High Performers Emerge as Leaders in Small Groups
In large groups, leaders typically rise through majority rule. But, how does a leader emerge from a smaller group? To find out, researchers at the New York University (NYU) Tandon School of Engineering explored small-group dynamics and how those in the group interacted to make decisions.
The researchers formed groups of five volunteer participants; each group participated in a cognitive test of 10 consecutive rounds. In each round, participants were shown a number of dots on a large screen for a half second and then were asked to silently guess the number of dots they saw by selecting an answer from multiple choices. Once each group member made their selection, the screen, which was viewable to all, displayed each participant’s answer along with that person’s past performance in selecting the correct answer. They then had 10 seconds to change their responses based on those of the group.
Rather than changing their response to match the most popular one in the group, participants matched their answer to that of the person with the best performance over time—even if the answer differed from the majority.
“Individuals used social information more and more over time, and the more accurate the information, the more influence it had over participants’ choices,” explains Maurizio Porfiri, professor in the of Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and of biomedical engineering at NYU Tandon. “Therefore, the relationship between participants’ performance and their social influence was reinforced over time, resulting in the emergence of group leaders.”
This research suggests that in small groups, social networks between people evolve over time based on actions rather remaining static.
If you coach groups, have you noticed similar thinking to be true? Share your experiences in the comments.
Lisa Cunningham (USA)
Lisa Cunningham is director of marketing content and communications for ICF. She holds a master’s degree in professional writing with a focus on web content development from Chatham University and a bachelor’s degree in English writing and communication from the University of Pittsburgh.
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