The evolutionary psychology of leadership

2013/07/05 by Mark van Vugt, Richard Ronay · 2 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior #Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation #Cultural Differences and Values

paper · doi:10.1177/2041386613493635

openalex publication_date 2013/07/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

Evolutionary leadership theory (ELT) argues that humans possess specialized psychological mechanisms for solving coordination problems through leadership and followership. We discuss the evolutionary functions and psychological processes underlying leadership, and how to study leadership and followership from an integrated evolutionary perspective. An evolutionary perspective offers novel insights into major barriers to leadership effectiveness in organizations. These obstacles include (a) mismatches between modern and ancestral environments, (b) evolved cognitive biases affecting leader selection and decision-making and (c) innate psychological mechanisms designed to dominate and exploit other individuals. Understanding the evolved psychological mechanisms underlying leadership, in terms of adaptive functions, mismatches, and psychological processes, is critical for the development and integration of leadership theory, research, and practice.

Citations

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• Evolutionary psychology [wikipedia]