Playing Favorites: The Influence of Leaders’ Inner Circle on Group Processes and Performance

Keywords

leadership, group decision making, friendship, inner circle, affect

Abstract

Leaders frequently form stronger relationships with certain subordinates more so than others, creating an inner circle of close friendships and an outer circle of more distant relationships. Three studies examine the effects of inner-circle membership on group dynamics and inter-personal influence in hierarchical teams. Study 1 finds that, compared to outer-circle members, inner-circle members feel safer and participate in the group discussion more, and leaders recognize them as making a greater contribution and allocate a larger bonus to them. Consequently, inner-circle members influence the groups’ decisions more, and team decision quality improves when inner-circle members possess expert knowledge. Study 2 finds that leaders attended to and recalled suggestions from their inner circle more regardless of argument strength, suggesting heuristic information processing. Study 3 replicates these findings using intact teams in a large governmental agency. Implications for leadership and group decision making are discussed

Original Publication Citation

Burris, E. R., Rodgers, M. S., Mannix, E. A., Hendron, M. G., & Oldroyd, J. B. (2009) Playing favorites: The influence of leaders' inner circle on group processes and performance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 35(9):1244-57.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2009

Publisher

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Marketing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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