Consequences of differential attention: the impact of leader gaze on status and team performance.

Abstract

Status within a group can be quickly achieved. Research has shown, for instance, that individual traits such as race, gender, or expertise influence individuals’ status and their team’s early interactions. The current research digs into the micro-behaviors of these early interactions by investigating the potent impact of a team leader’s nonverbal behavior (e.g., unequal visual attention) on the status hierarchy within small groups. In Study 1, individuals who received more of a leader’s visual attention were more likely to influence group decisions than individuals who received less of a leader’s visual attention, and groups that received this unequal visual attention performed worse than groups that received equal attention. Study 2 investigated whether the effects of a leader’s visual attention were due simply to the attention itself or whether it depended on the leader’s status. The results supported the latter hypothesis, as attention transferred status: more attention from a high-status leader increased a person’s status but more attention from a low-status leader decreased it.