Cheerful Fronts and Cautious Minds: The Dual Nature of Optimism in Leadership
Master thesis
Permanent lenke
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3161415Utgivelsesdato
2024Metadata
Vis full innførselSamlinger
- Master of Science [1822]
Sammendrag
In uncertain situations, the way people recommend optimism might vary. While previous studies suggest a general bias for optimism in prescriptions, we attempt to extract nuance by investigating the impact of hierarchies and the distinction between optimistic public appearance and private thought. We explore how optimism is prescribed in such a scenario of uncertainty, particularly focusing on the differences between leaders and subordinates and distinguishing between outward displays of optimism and internal thoughts. We also investigate whether individuals expect leaders to exhibit more optimism than subordinates and the ideal levels of optimism for both public and private contexts. Our findings show that people generally recommend higher levels of public optimism for leaders, aligning with the expectation that leaders should convey confidence and positivity. In contrast, recommendations for private thinking lean towards realism, suggesting that leaders should balance a positive outward image with realistic internal assessments. Likelihood estimation and inherent optimism significantly shape these recommendations. Furthermore, initial differences between leaders and subordinates diminish when controlling for factors like dispositional optimism and likelihood estimation. This research offers important insights into the prescribed public and private expressions of optimism in leadership and highlights methodological considerations for conducting studies on optimism prescriptions.
Beskrivelse
Masteroppgave(MSc) in Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Psychology - Handelshøyskolen BI, 2024