Academy of Management Journal 2013, Vol. 56, No. 5, 1465–1486. http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/amj.2011.0180

WHEN POWER MAKES OTHERS SPEECHLESS: THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF LEADER POWER ON TEAM PERFORMANCE
LEIGH PLUNKETT TOST University of Michigan FRANCESCA GINO Harvard University RICHARD P. LARRICK Duke University
We examine the impact of the subjective experience of power on leadership dynamics and team performance and find that the psychological effect of power on formal leaders spills over to affect team performance. We argue that a formal leader’s experience of heightened power produces verbal dominance, which reduces team communication and consequently diminishes performance. Importantly, because these dynamics rely on the acquiescence of other team members to the leader’s dominant behavior, the effects only emerge when the leader holds a formal leadership position. Three studies offer consistent support for this argument. The implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Organizations make extensive use of teams when structuring and allocating work projects. Given the increasing prevalence of teams in modern organizations and the complexities involved in group dynamics, questions about how to ensure high levels of collective learning and effective decision making, along with other key determinants of team performance, have captured extensive attention from researchers and practitioners alike (Martin & Bal, 2006). One important area of inquiry into team effectiveness is the issue of how the degree of hierarchy within a team can affect team performance. This question is relatively understudied, but some extant literature suggests that steeper hierarchy has a diminishing effect on team learning and team performance in general. For example, in a qualitative field study, Edmondson (2003) found power differences in teams to be negatively associated with team