Identity, Leadership, and Cooperation: An experimental analysis

32 Pages Posted: 6 Jan 2023

See all articles by Moumita Roy

Moumita Roy

Ahmedabad University

Daniel Houser

Interdisciplinary Center for Economic Science

Date Written: January 6, 2023

Abstract

Effective leaders promote cooperation among their followers. Although many studies have focused on approaches to effective leadership, few have studied how social identity—both the leader’s and the group’s—impacts a leader’s effectiveness. We use a theoretical framework and a novel laboratory experimental design to report data from leader-follower games. In the game, the leader may or may not share a social identity with the rest of the group. Our main finding is that ingroup leaders are more effective than outgroup leaders. In particular, ingroup leaders are more likely to suggest greater cooperation among followers, and their suggestions are more likely to be followed. Furthermore, we find that outgroup leaders are more likely to deviate from their cooperation signals. These findings provide evidence of an important challenge to achieving the well-documented organizational benefits that stem from a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Keywords: C71, C92, D91

JEL Classification: Leadership, Identity, Communication, Cooperation, Laboratory experiment

Suggested Citation

Roy, Moumita and Houser, Daniel, Identity, Leadership, and Cooperation: An experimental analysis (January 6, 2023). GMU Working Paper in Economics No. 23-01, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4319204 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4319204

Moumita Roy (Contact Author)

Ahmedabad University ( email )

Ahmedabad
Gujarat
India

Daniel Houser

Interdisciplinary Center for Economic Science ( email )

5th Floor, Vernon Smith Hall
George Mason University
Arlington, VA 22201
United States
7039934856 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://mason.gmu.edu/~dhouser/

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