Skip to main content
Kent Academic Repository

Fewer but better: Proportionate size of the group affects evaluation of transgressive leaders

Travaglino, Giovanni A., Abrams, Dominic, Randsley de Moura, Georgina, Yetkili, Orkun (2015) Fewer but better: Proportionate size of the group affects evaluation of transgressive leaders. British Journal of Social Psychology, 55 (2). pp. 318-336. ISSN 0144-6665. E-ISSN 2044-8309. (doi:10.1111/bjso.12125) (KAR id:53611)

Abstract

A group may be badly affected if its leader transgresses important rules. Nonetheless, an emerging body of evidence suggests that in intergroup contexts, group members apply a double standard when judging ingroup leaders – They respond less punitively to transgressions by their leader than by non-leaders. In this article, two experiments investigated how proportionate ingroup size affects reactions to transgressive ingroup leaders. We demonstrate that ingroup leaders from larger, but not smaller, groups benefit from the double standard. The experiments testing the effects of two different types of transgressions (nepotistic favouritism and corruption, respectively) show that transgressive leaders from larger groups are evaluated more positively than both comparable non-leaders and leaders from smaller groups. In contrast, transgressive leaders from smaller groups are evaluated similarly to comparable transgressive non-leaders. Experiment 2 investigated a potential explanation for this phenomenon. Faced with a transgressive leader, members of a smaller group report greater embarrassment than do members of larger groups in relation to the leaders’ actions. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1111/bjso.12125
Uncontrolled keywords: leadership; transgression; proportionate group size; subjective group dynamics
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User: Georgina Randsley de Moura
Date Deposited: 06 Jan 2016 15:53 UTC
Last Modified: 09 Dec 2022 04:59 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/53611 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Travaglino, Giovanni A..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4091-0634
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Abrams, Dominic.

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2113-4572
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Randsley de Moura, Georgina.

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6285-6128
CReDIT Contributor Roles:
  • Depositors only (login required):

Total unique views for this document in KAR since July 2020. For more details click on the image.