Charismatic Stories as a Basis for Leader Development Logan M. Steele University of Oklahoma Logan L. Watts University of Oklahoma Michael D. Mumford University of Oklahoma ABSTRACT This study employed a 2x2x2 experimental design to investigate the use of stories as a means for developing leadership potential. Undergraduates in psychology (N = 206) read stories of charismatic leadership and responded to questions designed to induce active processing. Participants that analyzed both story events and the causes of events formulated stronger vision statements. INTRODUCTION Stories are commonly used in leadership development programs based on the assumption that these stories ultimately contribute to leader performance (Danzig, 1999; Danzig & Harris, 1996). However, few empirical studies have tested this assumption. Leader Vision & Knowledge Formulating and communicating vision is an important leader skill (Bass, 2008; Yukl, 2011). Case-based, or experiential, knowledge contributes to leader vision formation (Strange & Mumford, 2002, 2005). Stories and Knowledge Case-based knowledge can come from many sources, including personal experience, case studies, and observation of others (Kolodner, 1997). Stories represent perhaps the oldest delivery mechanism for transferring knowledge between individuals (Ann & Carr, 2011; Cox, 2011). Active Processing Acquisition of case-based knowledge from stories likely depends upon active processing (Bell & Kozlowski, 2008). Stories contain chains of causes and experiences embedded in a socio-emotional context (Reiser et al., 1985). Asking people to actively think about causes, experiences, and affect appearing in stories may aid in the acquisition of case-based knowledge. METHOD Participants N = 206 Undergraduates in psychology Recruited from university subject pool Gender = 56% women Average age = 19 Procedures 1.Timed covariates 2.Read stories + answer probes (manipulations) 3.Criterion task 4.Untimed covariates Covariates Timed: Intelligence, divergent thinking, task expertise Untimed: Need for cognition, learning goals, openness Stories Stories of middle-managers in business settings Source: Scenes from Corporate Life (Shorris, 1981) 1 to 3 pages in length Selected 6 stories of charismatic leaders based on ratings Controls: Mostly negative outcomes, ambiguous leader power orientation, all male protagonists Manipulations: Probe Questions HYPOTHESES 1.Active processing of stories  stronger vision formation 2.Active processing of stories in one domain  stronger vision formation in another domain 3.Analyzing causes in stories  stronger vision formation 4.Analyzing protagonist experiences in stories  stronger vision formation 5.Analyzing affect in stories  stronger vision formation RESULTS Experiences “What positive experiences did [the protagonist] have in the story?” Causes “What elements of the situation were within [the protagonist’s] control?” Affect “What negative emotions appeared in the story?” Control “Please provide a summary of the story you just read.” Criterion Task Educational leadership scenario Assume the role of principal for secondary school Read background information about the school Develop a plan and speech Dependent Variables Ratings of plans and speeches Plan: Quality, originality, & elegance Speech: Utility & affective impact Trained 3 judges to apply benchmark rating scales r wg =.73 to.77 DISCUSSION Summary of Findings H1: Mixed support Active processing of charismatic leadership stories  sometimes helps, sometimes hurts; depends on what information is attended to H2: Supported Processing stories in business domain  performance in education domain H3: Supported Analyzing causes in charismatic stories contributed to the development of more elegant plans H4: Not supported Analyzing the protagonist’s experiences in the charismatic stories had no effect on participants’ plans or speeches H5: Mixed support Analyzing affective the affect presented in charismatic stories was detrimental to the plans participants developed However, these participants tended to write speeches with the strongest affective impact Limitations Undergraduate sample Limitations of stories used Drawn from a single source Charismatic leadership style only Written format only Probe questions were limited and fixed Domains of stories and criterion task were fixed Conclusions People appear to learn from charismatic leadership stories Active processing of leader stories appears to aid the acquisition of case-based knowledge relevant to vision formation This knowledge appears to transfer across domains What people focus on when reading stories is important Results have implications for the use of stories in leadership development programs Future Research Investigate alternative story delivery methods Reading (e.g., written text) vs. listening (e.g., audio) vs. watching (e.g., television) vs. writing Explore alternative leader types Pragmatic, ideological, personalized vs. socialized, etc. Manipulate alternative analysis probes Resources, constraints, systems, time frame orientation, number and nature of outcomes sought, targets of influence, etc. Examine alternative types of complex leader performance Forecasting, scanning, backup planning, etc. * * *