Service-for-Prestige Theory of Leader-Follower Relations

Abstract

The service-for-prestige theory (Price and Van Vugt 2014, 2015) takes an evolutionary perspec- tive on leader-follower relations in order to accomplish two main aims. The first aim is to explain why these relations can range from being “bad” and coercive (i.e., based on a leader’s abil- ity to harm followers) to “good” and voluntary (i.e., based on a leader’s ability to benefit fol- lowers). The second aim is to propose that “good” leadership is governed by the logic of reciprocity, whereby leaders deliver public goods to followers in exchange for elevated social pres- tige. Both ofthese aspects ofleader-follower rela- tions are examined in more detail below.