Cues of leadership are features that signal who is (or who is expected to be) the leader in a specific context. Although their use is widespread, empirical research is scarce, especially for spatial positioning as a sign of leadership. Based on work on spatial biases, we suggest here that the upper-left corner of a page is a spatial position associated with leadership. In the present studies (N = 455), we investigated this hypothesis and showed that a layout with a photograph positioned in the upper-left corner (compared to the upper-right, lower-left, or lower-right corner) led people to infer that the person portrayed in the photograph had a leading (vs. subordinate) role in the organization. Participants also thought that the upper-left corner was the ideal spatial position to convey a leading (vs. subordinate) role in an organization. Implications of these results for symbols of leadership and spatial biases are discussed.

Up-and-left as a spatial cue of leadership / Paladino, Maria Paola; Mazzurega, Mara; Bonfiglioli, Claudia. - In: BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY. - ISSN 0144-6665. - 2017:3(2017), pp. 599-608. [10.1111/bjso.12179]

Up-and-left as a spatial cue of leadership

Paladino, Maria Paola;Mazzurega, Mara;Bonfiglioli, Claudia
2017-01-01

Abstract

Cues of leadership are features that signal who is (or who is expected to be) the leader in a specific context. Although their use is widespread, empirical research is scarce, especially for spatial positioning as a sign of leadership. Based on work on spatial biases, we suggest here that the upper-left corner of a page is a spatial position associated with leadership. In the present studies (N = 455), we investigated this hypothesis and showed that a layout with a photograph positioned in the upper-left corner (compared to the upper-right, lower-left, or lower-right corner) led people to infer that the person portrayed in the photograph had a leading (vs. subordinate) role in the organization. Participants also thought that the upper-left corner was the ideal spatial position to convey a leading (vs. subordinate) role in an organization. Implications of these results for symbols of leadership and spatial biases are discussed.
2017
3
Paladino, Maria Paola; Mazzurega, Mara; Bonfiglioli, Claudia
Up-and-left as a spatial cue of leadership / Paladino, Maria Paola; Mazzurega, Mara; Bonfiglioli, Claudia. - In: BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY. - ISSN 0144-6665. - 2017:3(2017), pp. 599-608. [10.1111/bjso.12179]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11572/174348
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