Shared values boost leadership effectiveness

The new leadership psychology proposed by social psychologists like Reicher et al. (2007) holds that understanding the values and opinions of followers is a key to effective leadership [See: Image 7: The new psychology of leadership]. Leaders enhance effectiveness by interacting with followers to determine the group’s identity, purpose, and actions. Leadership does not require any fixed personality traits; the followers determine what leadership traits should emerge in the leader. This is because the leaders depend on follower cooperation and support. Rather than being a top-down process, leaders gain credibility by being among the followers. This does not mean that the leader must be a chameleon, but the leader must help define and shape the group’s identity and ends.

When fit and influence are the results of a natural process, the new leadership psychology helps illuminate the processes behind successful leadership. However, when leaders use their knowledge of the new psychology to create the illusion of fit, they may feed the ambivalence toward leadership that seems to flourish in contemporary society. Modern society has developed ambivalence toward leaders. Rather than celebrating leadership, modern society attempts to inoculate itself against the influence of leadership to avoid the Hitlers, Lenins, and Mussolini's (Aronson, 2008).

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