychopathy
transformation leaders theory for good leaders
focuses on way leaders transform group goals and actions through charisma
hogg and vaughn
yperen and vliert definition of transformational leaders
person seen by followers as leader with exceptional personal qualities and works to change followers needs and redirect thinking
what are the components of a transformational leader
Bass 1985
-idealised influence (leaders behave admirably)
-inspirational motivation (leaders have a vision they convey)
-intellectually stimulating (stimulate followers to use initiative to solve problems)
-individualised consideration (leaders have personal touch)
why are transformational leaders good
shamir et al
-inspire workforce
-enable workforce to pursue greater good
-give group tasks meaning and focus
dvir 2002
transformational leaders help members identify strongly with group
-idea resonates with social identity theory
what are leader behaviour theories
whether leadership is to do with the leadership style not who they are as a person
lippitt and white leader behaviour research
-after school clubs
-groups set tasks
leaders are confident and lead groups in diff ways:
1.autocratic: leader is results oriented, leader directs followers
2.democratic: leader takes input of group
3.laissez-fair: leader hands off and lets group take control
results of lippitt and white study
autocratic leaders = better performance when leader is present, worse when absent (members depend on leader)
democratic: high performance regardless of leader presence
both outcomes here are dependent on style of leader, not on personality or charisma
group performance research
foels 2000
meta analysis of 19 studies found group performance is function of leadership style
what are the 2 leadership behaviour styles
1 relationship oriented (promotes group relations and harmony
2 task oriented (attainment of goals is important)
what do ohio state researcher claim about the 2 leadership behaviour styles
a person can score highly on both styles
-someone able to do this is an effective leader
sorrento and field: pp rated high on both dimensions are more likely to be selected as leader
what is the contingency theory
leadership effectiveness of behaviours or styles is contingent on leadership situation-some styles better suited to some situations/tasks than others
hogg and vaughn 2018
what did fieldler look into
whether the two leadership styles (relationship and task) suit diff situations best
-used least preferred co worker scale
-leaders assess the subordinate they get on the least well with
-high score indicates relation oriented leaders
-low score indicates task oriented
what are the situational factors according to fiedler
leader member relations
task structure
position of power
these combine to form 8 situations: relationship oriented is most effective when conditions are neither favourable or unfavourable
fiedlers conclusion
leadership is dependent on style and constraints of situation
social identity and leadership
haslam et al 2011
-effective leaders tend to be those that best embody the group prototype (prototypical leaders are most effective)
features of prototypical leaders (haslam)
-embody groups attitudes
-make popular leaders so wield more influence
-invested in group so more likely to behave in group serving ways
-attract attention bc they embody groups prototype
what are group level decisions
biases in decisions that arise from group influence
how do group level decisions arise
stoner: risky shift
-pp must decide one course of action
1. more desirable outcome = more risk
2. less desirable outcome = less risk
-pp decide on own and then placed in groups
-stoner found risky shift = group opted for risky option more after group discussion than on their own
what causes polarisation
persuasive arguments theory
-burnstein and vinokur
-people form opinions on currently available info
-prevailing opinions are expressed more
-polarises each persons own position
how does prevailing views shift position
burstein and vinokur
-2 groups, 3 pp each
-each group has strong views one way or another
-2 groups put together for discussion
-measure sub groups own opinion
-due to other views own opinion is somewhat moderated
-reduced polarisation
why does the polarisation effect occur
-indiv may assume group norm is more extreme than their own view so everyone shifts towards more extreme view to gain social approval
two features of self categorisation
hogg and turner: polarisation due to…
1. assimilation = members polarise towards perceived norm
2. contrast = polarisation to exaggerate diff between out groups
what is polarisation
describes members attitudes becoming more extreme after group discusssion
what is groupthink (janis)
mode of thinking in highly cohesive groups where desire to reach unanimous decision overrides motivation to adopt rational decision making procedures
hogg and vaughn
janis groupthink characteristics
bad decision making
-close knit groups (cohesive)
-expressing alternatives is not possible
-leader favours particular solution
criticism of group think
myers and lamm
groupthink is essentially risky shift
-already risky position shifts to even more extreme position
