John Vongas presents his research on leadership at the 33rd Annual Conference of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society. – Ithaca College

The Human Behavior and Evolution Society is the worlds premier forum for interdisciplinary research dedicated to the study of behavior. Scientific approaches range from evolutionary psychology to evolutionary anthropology and cultural evolution. For details, seehttps://www.hbes.com/. Here is the abstract:

Homo Empathicus or Dominatus? Evolutionary Mismatch and Male Leadership in Crisis

In recent years, research in organizational psychology has applied an evolutionary lens to explore the mechanisms underpinning leader selection. The evolutionary mismatch hypothesis argues that current industrialized societies are, at times, divorced from the environments in which psychological mechanisms evolved to govern leader-follower interactions. In this theoretical paper, I describe one manifestation of this evolutionary mismatch occurring between the leadership traits deemed essential during our shared Darwinian past and those believed to be effective in the modern workplace. Social dominance and its variants (e.g., aggression) were long considered critical leadership qualities that ensured group survival. Empathy and its variants (e.g., personal distress) were also necessary but for different reasons, most notably to signal solidarity between individuals and to elicit altruism. In contemporary work contexts promoting diversity and inclusion at every turn, these two antithetical qualities are expected to contribute to a paradox for the archetypal male leader role. Striking a balance between agentic and communal behaviors not only promises to be taxing for male leaders, but it may also create confusion among their followers. While much of the leadership research promulgated by social role theorists focuses on female leaders and their struggle to reconcile dominant and empathic behaviors, little attention has been paid to their male cohort now confronted with a behavioral plasticity challenge in its leadership approach. This paper hopes to stimulate novel discussions on optimal leader selection criteria and to question the widely held notion that empathy is a panacea for all ills plaguing modern leadership.

Original post:

John Vongas presents his research on leadership at the 33rd Annual Conference of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society. - Ithaca College