Joe Torre is notorious for empathizing with his players when they are dealing with sensitive situations. He has been know to specifically acknowledge and praise his players when they continue to play the game even as they mourn calling one player a “warrior” (Goleman, 2000). He has been known to stand up to owners who threaten his players contracts to ascertain their value to the team (2000 ). So, why do these characteristics of Coach Torre make him fall into the affiliative role? We would first need to define the role of a affiliative leader.
Empathetic leaders can be beneficial to those cultures who vale this trait (Sadri, Weber, and Gentry, 2011 ). When leaders at higher levels display empathic emotion, it has a very positive impact upon ratings of performance (2011 ).
It is a universal principle to want to belong to something significant. We also react better to and are more motivated when we receive positive feedback on what we do. People also have a need to be understood and valued.
In cultures, where there are large populations, and high technical industries, employee empathy and engagement may be insubstantial. Foxconn is a electronics supplier powerhouse, employing 50% of China’s workforce . numerous theories suggest the ability to have and display empathy is an important part of leadership ( ).
Armstrong, P. (2012). Q&A: Apple's China supplier in the spotlight. Retrieved on February 7, 2012, from http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/06/world/asia/china-foxconn-explainer. Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership that gets results. Harvard Business Review, 78 (2), 78-90. Goleman, D. (2006). Working with emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Dell. Sadri, G., Weber T.J., & Gentry, W.A. (2011). Empathic emotion and leadership performance: An empirical analysis across 38 countries. The Leadership Quarterly 22, 818–830.