Many scholars believe leadership to be associated with certain and specific characteristics or traits that are unique to individuals who become leaders (Northouse, 2019, p. 21). This methodology considers that leadership is an innate component of the self, which only some people are capable. As introduced by Northouse (2019), in Smith and Foti (1998) researchers found that individuals exhibiting traits such as dominance, (perceived or actual) intelligence, and self-confidence “were more likely to be identified as leaders by other members of their task group” (p. 8). This often results in Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE) as studied by Lee and Fiore (2020) whereby the public and individual attribute his success to the individual and form a causal relationship, ignoring other circumstantial factors. Using a real-world example under the pseudonym “Chef X”* we will explore the traits that are often attributed to such leaders and the resulting Fundamental Attribution Error.
Chef-X is a Chef-Restauranteur. He is self-possessed and has an engaging persona with an entrepreneurial zeal that initially encourages people to lend support to his business. He is a talented and creative chef, and he commands his kitchen with intense drive. He is extraverted and persistent (Northouse, 2019, p. 22) and his restaurant starts to attract the type of media attention that provides notoriety. Success may look different depending on one’s field or specialty, but in the case of chefs, large-scale success almost always comes with a dose of celebrity. Chef-X becomes an eponymous brand and creates new restaurants by soliciting investors on the weight of his name, thus his prior success. He is the de facto leader of his organization and success is attributed to him, despite the hundreds of employees that support the business.
Is Chef-X actually a leader or is the attribution of success misplaced? In Lee and Fiore (2020) a study by Kunda (1999) “describes human tendency to over-identify the impact of a leader’s actions with a group’s success” (p. 4). In this real-world example, Chef-X demonstrated many of the traits associated with leadership: extraversion, vigorousness in pursuit of his goals, dominance, masculinity, and decisiveness (Northouse, 2019, p. 26) and Chef-X is the eponymous face of the company. This perception, based on traits alone, ignores the reality of working for Chef-X and his business, and thus creates a Fundamental Attribution Error (Lee and Fiore, 2020). Based on personal experiences, Chef-X’s extraversion was deeply coupled with a counterproductive, or “dark side” trait: narcissism (PSU WC, 2021, L.2) that likely was not apparent at the outset of his career, nor necessarily to investors in his business. It would be imprudent to cite a specific example since that could lead to identification, however his dark side traits eventually interfered greatly with continued success.
Absent a scholarly consensus on what leadership is or means in a specific situation, Northouse (2019) defines leadership as “a process by which an individual influences a group … to achieve a common goal” (p. 3). Chef-X was able to influence multiple groups of people, from his employees to investors, all who latched onto his extraversion and initial success. Using traits to primarily define leadership often leads to an FAE, as shown here, and negates the circumstantial factors that contribute to success and/or mask problems with leaders.
Lee, L. W., & Fiore, R. A. (2020). Measuring Levels of Fundamental Attribution Error Ascribed to Leadership of Entrepreneurial Organizations across National Cultures. Journal of Business Strategies, 37(1), 1–28.
Northouse, P. G. (2019). Introduction. In Leadership: Theory and Practice (pp. 1–33). Sage Publishing.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2021). PSYCH 485 Lesson 2: Trait Approach. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2132629/modules/items/32790516
*Chef-X is a pseudonym for a real celebrity chef. All names and identifying details have been changed for the purpose of this essay.
Hi Leslie,
Thank you for your thoughtful reply.
No, Lee & Fiore (2020) do not directly reference Stogdill and trait approach, although they do reference other ground breaking work including: “The present paper builds on Kunda, and
Kahneman’s et al, Nobel Prize work in behavioral psychology” (Lee & Fiore, 2020, p.5).
If I had the chance to trace back every study referenced, I’m sure we would hit Stogdill somewhere in that line.
Hello –
This post is an interesting take on the drawbacks of the trait approach. The Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE) that you mention in the post, which results from inaccurately attributing success to a leader without consideration for the surrounding circumstances, sounds very similar to Stogdill’s criticism of the trait approach as noted by Northouse (2018) in which they highlight that the consideration of “situational factors” is missed in the trait approach (p. 31).
“As Stogdill (1948) pointed out more than 60 years ago, it is difficult to isolate a set of traits that are characteristic of leaders without also factoring situational effects into the equation. People who possess certain traits that make them leaders in one situation may not be leaders in another situation. Some people may have the traits that help them emerge as leaders but not the traits that allow them to maintain their leadership over time. In other words, the situation influences leadership. It is therefore difficult to identify a universal set of leadership traits in isolation from the context in which the leadership occurs” (Northouse, 2018, p. 31).
Since the criticisms seem so similar, I do have a question. Do Lee & Fiore (2020) reference Stogdill’s criticism in their development of the FAE paper you reference? I would wonder if they are related.
Thank you for sharing this interesting perspective & read.
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References:
Lee, L. W., & Fiore, R. A. (2020). Measuring Levels of Fundamental Attribution Error Ascribed to Leadership of Entrepreneurial Organizations across National Cultures. Journal of Business Strategies, 37(1), 1–28.
Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and Practice (8th Edition). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US). https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781506362298