Modeling and Leading by Example

What is Modeling?

Albert Bandura (b. 1925), the father of social cognitive (formerly social learning) theory, defined modeling as the acquisition (or modification) of a complex behavior pattern through observing another. Bandura explains that modeling, or learning from example, involves the adaptation and generalization of an observed behavior pattern to new situations. It is not imitation, in which people copy the exact behavior they have seen others use. For instance, suppose a supervisor responds to a problem brought by an employee by asking, “What do you think should be done?” In imitation, the employee would later use those words when someone asks for a solution to a problem; in modeling, the employee would adapt and widely generalize that pattern of helping others take initiative in finding their own solutions and making their own decisions.

Bandura emphasized the importance of the observer's thinking processes, or cognitions (for example, the observer's values, goals, perceptions, and expectations) in modeling and other learning. Modeling is not a passive process, in which another's behavior imprints on the brain of an observer; rather, it is a form of vicarious learning, in which people have some influence (or choice) in what they learn from another's experiences. In the example above, if the employee feels valued and appreciates being asked for an opinion, he or she is more likely to model the behavior. If, however, the experience is unpleasant—for example, because it makes the employee feel put on the spot—then the employee is less likely to model it, unless he or she wishes to put someone else on the spot. But in any case, the employee's perceptions, goals, motivation, and expectations have influenced what was learned from the supervisor's behavior.

As for the question of who acts as a model, field and laboratory experiments reveal that observers pay attention to others who are higher in status, powerful, admired, or seen as similar; they are likely to model behaviors for which the model had been reinforced or which brought consequences to the model that they valued for themselves. For example, in organizations leaders who are perceived as having more access to organizational rewards are more likely to be modeled than less resourced leaders.

The Four Steps in Modeling

The first step in modeling is paying attention to the model. It is not enough that the leader should behave in a certain way; many things compete for human attention at any given moment, and the observer's attention must be both available and motivated. For instance, people with attention difficulties either because of temporary distraction or because of cognitive styles may observe a model but have trouble learning from observation alone.

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