The self-perception of introverts as leaders and perceived barriers to leadership roles

Introversion and extroversion are personality traits that define individuals' preferences for social interaction and energy sources. Introverts tend to be more reserved, drawing energy from solitary activities, and often display reflective thinking. Extroverts, on the other hand, are known to thrive in social settings, gaining energy from interaction, and typically exhibit outgoing and expressive behaviour (Gila et al., 2014).

Leadership ideals in the global North often lean towards extroversion due to cultural norms and historical context and extroverted traits such as assertiveness and charisma align with prevailing Western notions of success and dominance. However, such emphasis can side-line introverted leaders who bring valuable qualities such as reflective thinking and active listening. Studies highlight how such stereotypes lead introverts to perceive leadership roles as incompatible with their personalities, thus deterring them from applying (Judge et al., 2002).

Self-identifying introverted individuals do so for a number of reasons: They may have carried out online tests, such as the Myers Briggs test, they may identify with other self-declared introverts, or they may have been identified as introverted throughout their study/employment trajectory (Stephens-Craig et al., 2015). Self-perceived introverts may undervalue their unique attributes, feeling ill-equipped to meet extroverted expectations, a perception that may profoundly affect their disposition in relation to self-esteem, optimism and perceived efficacy (Spark et al., 2021). As Barnes et al, argue, these self-doubts can undermine their confidence and discourage them from pursuing leadership roles (Barnes et al., 2022). In addition, line managers can exhibit bias, when identifying future leaders for their organisations (Lanaj et al., 2015).

Key research questions

This project adopts a case study approach in an HEI setting at The Open University UK, to examine the perceptions of individuals who self-identify as introverts, in relation to their leadership aspirations. It specifically asks the questions:

• Why do individuals self-identify as introverts?
• How does this affect their perceptions of leadership and their own capability in rising to a leadership position?
• What skills do they perceive to be key to gaining a leadership position?
• What are the implications of this for how we develop leaders in this particular organisation, and organisations more broadly?

Method

The study uses a narrative sensemaking approach to identity,(Vough et al., 2020), examining in particular the language and metaphors of individuals who aspire, or fail to aspire to leadership positions. It uses data from 14 qualitative semi-structured interviews with 7 females and 7 males who self-identify as introverts and 6 interviews with people who self-identify as introverts and are already in leadership positions.

The anticipated outputs will contribute to both practice and academia. Providing useful insights to aid learning and development in leadership development, whilst informing the literature on leadership in HE, and introversion and leadership more broadly.

Key references

Barnes, H. A., & Stewart, S. M. (2022). Misconceptions about introverted leaders: how quiet personality types influence the workplace. International Journal of Management Development, 2(3), 217-235.

Gila, A. R., Jaafa, J., Omar, M., & Tunio, M. Z. (2014). Impact of personality and gender diversity on software development teams' performance. Paper presented at the 2014 International Conference on Computer, Communications, and Control Technology (I4CT).

Judge, T. A., Bono, J. E., Ilies, R., & Gerhardt, M. W. (2002). Personality and leadership: a qualitative and quantitative review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(4), 765.

Lanaj, K., & Hollenbeck, J. R. (2015). Leadership over-emergence in self-managing teams: The role of gender and countervailing biases. Academy of Management Journal, 58(5), 1476-1494.

Spark, A., & O'Connor, P. J. (2021). State extraversion and emergent leadership: Do introverts emerge as leaders when they act like extraverts? The Leadership Quarterly, 32(3), 101474.

Stephens-Craig, D., Kuofie, M., & Dool, R. (2015). Perception of introverted leaders by mid to high-level leaders. Journal of Marketing and Management, 6(1), 62.

Vough, H. C., Caza, B. B., & Maitlis, S. (2020). Making sense of myself: Exploring the relationship between identity and sensemaking.

Project team

Professor Jacqueline Baxter (Principal Investigator) is Professor of Public Leadership and Management, in the Department of Public Leadership, The Open University Business School. Her research interests lie in the areas of identity and learning, particularly in relation to transitional and hybrid identities, and practitioner to leadership identities. Her current work examines the role of coaching in the sense making activities of HE leaders, how perceptions of introverts colour and condition their leadership aspirations (self and others), and how individuals negotiate dual identities. She is Director of the Centre for Research and Innovation in online Business education (SCiLAB), Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. She is a practicing leadership coach and chair of The Open University MBA.

Dr Volker Patent holds a position as Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology & Counselling at the Open University. He is a Chartered Psychologist and Fellow of Advance HE. He combines his academic work with consultancy and coaching. His research focuses on trust and personality, Seelction and recruitment, individual and organisational decision-making, and the psychology of disruption. His research appears in the British Journal of Social Work, Journal of Trust Research, in Searle & Skinner (2011) Trust in Human Resource Management. He has presented conference papers accepted at FINT, EAWOP ENESER, British Psychological Society and the International Congress on Assessment Centre Methods.