Effects of follower-leader personality similarity, leader gender, and leader physical attractiveness on leader preference behavior in different contexts and levels

This study examined the relationship between the Big Five (i.e., extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience) and the Dark Triad (DT; comprising Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) personality traits in different leadership roles (i.e., president, CEO, mayor, and supervisor). The study was predicated on Social Identity Theory of Leadership (SITOL) and extant research on leader-follower dynamics. Individuals are suggested to prefer leaders whose personality traits aligned with their own traits. Moreover, the effects of leader's physical attractiveness and gender on leader preference tendencies in different contexts (i.e., political vs. business context) and levels (i.e., top vs. middle level) are investigated. The study was designed as a survey, with 442 participants distributed across four groups. Each group evaluated leaders differing in gender, attractiveness, and personality traits. The results demonstrated a significant effect of leader attractiveness on leader preference scores, with attractive leaders consistently receiving higher ratings than unattractive leaders across various roles.However, the influence of personality similarity on leader preferences exhibited variability according to leadership role. Specifically, in the CEO and supervisor roles, participants with higher extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness to experience scores expressed a preference for leaders who were perceived as similar on these traits. In contrast, within the mayor condition, similarity in psychopathy and grandiose narcissism traits emerged as positive predictors of leader preferences, suggesting a tolerance for assertive or dominant characteristics in mid-level political contexts. A notable finding was the absence of a significant relationship between personality similarity and leader preferences in the president condition. These findings imply that in prominent political leadership roles, broader sociopolitical or symbolic considerations may exert a stronger influence on leadership choices than perceived personality similarity. In demonstrating the nuanced relationship between personality traits and leader preferences, the results highlight the importance of rolespecific demands and wider contextual factors in the leader preference process. How these findings relate to leadership theory and practice are discussed along with ideas for additional research.