Is it normal to lead? Evaluating the role of superiority and similarity in leader emergence

Abstract

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IntroductionAttempts to explain the leader emergence process have resulted in several seemingly contradictory assertions about who attains power and influence in groups. As such, this study pioneers a novel integration of the two dominant explanations of leader emergence: superiority (trait-based perspective) and similarity (social identity perspective). We posit that the two primary aspects of non-normality—uniqueness and strangeness—have opposing relationships with leader emergence in groups.MethodologyThrough multiple regression analyses, we utilized peer and self-evaluations in a sample of 308 participants in seven social organizations to assess whether and how non-normality evaluations predict formal and informal leadership emergence.ResultsThis study provides general support for a relationship between the non-normality dimensions and leader emergence, particularly when evaluations are made by peers. Additionally, we demonstrate that non-normality evaluations predict leader emergence above and beyond evaluations of the Big Five.DiscussionThis research lays the groundwork for a new era in leadership research that embraces the duality of individual traits and social perceptions, paving the way for a more nuanced and effective approach to leader emergence within dynamic group settings.

Keywords

• personality
• leader emergence
• normality
• leader categorization theory
• social identity theory
• social influence