Evolutionary leadership theory

Mark van Vugt

Chapter 31 in Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Neuroscience and Management, 2026, pp 108-111 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Evolutionary leadership theory (ELT) explains leadership and followership as adaptive solutions to collective action problems recurrent in human evolutionary history. It identifies two distinct pathways—dominance and prestige—through which individuals influence groups, shaped by ecological and contextual demands. Integrating evidence from anthropology, psychology, neuroscience, and comparative biology, ELT links ancestral coordination mechanisms to modern organizational behavior. It highlights evolutionary mismatches between small-scale ancestral groups and large contemporary institutions, offering insights into leadership effectiveness, accountability, and design. ELT provides a unifying framework bridging biological evolution, social psychology, and management science.

Keywords: Evolutionary psychology; Dominance and prestige; Followership; Evolutionary mismatch; Collective action; Organizational behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035332885
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