License to fail? How leader group prototypicality moderates the effects of leader performance on perceptions of leadership effectiveness

Abstract

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c tLeadership often serves as an explanatory category for performance outcomes (i.e., failure and success). This process can strengthen or weaken leadership effectiveness, because contingent on their performance leaders may gain or lose follower endorsement -the basis of leadership. Drawing on the social identity analysis of leadership, we hypothesized that leader group prototypicality and performance information interact to predict followers' perceptions of leadership effectiveness. Because group prototypical leaders are more trusted by their followers, we hypothesized that group prototypical leaders are evaluated as more effective after failure information than non-prototypical leaders. In contrast, we predicted that both prototypical and non-prototypical leaders should receive similar evaluations of leadership effectiveness after success. We found support for our predictions in a scenario experiment, a cross-sectional field study, and a laboratory experiment.

Leading groups: Leadership as a group process

“…Thus, leaders are categorized more in terms of whether they are prototypical of the values and norms of the group, and the extent to which they epitomize, preserve, and foster the social identity of the group, and less in terms of whether they match followers' leadership schemas, but only when group-based identification processes are strong. There is already considerable empirical support for the social identity analysis of leadership (e.g., see Giessner, van Knippenberg, & Sleebos, 2009;Haslam & Platow, 2001;Haslam et al, 2011;Hirst, van Dick, & van Knippenberg, 2009;Platow & van Knippenberg, 2001;van Vugt & de Cremer, 1999), and the remaining five papers in this Special Issue contribute to this burgeoning literature in several fundamental ways.…”

Challenges for Police Leadership: Identity, Experience, Legitimacy and Direct Entry

“…Recent developments in leadership theory have begun to provide a different perspective (Giessner et al 2009). Drawing from Social Identity Theory (Tajfel and Turner 1979), research has begun to focus on Bfollowership^and the role of those who follow the leader ).…”

Promoting shared meanings in group memberships: a social identity approach to leadership in sport

“…Further, the authors found the association between challenging goals and performance was significantly moderated by trust in the leader. When taken together with social identity leadership, the results have implications for leadership practice because prototypical leaders are trusted more by group members (Giessner, van Knippenberg, & Sleebos, 2009). Namely, once establishing shared identification and prototypical status, and therefore reciprocal trust, leaders may be equipped to A SOCIAL IDENTITY APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP IN SPORT 14 set challenging targets for group members that will improve performance.…”