Election results are instrumental in shaping what people believe ‘ideal’ leadership should look like, according to new research from Durham University Business School, inspiring others to act in the same manner in their leadership roles. But ‘ideal’ is not necessarily the same as good or effective leadership.

The study, undertaken by Olga Epitropaki, Professor of Management at Durham University Business School alongside Theodore Masters-Waage at the University of Houston, Nicolas Bastardoz at KU Leuven, and Jayanth Narayanan of Northeastern University, explores how the events of the 2020 US Presidential Election shaped people’s ideas of what an ‘ideal’ leader should be.

Elections are, the researchers say, widely recognized for their profound impact on societies through policy change and societal impact. Whilst a wealth of research exists on this element, little exploration into the role of elections in shifting people’s perceptions of ‘ideal’ leadership has been conducted.

Perceptions of ‘ideal’ leadership matter as they influence how we view ourselves and others as leaders, and how we exercise leadership.

“Individuals hold their ideas of what makes an ‘ideal’ leader, which we call leadership prototypes,” says Prof Epitropaki. “These prototypes shape how we interact with leaders and can even affect how we see ourselves as leaders. Understanding how and why leadership ideals shift is important as they influence not only how people engage with their leaders in work contexts, but also how leaders themselves behave.”

The 2020 US election provided an ideal test bed due to the polarized styles of both candidates. To gather their evidence, a sample of 200 Republicans, 200 Democrats and 200 Independents were surveyed eight times between October 2020 and Inauguration Day in January 2021. The surveys encouraged respondents to share their perceptions of what characteristics made an ideal leader.

Participants were asked to place value on seven categories of such traits deemed as essential for leaders to possess; charisma, sensitivity, dedication, intelligence and dynamism, as well as less favourable traits like tyranny and masculinity.

Researchers then used this evidence to examine whether the change in political leadership - from Donald Trump to Joe Biden - led to a significant and stable shift in how people viewed ‘ideal’ leadership.

As most supporters of either candidate would reasonably argue their chosen leader held and valued traits such as sensitivity, dedication or intelligence, the study focused particularly on the presence of tyranny and masculinity. Trump, the researchers say, is typically viewed as more tyrannical and masculine than Biden by all. For some, such traits were deemed valuable.

The results revealed that, over the three months covering the lead-up to and aftermath of the US election, there was a notable and persistent shift. The presence of tyranny and masculinity in what was deemed an ‘ideal’ leader diminished. The shift was to favour a more ‘Biden-like’ and less ‘Trump-like’ leadership prototype.

These findings, the researchers say, indicate that the average US concept of what an ‘ideal’ leader is can be shaped by the political environment they’re surrounded by. Importantly, these concepts can undergo dynamic change due to the result of elections.

Interestingly, the study also found that participants’ perception of the 2020 election’s validity played a key role in determining what a leader should be in the eyes of many.

“The widely-covered election of Joe Biden in 2020 led the US public’s average prototype for the ideal leader to become less tyrannical and less masculine. However, this shift was only among those who accepted the election results as valid. These findings underscore that elected leaders not only mirror public perceptions of ideal leadership but also shape those perceptions themselves,” Professor Epitropaki says.

The study “How Elections Shape Perceptions of Ideal Leadership” has been published this month in American Psychologist.