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In the eye of a leader: eye-directed gazing shapes perceptions of leaders’ charisma

Maran, T.; Furtner, M.; Liegl, S.; Kraus, S.; Sachse, P.

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Authors

T. Maran

M. Furtner

S. Liegl

S. Kraus

P. Sachse



Abstract

Charismatic leadership improves organizational performance. Charisma itself can be defined as a repertoire of behaviors designed to communicate, however its constituents remain elusive. We hypothesized leaders' eye-directed gaze to be one such behavior, and therefore linked to their charisma. Using eye-tracking, we monitored gaze during a simulated leadership scenario, in which subjects attempted to influence followers towards a common goal. In two studies, we found subjects' impressions of their own charisma to predict the frequency and duration of gaze directed at their followers' eyes. In addition, longer and more frequent eye-directed gazing led leaders to appear both more charismatic and prototypical of their position in the eyes of their audience. Our findings provide first evidence that leaders' gazing towards the eyes of an audience is linked to their charisma. By investigating a leader's charisma through the lens of the signaling approach, we offer insight into the behaviors constituting charismatic leadership.

Citation

Maran, T., Furtner, M., Liegl, S., Kraus, S., & Sachse, P. (2019). In the eye of a leader: eye-directed gazing shapes perceptions of leaders’ charisma. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(6), Article 101337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2019.101337

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Sep 26, 2019
Online Publication Date Oct 31, 2019
Publication Date Dec 31, 2019
Deposit Date Oct 2, 2019
Publicly Available Date May 1, 2021
Journal Leadership Quarterly
Print ISSN 1048-9843
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 30
Issue 6
Article Number 101337
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2019.101337
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1284651

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