Idiosyncrasy Credit

Theoretical Origins

Hollander's ideas originated in theories of leadership and influence that were developed in the aftermath of World War II. Previously, much of this theoretical work had revolved around an appreciation of the “great person”—arguing that those individuals who were able to orchestrate and bring about change were distinguished from others by virtue of their superior character. Within this tradition, research was defined by an almost exclusive focus on leaders themselves.

A key contribution that Hollander made to leadership theory was to challenge the prevailing focus on leaders and throw the analytic spotlight onto followers. If leadership is defined as the process of influencing group members in a way that contributes to the achievement of group goals, then, he argued, the followership of those members should be every bit as important as the actions of leaders. From this perspective, the basis of leadership is seen to lie not in the qualities of the individual leader per se, but rather in the quality of relations between leaders and other group members.

In this way, Hollander advocated a transactional approach to leadership. This approach incorporates principles of interpersonal social exchange, suggesting that effective leadership flows from a maximization of the mutual benefits that leaders and followers afford each other. So, on the one hand, the leader acts in the interests of the group and its members but, on the other hand, the group validates and empowers the leader.

A central notion here is trust, since Hollander argued that before followers are prepared to go out on a limb for their leader, they need first to be confident that the leader is going to act in the group's best interests and take it on an appropriate path. Leaders, Hollander stressed, cannot simply barge into a group and expect its members to embrace them and their new plans immediately. Instead, they must first build up a support base and win the confidence of followers. That is, leaders need to build up credit—to be understood, respected, and trusted—before they can influence followers to move in a new direction. There are two ways in which leaders typically do this: by displaying competence and by conforming to group norms.

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