ABSTRACT
Chapters 1 and 2 argued that leadership can never be properly understood simply through an appreciation and analysis of individual qualities. Rather, it is irrevocably bound up with group processes. If we want to understand the nature of leadership—what makes it possible, what makes it effective, and what are its limits—we need to understand something about group processes in general. The purpose of this chapter is to provide such an understanding. Our perspective is derived from what has, over the last three decades, become the dominant approach to the study of groups in social psychology. This approach has at its heart is one core concept: social identity. Social identity refers to individuals’ sense of internalized group membership. It is a sense of self associated with an awareness that one belongs to a particular social group and that this group membership is important and meaningful. What is most important for present purposes is the fact that it is social identity that allows people both to lead and to be led. This is because social identity—a shared sense of “us”—is central to the social influence that lies at the heart of effective leadership. By explaining how this process operates, this chapter lays down the foundations for a new psychology of leadership that is grounded in an understanding of group psychology.
