Extroverted and Introverted Leaders

Research into leadership development highlights that there is one key factor that differentiates leaders from others, and that is self-awareness. Many a debutant leader will therefore find themselves on a leadership development course with the results of an “auto diagnostic” tool such as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator® or equivalent. Amongst other things, the participant will learn that he or she is an “introvert” or an “extrovert”. This is very useful information to increase self-awareness, but beyond that what does it mean in terms of leadership per se?

Much has been written on this subject and there is quite often an accent on the development of introverted leaders to become more extroverted (e.g. public speaking, etc.); but I recently came across an interesting study in a book by Cain: “Quiet – the power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking”, 2012, Crown. Cain cites Wharton Professor, Adam Grant who launched studies to test his hypothesis that extroverted leaders enhance group performance when employees are passive, but that introverted leaders are more effective with proactive employees.

Here’s a synthesis of those studies along with further implications (“et alors?”)

Extroverted and Introverted Leaders

Two principle studies were conducted: 1. With a major pizza chain where the leadership style of the store manager was compared with weekly profits; and 2. Where teams competed with a menial task, but with two actors “planted” in each team to behave proactively or passively.

Extrovert Leadership

For the pizza chain study, extroverts achieved 16% higher profits – but only when “the employees were passive types who tended to do their job without exercising initiative”.

When the actors were instructed to act passively (which influenced the team’s behaviour), extravert leaders outperformed introvert-led teams by 22%

Introvert Leadership

For the pizza chain study, when introverted leaders worked with employees who actively tried to improve work procedures, their stores outperformed those led by extroverts by 14% higher profits.

When the actors were instructed to act proactively and suggest alternative processes to the leader, introvert leaders outperformed extrovert-led teams by 24%

Et alors?

In order to maximise results the key seems to be either matching or adapting leadership behaviour to that of the followers. In general, Grant concludes that introverted leaders might wish to continue what they are doing, i.e. encouraging employees to take initiative. In particular, in order to take advantage of opportunities in a fast-changing world, organisations will have to rely more on employees who are capable of taking initiative and who therefore might be better led by introverts rather than extraverts. For extraverts in general, Grant suggests that “they may wish to adopt a more reserved, quiet style”: it is important for companies to groom listeners as well as talkers for leadership roles!

The setting for Cain’s book and Grant’s studies was America. The central “lament” of Cain’s book is that the USA has been moving progressively from a culture of “character” (reserved and dignified) to one of “personality” (talkative and gregarious). The book therefore proposes rebalancing an essentially extravert society with the virtues of introverted behaviours. In Europe however, the challenge is slightly different: many countries and cultures are primarily introverted. Referencing McCrae’s work, 2005 (c.f. personality world map), in such introverted cultures, there is actually more chance that the rare extrovert takes the lead.

For leadership development this can pose a slightly different challenge: in cultures which are used to a rare extrovert taking the lead, best performance might be achieved with passive followers! McCrae has postulated that this might suit an “authoritarian” culture with power being concentrated amongst the few (extravert) leaders. This might work well for maintaining stable and conservative systems or organisations; however it might not work as well for promoting innovation, seizing opportunities and staying ahead of the competition in the ever-changing world! European organisations therefore might do well to promote the development of leaders from their large pool of introverts so that they, in turn, can encourage pro-activity and innovation to better help the organisation approach the future!