We revere strong and powerful leaders! Their opinions are sought after, they earn steep speaking fees for telling us their stories and we often look to them to help us plumb our own collective values system. But what if different types of leaders influence us to make different choices in our lives just by setting a good or bad example? When organizational behavior professor Charlice Hurst and I stumbled upon the theory behind subclinical psychopathy and evidence that this condition might be more prevalent in the business world than in the general population, we set out to understand why and how this might influence others. As a consumer behavior researcher, I am interested in how cues in the environment (such as advertising, messages, colours) affect consumers' choices. I thought psychopathic leaders might influence consumers to make risky decisions even if the connection isn't noticed by consumers. It is widely known that certain cues can prime behavior (For example, recent research has shown that exposure to the Apple logo makes people think more creatively, an effect of priming). So I started to wonder whether exposure to a leader who was either psychopathic (or not) in their behavior might prime consumers to do (or not do) bad things.
Consumers often look to others to help them make consumption choices. Social influence from family members, friends, co-workers, celebrities and experts are often important determinants of purchase behavior, brand preferences, and attitudes. In the consumer behavior literature, it is well established that consumers are particularly influenced by opinion leaders, market mavens and early adopters who seem to have unique expertise or authority that enhances their credibility. Interestingly, a key characteristic of individuals who exhibit psychopathic tendencies is that they are persuasive, manipulative and charismatic. There are numerous examples in popular culture of powerful and engaging opinion leaders who engage in questionable ethical and social behaviours that could parallel the same types of behaviours characteristic of psychopaths. These individuals are often especially influential on the opinions and behaviours of others. In another stream of our upcoming research, Charlice and I posit that consumers could be influenced through exposure to a leader who shows psychopathic tendencies. This exposure might prime consumers to engage in more impulsive consumption choices and less prosocial or ethical behaviours as a result.
We see examples of leaders in our popular culture all the time. In many instances we work or socialize with these lauded leaders. But some of these leaders cut corners, lack empathy, are ruthless and abusive. These difficult but powerful individuals could be found in both large organizations, small businesses, private and public institutions. If we can find a link between the actions of these individuals and the behavior of those around them who are influenced by them, either directly or indirectly, this could have profound implications for explaining, at least in part, how and why we all engage in questionable and risky consumption behavior.
Dante Pirouz, Assistant Professor, Marketing (Ivey)
Related Blog - Leaders Who Exhibit Psychopathic Characteristics
Related Blog - Are Psychopaths Responsible for the Financial Crisis?