What is it about?
This study uncovers a blind spot in how we choose leaders. Across six experiments involving over 3,000 people, researchers found that we consistently pick the wrong type of leader for the situation at hand. This happens even when: - People recognize that maintenance is what's actually needed - Choosing the "change-focused" leader costs them real money - They personally would make maintenance-focused decisions themselves Why This Happens: People assume that leaders who focus on change and innovation can also handle maintenance tasks when needed. But they view maintenance-focused leaders as narrow specialists who can only do one thing. This creates an unfair advantage for "visionary" leaders even when steady, careful management is what the situation requires.
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Why is it important?
We show that when organizations, communities, or countries need someone to maintain and preserve what's already working, people still prefer leaders who promote change and progress. This research arrives as societies grapple with maintaining democratic institutions, addressing aging populations, and managing complex global systems that require careful stewardship rather than constant disruption. Understanding this bias is essential for making better collective decisions about who should lead during times that demand preservation and maintenance rather than change.
Perspectives
This research represents a pivotal moment in my work on maintenance goals. Having spent years studying how individuals maintain in their personal lives, I was curious to examine the social role of maintenance and how people perceive it. What I discovered was both surprising and concerning. The disconnect between people's ability to recognize when maintenance is needed personally versus their systematic rejection of maintenance-oriented leaders suggests something deeper about our collective blind spots. This work opened my eyes to the broader social and political implications of maintenance goal research. It's one thing to neglect maintenance in personal decision-making; it's another to realize we systematically select leaders who may be poorly matched to some of our most pressing collective challenges - from infrastructure to climate change to institutional preservation.
Yael Ecker
Universitat zu Koln
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Bias toward progress-oriented leaders: People prefer progress- over maintenance-oriented leaders even when a maintenance orientation is required., Journal of Experimental Psychology General, September 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/xge0001827.
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