What a 1939 Experiment Teaches Us About Political Leadership |
In the late 1930s, as fascism consolidated power in Europe and democracy braced for its greatest stress test, three social psychologists ran a modest experimental study in an Iowa boys’ club. What Kurt Lewin, Ronald Lippitt, and Ralph K. White discovered in 1939 should have permanently altered how democracies think about leadership. Instead, America seems determined to relearn the lesson the hard way.
Their study compared the effects of three leadership styles: authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire, by rotating adult leaders into small groups of boys tasked with ordinary projects like building models and planning activities. The results were striking, consistent, and disturbingly predictive.
Under authoritarian leadership, productivity often appeared high, but only when the leader was physically present. However, creativity collapsed, aggression spiked, and scapegoating emerged. When the authority figure left the room, the group either froze or devolved into conflict. Compliance, it turned out, was not the same as commitment.
Under laissez-faire leadership, chaos reigned. Without guidance or shared norms, productivity dropped sharply, stronger personalities dominated, and frustration grew. Freedom without........