Obviously, there is another side to this story. It is often advantageous for certain leaders to foster fear and anxiety. This is a tragic reality that we must confront. One simply has to access online news or a social media platform to be confronted by information related to some conspiracy theory – they are everywhere, and an enquiring mind would (should) constantly question the validity of this information, but many clearly do not. With an audience that may feel under threat and anxious, and generally have lower education levels, an unscrupulous leader simply stating that an expert, leader or influencer with opposing views is part of some nefarious plot, is often enough for large groups of people to believe it and respond defensively, if not violently.
Research into conspiracy theory belief in organizations suggests that leadership styles make a big difference. Van Prooijen (2018) summarizes this finding:
There was one leadership style that did predict reduced belief in conspiracy theories, however, and that was the participative leadership style. Leaders who give their followers a voice when important decisions need to be made and who take the input and opinions of followers seriously in their management tasks, elicited less conspiracy theories than nonparticipative leaders. The reason is that these leaders empower their followers – followers feel that they can be part of important decision-making processes and that their opinions matter.
Conclusions
A modern and effective society (whether at the personal or organizational level) cannot succeed without trusted experts and leaders. Steps to mitigate the formation and spreading of conspiracies in society and conspiratorial gossiping in organizations should be taken seriously and dealt with quickly before damage is caused. Education and specifically critical thinking skills is critical to counter unscrupulous leaders and experts from taking advantage and manipulating vulnerable populations to do their bidding. More susceptible populations (individuals with certain personality disorders) require more support and help to prevent them doing harm to others and themselves.
____________________________
References
Cullen, Jay. (2018) Learning about Conspiracy Theories, in Joseph Uscinski (Ed.) Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them. New York: Oxford University Press.
Douglas, Karen and Ana Leite, Ana (2016) Suspicion in the workplace: Organizational conspiracy theories and work-related outcomes. British Journal of Psychology.
Douglas, Karen et al. (2016) The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories. School of Psychology, University of Kent.
Enders, Adam, Casey Klofstad, and Joseph E. Uscinski. How Anti-Social Personality Traits and Anti-Establishment Views Promote Beliefs in Election Fraud, QAnon, and COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories and Misinformation. Anti-social personality traits are stronger predictors of QAnon conspiracy beliefs than left-right orientations (psypost.org)
Download Article 1K Club
