Morality as a Fundamental Dimension in Leader’s Evaluation and Endorsement

This research examines the effect of moral (vs. competent) leadership on followers' evaluations of the leader and their intentions to reconfirm them in the future. The literature demonstrates that the moral dimension is fundamental in the evaluation of oneself and of others, in the regulation of current and future behaviours. However, the importance of morality in the evaluation (and endorsement) of leadership by followers has never been investigated. The results of two experimental studies confirm the main role of the morality in the evaluation and effectiveness of leadership. In Study 1 ( N = 150) a moral failure (versus a failure of competence) of the leader produced the negative evaluations of the followers and consequently less future endorsement. This effect was mediated by the lowest perception of prototypicality of the leader and the reputational threat to the group. A confirmation of this pattern emerged in Study 2 (N = 150), in which we presented participants with an incongruous situation where the leader failed morally, but had a success in the competence (versus had a moral success, but failed in the competence). These incongruent conditions have shown that even if the leader turned out to be competent, the moral failure led the followers to express more negative evaluations and to express a smaller endorsement. Even here the results were mediated by the low perception of prototypicality and the reputational threat. These results are discussed in the light of the social identity approach, and contribute to the understanding of the leader-followers dynamics within social groups.