ABSTRACT
As noted in chapter 1, to understand leadership perceptions it is essential to understand how people process information. Information processing principles are central to understanding the perceptions others hold of leaders, including subordinates’ perceptions of leaders; the nature of leader-subordinate interactions; the use of symbolism and indirect influence by upper-level leaders; and the amount of discretion afforded to leaders. Information processing principles are also important in interpreting the perceptions held by leaders, how these perceptions are related to decision making at both upper and lower levels of organizations, and how strategies are chosen and implemented by upper-level leaders. The purpose of this chapter is to provide the reader with a background of general cognitive processing principles. Subsequent chapters will expand on these principles and show how the model of leadership perception developed in this book differs from traditional work on this topic.
