Leadership Acceptance Through the Lens of Social Identity Theory: A Case Study of Military Leadership in Afghanistan

• Author: Roos Delahaij,Marenne Mei Jansen
• Published date: 01 October 2020
• Date: 01 October 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X19845027
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Leadership Acceptance

Through the Lens of

Social Identity Theory:

A Case Study of Military

Leadership in Afghanistan

Marenne Mei Jansen

1,2

and Roos Delahaij

3

Abstract

This study builds on the experiences of a Dutch reconnaissance platoon deployed in

Afghanistan in which leadership was not accepted. Setup as a qualitative single case

study, this article advances our understanding of how group dynamics and con-

textual factors might impact the acceptance of leadership. Rather than primarily

focusing on the behavior of the leader, this article highlights the perspective of

followers in the ranks. The study also offers empirical evidence for the potential of

social identity theory as a framework within which to study leadership acceptance.

The case shows that leadership acceptance is largely dependent on group processes

rather than on the characteristics of leadership. Additionally, it points to the

importance of contextual factors. Finally, it suggests that a lack of attention to

in-group dynamics, and a lack of active entrepreneurship by the leader, can catalyze

“in-group entrepreneurship.”

Keywords

military leadership, Afghanistan, social identity theory, in-group entrepreneurship,

qualitative case study

1

Institute for Management Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands

2

Faculty of Military Sciences, Netherlands Defence Academy, Breda, the Netherlands

3

Centre for Behavioural and Societal Sciences, TNO, Soesterberg, the Netherlands

Corresponding Author:

Marenne Mei Jansen, Institute for Management Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, Thomas van

Aquinostraat 5, Nijmegen 6500, the Netherlands.

Email: m.jansen@fm.ru.nl

Armed Forces & Society

2020, Vol. 46(4) 657-676

ªThe Author(s) 2019

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DOI: 10.1177/0095327X19845027

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Considering the vast amount of literature written on the subject of leadership, one

can safely assume that being (or becoming) a leader is a difficult journey in which

not only acting as a leader but also being accepted as such can present a significant

challenge. Even after extensive preparation, when endowed with personal charisma

and well-versed in theory, at times, a leader can be reject ed. In this article, we

describe a qualitative single case study in which military leadership was not

accepted. We concentrate on a Dutch reconnaissance platoon, consisting of 19 men,

deployed in Afghanistan between 2015 and 2016. During the deployment, the pla-

toon commander’s (PC) leadersh ip was no longer accepted by the platoo n and,

halfway through the mission, he was replaced. The rejection of his leadership func-

tions as the starting point for this study. Building on the direct experiences of the

platoon, this article uses socia l identity theory as a framework within which to

analyze leadership acceptance.

By using social identity theory as its framework, this study focuses on interac-

tions within the group (the platoon) rather than the traditional focus on the leadership

qualities of the individual. Social identity theory is not commonly used for analyzing

leadership acceptance or case study analysis. We did so for reasons both empirical

and theoretical. On a theoretical level, this case study afforded us the possibility to

investigate the potential of social identity theory itself as an analyzing framework in

an actual working context (Cassar, Bezzina, & Buttigieg, 2017; Reicher, Haslam, &

Hopkins, 2005). While most studies examining the potential of social identity theory

take place in the so-called laboratory settings—that is, with artificial study groups

(Bergami & Bagozzi, 2000; Hornsey, 2008)—this was a “real-life” case. As such,

this case study can contribute to the ecological validity (Bergami & Bagozzi, 2000;

Sayer, 2010, pp. 99–103) of social identity theory as a framework for analysis.

On an empirical level, social identity theory makes an excellent framework for

the analysis of military leadership and, in particular, the case at hand. Firstly, the

focus of social identity theory on group dynamics is a welcome addition to tradi-

tional military studies, as few studies in the military realm acknowledge leadership

as a social orientation. The traditional focus in military studies is predominantly on

individual leadership qualities (Atwater & Yammarinol, 1993), while in a military

team—usually a platoon—group dynamics matter greatly and can, in some circum-

stances, be the difference between life and death (Arnold, Loughlin, & Walsh, 2016;

Grossman, 2009; Vogelaar & Dalenberg, 2012). Secondly, it has been shown that

“the military maintains that cohesive groups engender effectiveness in combat

situations” (Oliver, Harma, Hoover, Hayes, & Pandhi, 1999, cited in Ahronson &

Cameron, 2007, p. 9) and that (widening the remit somewhat) “cohesion has long

been considered by industrial-organizational, military, and sports psychologists to

be one of the most important small-group properties” (Dion, 2000, cited in Ahronson

& Cameron, 2007, p. 9). Finally, social identity has been identified as an important

factor in the success of leadership in extreme contexts, such as those facing military

organizations (Arnold et al., 2016; Dixon, Weeks, Boland, & Perelli, 2017). Kolditz

(2006) has defined in extremis leadership as “giving purpose, motivation, and

658 Armed Forces & Society 46(4)