Hackman-Johnson 6E.book Page 63 Tuesday, March 12, 2013 12:54 PM

64 Chapter Two

decisive, informed, responsible, dignified, and intelligent (characteristics asso- ciated with the prototypical president) are most likely to get elected. It should be noted that a leader candidate doesn’t have to have all the prototypical char- acteristics to be selected for the role, and that the ideal leader will vary between situations. We have different expectations of a military leader than of a religious one or of a frontline supervisor and the CEO in the same organiza- tion. However, the more a follower identifies with the group, the more impor- tant it is for the leader candidate to fit the group leader prototype.51 (Take a look at box 2.9 to see how the prototypical leader in the United States com- pares to those in other countries.)

Performance outcomes serve as indirect cues for evaluating those in lead- ership roles. Observers make judgments about a leader’s effectiveness based on how well the group performs and on whether or not they believe the leader is responsible for its successes or failures. We generally infer, for example, that the CEO of a highly profitable company is effective due to the success of the corporation and our belief that she or he plays a critical role in the organiza- tion’s high performance.52

In recent years, social psychologists have increasingly focused on how leaders achieve their goals by influencing the ways that followers think of themselves.53 The self-concept is made up of many different self-schemas, which are activated at different times. When you are sitting in class, your stu- dent script is active. If you call your mother on your cell phone after class, your

Box 2.9 National Differences in Leadership Prototypes54

Nation Prototype

United States Free Agent Star—a winner who gets short-term results; sees money as an indi- cator of worth

Latin America General—strong man in charge, keeps order, promotes change, controls

France Genius—smartest one, best exam score, member of intellectual elite, gradu- ate of the best school

United Kingdom Diplomat—big thinker, well-educated, well-traveled, good social skills

Germany Master—most respected by peers, expert in field, has in-depth knowledge

Italy Godfather—holds together conflicting factions, punishes and favors, paternalistic

Holland Marathon Winner—outworks the rest, runs hard, trains well, endures, at head of pack

Poland Baron—protects castle and fiefdom, exercises power for self and close associates

Japan Senior Statesman—older, wiser; from the group; survivor, consensus builder

China

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