Do leaders who build a sense of shared social identity in their teams thereby protect them from the adverse effects of workplace stress? According to the global research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, yes.

The study, conducted by Professor Rolf van Dick at Goethe University in Germany, sought to determine whether leaders can prevent Burnout Syndrome among their teams. Data were collected from more than 5 thousand workers in 20 countries in the first moment. Then, between 2020 and 2021, there were 7,294 more interviews with people from 28 countries already in the pandemic.

Since the beginning of 2022, Burnout Syndrome has been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a “chronic work stress that has not been successfully managed”. The change takes into account findings and research on common symptoms reported by professionals around the world.

Professor Van Dick’s study found that globally there is a link between shared identity leadership style and reduced risk of burnout. The term “Social Identity Leadership” comes from a psychology theory that says that having a social identity helps create a sense of collective and support networks, the feeling of connection, control, trust, and purpose.

“This new psychology of leadership stops advocating that the leaders have to tell their followers what they should do. In contrast, it proposes that followers will do the right thing when leaders help them understand who they are in relation to their groups and organizations”, wrote the researcher.

The study concludes that the perception of belonging to a collective is beneficial for health and well-being. And there was no evidence that an exaggeration in leadership style can have the opposite effect: the more the boss encourages the group, the better.

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Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health