The leader-member exchange (LMX) theory emphasises the relationship between leaders and subordinates at the workplace, suggesting that leaders quickly create in and out-groups with certain...Show moreThe leader-member exchange (LMX) theory emphasises the relationship between leaders and subordinates at the workplace, suggesting that leaders quickly create in and out-groups with certain subordinates which can lead to in-group bias, the act of favouritism of members of your in-group compared to members of an out group. An in-group is a social group which an individual identifies with, whilst an out-group is consequently the dissimilarity to an in-group. It has also been found that people who score highly on the Dark Triad are likely to hold leadership positions. The Dark Triad is a psychological theory of personality illustrating three dark personality types consisting of malicious qualities: Machiavellianism, sub-clinical narcissism and sub-clinical psychopathy. With leaders scoring highly on the Dark Triad and the plausibility of in-group bias occurring in organisations, it is important to investigate whether the Dark Triad influences in-group bias to remove in-group bias from a leader and organisation and cease LMX from forming. Therefore, this paper examines whether in-group bias is present using the dictator game and whether the Dark Triad (both traits individually and as a whole) accentuates in-group bias. First-year psychology students from Leiden University (n = 75) participated in a dictator game to measure in-group bias, before completing the SD3 questionnaire to measure levels of the Dark Triad. Three hypotheses were made: firstly, dictators will allocate a higher endowment to in-group recipients compared to out-group recipients. Secondly, participants scoring highly on either Machiavellianism, narcissism, or both will have a higher in-group bias. Thirdly, participants scoring highly on the Dark Triad as a whole will demonstrate higher in-group bias. Results indicate in-group bias, however, no significant results were found in the relationship between the Dark Triad and in-group bias. This is the first paper to directly investigate the relationship between the Dark Triad and in-group bias with many limitations obstructing the accuracy and generalisability of the results. Therefore, this study lays the groundwork for future research in investigating this relationship.Show less
The concepts of inclusion and teleworking are both extensively researched, but studies linking the two are missing. This thesis investigates how leadership affects the feeling of inclusion among...Show moreThe concepts of inclusion and teleworking are both extensively researched, but studies linking the two are missing. This thesis investigates how leadership affects the feeling of inclusion among teleworking civil servants. It finds that, contrary to expectation, teleworking does not have a universal negative impact on feelings of inclusion, but that there are both positives and negatives with very different implications for each individual. Furthermore, both inclusive and authentic leadership styles prove to be effective in improving feelings of inclusion among civil servants working from home.Show less
The concepts of Class and leadership have been lately neglected in the study of Social Movements. This thesis surveys the theoretical reasons to bring these two back to analyze the Lebanese October...Show moreThe concepts of Class and leadership have been lately neglected in the study of Social Movements. This thesis surveys the theoretical reasons to bring these two back to analyze the Lebanese October Revolution of 2019 (LOR). Using semi-structured interviews with relevant activists of the movement, this thesis concludes that LOR's leadership is better understood as a collective, horizontal action composed by individuals with very high cultural and social capitals but more heterogeneous economic capital.Show less
This thesis presents Mikhail Saakashvili as a case study into charismatic authority, aimed to get a better understanding of the charismatic bond between Saakashvili and his followers. This thesis...Show moreThis thesis presents Mikhail Saakashvili as a case study into charismatic authority, aimed to get a better understanding of the charismatic bond between Saakashvili and his followers. This thesis is a qualitative research and for a large part based on oral sources. In this study new scientific approaches in the field of leadership studies are explored. This thesis argues that the Rose Revolution saw the revelation of Saakashvili as a charismatic leader. Saakashvili was able to create the notion of a strong leader by giving inspiring speeches and skilfully using the media. Furthermore, this thesis argues that Saakashvili’s charisma was for a large part build upon symbolism and mysticism. Finally, this thesis will argue that the government’s response to the massive protests in 2007 and the Russo-Georgian war in 2008 negatively affected Saakashvili’s charismatic appeal.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
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Hong Kong, a former British colony and now Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, has a long standing tradition of well networked political protest. Particularly the pro...Show moreHong Kong, a former British colony and now Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, has a long standing tradition of well networked political protest. Particularly the pro-democracy movement had gathered wide ranging public support in the years following the 1997 handover. In recent years this movement and the spectrum of the political opposition split and diversified. This thesis argues that the responsibilities and the question of leadership in the activist network of Hong Kong are contested and that existing hierarchies complicate protest action. This became particularly visible during the 2014 'Umbrella Movement'. Based on this example this thesis takes on the question whether contemporary pluralist networks can overcome power hierarchies. Through an analysis of original interviews with activists from the 'Umbrella Movement' the contesting narratives of leadership in the movement are explored and mapped. This helps to understand how the activists position others and themselves within a broader network, and shows how existing hierarchies affect the image of leadership in the network. The analysis also highlights other factors that influence the activists' understanding of power. Eventually it is shown that a number of leaders existed in the movement, which processes were perceived as complication for equal participation opportunities for all activists, and that hierarchies were neither absent nor static.Show less
This thesis provides one of the first analysis of the roles of the two most recent secretaries general of NATO (who finished their terms) in shaping the alliance policy on two major crisis affairs;...Show moreThis thesis provides one of the first analysis of the roles of the two most recent secretaries general of NATO (who finished their terms) in shaping the alliance policy on two major crisis affairs; Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on the mission in Afghanistan (ISAF) and Anders Fogh Rasmussen on the operation in Libya (Operation Unified Protector). Much has been written on NATO’s actions and decisions towards Afghanistan, but no specific research is available on de Hoop Scheffer’s leadership during the decisive period for NATO in Afghanistan, since command of the mission was turned over indefinitely to NATO on August 11, 2003. The same can be said for Rasmussen’s leadership during ISAF and NATO’s operation in Libya. The research question is: To what extent do NATO’s secretaries general shape alliance policy on crisis situations? This research question is answered through a case study research method on both de Hoop Scheffer’s and Rasmussen’s role in shaping NATO policy on two major crises situations during their term in office: Afghanistan and Libya. Both case studies consist of an analysis in three categories: systematic, organizational and personality factors.Show less
In order to investigate the influence of voice pitch and facial dominance on voting behaviour and leadership perceptions, an experiment including 180 Dutch adults was conducted containing a 2*3...Show moreIn order to investigate the influence of voice pitch and facial dominance on voting behaviour and leadership perceptions, an experiment including 180 Dutch adults was conducted containing a 2*3 factorial design. The participants were exposed to a normal and manipulated picture of Jan-peter Balkenende, the former Dutch prime-minister. Respondents were also exposed to a manipulated version of his voice in which the voice pitch had been lowered by 20 herz. The respondents seemed unaware of the picture and voice pitch manipulations as the respondents exposed to the manipulations noted to be just as familiar with the person displayed on the picture as respondents in the control group. However, the manipulations did not have the effect that was expected based on previous studies, the experiment largely showed the subtle nature of these effects on leadership perceptions and voting behaviour. The findings in this study indicate the limited influence of voice pitch and facial dominance on voting behaviour and perceptions of a well known leader's dominance, honesty and power.Show less
The transformation of our economy from an industrial into a knowledge economy changed every aspect of business dynamics and competitive advantage. Workplace climate and leadership exert a major...Show moreThe transformation of our economy from an industrial into a knowledge economy changed every aspect of business dynamics and competitive advantage. Workplace climate and leadership exert a major influence in fomenting an environment that fosters reflective skills and workplace learning, key factors for knowledge productivity and competitive advantage to take place. The present thesis examines the relationship between workplace climate and workplace leaning and investigates the predictive power of leadership with regards to reflective skills. The research consisted of a comparative study of two organizations’ workplace climate and workplace learning (Company A, N= 32; Company B, N=34), measured with the “Workplace Climate Questionnaire” and the “Knowledge Productivity Survey”, respectively. Our empirical results show that workplace climate and workplace learning are indeed related; however our expectation of confirming that leadership exerts an influence on reflective skills was not supported. These findings may suggest that, in the current economic context outlined by the latest global economic crisis featured by downsizing, leadership may not be the prevailing influencing factor with regards to reflective skills and workplace learning, but other workplace climate features such as workload. This cue indicates that this subject matter may have evolved since the advent of the knowledge economy and new variables come into play. We recommend the replication of this study with knowledge intensive organizations and with a larger sample composed by respondents being knowledge workers in order to verify the current results, and also suggest conducting it adopting workload as independent variable in order to investigate this new hypothesis.Show less
This study examines the probable causes of different leaders’ responses to political intolerance in Dutch democracy. In comparing two Dutch Prime Ministers in similar settings, who show different...Show moreThis study examines the probable causes of different leaders’ responses to political intolerance in Dutch democracy. In comparing two Dutch Prime Ministers in similar settings, who show different responses to increasing intolerance in society, this study attempts to explain their contrasting attitudes by their personal traits. Both the political tolerance and the leadership style scholars’ results are used as a basis, since both type of scholars use personality traits in trying to predict leaders’ attitudes or political intolerance. This study states as many other studies that most personality traits do not explain contrasting leadership responses to intolerance, while self-esteem does. Thus, when political parties want to create a more tolerant society, and therefore want to select a more tolerant political leader, the leaders’ self-esteem is most important.Show less
