11234: The Role of Reputational Costs in Dominant Leadership

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

08:30 - 10:00 CEST (GMT+2)

Location: Bella Center: Hall B- B6-m4

Session Type: Symposium (panel)
Orientation: Research
Shareable link: https://cdmcd.co/qdk8by

Organizer(s)

DB

Dean Baltiansky

Columbia Business School, United States

Discussant(s)

CC

Charleen R. Case

-, United States

Presenter(s)

DB

Dean Baltiansky

Columbia Business School, United States

Participant(s)

DA

Daniel Ames

Columbia Business School, United States

Presenter(s)

JH

Joyce He

U. of California, Los Angeles, United States

Participant(s)

JG

Jana Gallus

UCLA Anderson School of Management, United States
CB

Corinne Bendersky

-, United States
HC

Heather M. Caruso

UCLA Anderson School of Management, United States
LC

Lienne Cupal

University of California Los Angeles, United States
SK

Samantha Kellar

-, United States

Presenter(s)

LD

Laurel Detert

U. of Michigan, Ross School of Business, United States

Participant(s)

RR

Richard Ronay

Amsterdam Business School, U. of Amsterdam, Netherlands
CC

Charleen R. Case

-, United States

Presenter(s)

VC

Valentino Chai

Stanford Graduate School of Business, United States

Participant(s)

NH

Nir Halevy

Stanford U., United States

Why do some leaders adopt competition and dominance as strategies to gain and maintain influence? This symposium emphasizes the pivotal roles of anticipated relational and reputational costs in shaping leaders' behavior on their path to the top. We argue that individuals carefully consider the anticipated social impact of their behavior on subordinates and peers across various organizational contexts. Specifically, the research presented in this session highlights how situational and interpersonal factors—such as worldviews of human nature, perceived gender norms, dominance-oriented leadership styles, and competition versus cooperation—inform leaders’ mental calculus. These considerations influence their decisions to exert influence by threat and coercion, strategies for internal and external promotion, preferences for maintaining distance from subordinates, and sense of autonomy.