How does emotional closeness influence perceptions of leadership legitimacy and trustworthiness?
Emotional closeness refers to the level of affection, intimacy, and trust that exists between individuals, particularly those who are in positions of authority such as leaders. This can take many forms, including personal interactions, shared experiences, and mutual respect. Leadership is defined as the ability to guide and direct others towards achieving specific goals, while legitimacy refers to the perception of one's right to lead or govern. Trustworthiness involves building confidence in someone's character, reliability, and honesty through consistent behavior.
The relationship between emotional closeness and perceived leadership legitimacy has been studied extensively in both organizational psychology and political science research.
A study conducted by Liu et al. (2016) found that supervisors who exhibit high levels of warmth and openness toward their subordinates were more likely to be seen as effective leaders. Similarly, a meta-analysis by Yang et al. (2019) revealed that employees who felt emotionally close to their managers were more willing to accept their decisions and follow their direction.
The impact of emotional closeness on perceptions of trustworthiness is less clear. While some studies have suggested that trust is positively associated with emotional closeness (e.g., Eden & Barak, 2017), others have found no significant effect (e.g., Kulych & Yoon, 2020). This suggests that there may be other factors at play, such as competence, integrity, and transparency, which contribute to trustworthiness beyond the level of emotional intimacy.
Researchers have also examined whether emotional closeness affects leader accountability. In a study by Finkelstein and Zuckerman (2015), participants who viewed an authority figure as emotionally distant were more likely to attribute blame for wrongdoing to them than those who saw them as emotionally close. On the other hand, a study by Lee et al. (2018) found that perceived emotional distance did not influence attributions of responsibility for negative outcomes.
While emotional closeness can enhance leadership legitimacy and potentially increase trustworthiness, it appears to be just one factor among many in determining how people judge leaders' effectiveness and credibility. Leaders should strive to build meaningful connections with their followers, but they must also demonstrate competence, integrity, and fairness if they want to earn genuine respect and loyalty.
How does emotional closeness influence perceptions of leadership legitimacy and trustworthiness?
One study found that perceived emotional closeness positively influences leadership legitimacy and trustworthiness (Van Dijke & Van Prooijen, 2014). The researchers hypothesized that leaders who are emotionally close to their followers will be perceived as more effective because they are able to develop strong relationships with them based on mutual understanding, which can enhance loyalty and commitment towards the leader and organization.