What is charisma? Much of past research focuses on the outcomes of charisma and often within the context of leaders in an organizational setting—e.g., charismatic leaders generate emotions that inspire others to follow them. However, leaders are not the only people in our lives who exhibit charisma, argues a team of researchers from the University […]
Read More… from Charisma beyond Leadership: Influence + Affability
Research on power in organizations often treats power as unidirectional—how subordinates deal with superiors or how superiors deal with subordinates. Two researchers challenge this static, unidirectional perspective with a new theory of power framework built on the concept of a continuum of a sense of power. In their interactions with others, individuals are not always […]
Read More… from The Unique Psychology of Being a Middle Manager
Most attempts at persuasion are met by wary resistance. People are naturally suspicious of the motives of persuaders, ready to believe that persuaders will use devious means to achieve their goal of persuasion. Previous research has focused on linguistic cues—that is, the words that persuaders can use to overcome this natural resistance. However, in their […]
Read More… from Persuading with Pitch, Volume and Non-Verbal Cues
To become successful leaders, individuals must identify as leaders—that is, they must see themselves as legitimate leaders who have earned the right to be leaders. The path to claiming a leadership identity is varied. For example, some people believe that leadership is part of their personalities. They have always considered themselves as leaders of others, […]
Read More… from How Leaders’ Origins Influence Their Roles
The theory of evolution argues that survival depends on adaptation to the environment. Biological, psychological and behavioural characteristics in living things evolve or emerge in an ongoing battle to survive in a changing environment. Through the prism of evolution, leadership emerged because of the social needs of groups—that is, leadership is necessary for groups to […]
Read More… from Inspiring Hero or Humble Diplomat? The Core Functions of a Leader
Women leaders must manage conflicting stereotypical role expectations. Their gender role expectations are centred on what psychologists call communal attributes, such as kindness, empathy and nurturing. At the same time, their leadership role expectations involve agency attributes, such as being aggressive and self-confident. These simultaneous, contradictory expectations often trap women leaders in no-win situations. On […]
Read More… from How Women Leaders Overcome Conflicting Expectations
Women continue to be vastly under-represented at the top levels of business, with recent figures in the U.S. indicating that less than 5% of major corporations CEOs are women, and less than 20% of corporate board directors are women. What accounts for this continuing gender disparity? This question, according to University of Virginia professor and […]
Read More… from Demand vs. Supply: The Future of Women in Top Leadership
Past research has demonstrated that high external performance expectations (e.g., from supervisors, co-workers, clients, family, friends, and the media) can motivate individuals to increase their efforts and be more persistent, leading to higher levels of performance. The source of this motivation is the desire to make a good impression on those who are watching. One […]
Read More… from Setting High Performance Expectations Can Lead to Failure
Previous studies have demonstrated the quality of decisions that emerge from cross-functional teams. Most of these studies focus on the outcome of cross-functional deliberations, but not the deliberation process itself. A study built on the simulation of six cross-functional teams reveals that the type of leader or leaders guiding the deliberations of the team will […]
Read More… from Why Cross-functional Teams Need Strong Leaders
Mentors with extensive entrepreneurial experience can make a significant contribution to the success of new or less experienced entrepreneurs facing the inevitable setbacks of early stage ventures. Many entrepreneurial mentoring relationships, however, rarely reach their full potential. Research from the University of Michigan, INSEAD, and the Entrepreneur Futures Network, based on an extensive survey of […]
Read More… from Growth Mindset, Empathy and Training for Entrepreneurial Mentoring