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Leadership as an Emergent Feature in Social Organizations: Insights from A Laboratory Simulation Experiment

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  • Luis Curral
  • Pedro Marques-Quinteiro
  • Catarina Gomes
  • Pedro G Lind

Abstract

Recent theoretical contributions have suggested a theory of leadership that is grounded in complexity theory, hence regarding leadership as a complex process (i.e., nonlinear; emergent). This article tests if complexity leadership theory promotes efficiency in work groups. 40 groups of five participants each had to complete four decision making tasks using the city simulation game SimCity4. Before engaging in the four decision making tasks, participants received information regarding what sort of leadership behaviors were more adequate to help them perform better. Results suggest that if complexity leadership theory is applied, groups can achieve higher efficiency over time, when compared with other groups where complexity leadership is not applied. This study goes beyond traditional views of leadership as a centralized form of control, and presents new evidence suggesting that leadership is a collective and emergent phenomenon, anchored in simple rules of behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Luis Curral & Pedro Marques-Quinteiro & Catarina Gomes & Pedro G Lind, 2016. "Leadership as an Emergent Feature in Social Organizations: Insights from A Laboratory Simulation Experiment," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(12), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0166697
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166697
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Francesco Pugliese & Alberto Acerbi & Davide Marocco, 2015. "Emergence of Leadership in a Group of Autonomous Robots," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(9), pages 1-21, September.
    2. Traci A. Carte & Laku Chidambaram & Aaron Becker, 2006. "Emergent Leadership in Self-Managed Virtual Teams," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 323-343, July.
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