Inspired by fish: how direct group interaction strengthens informal hierarchy transitivity in teams

Abstract Despite the prevalence and importance of informal hierarchies in groups, to date, our understanding of when strong or weak hierarchies form is underdeveloped. The present research focuses on understanding the antecedent conditions fostering informal hierarchy emergence and strength. Integrating insights from ethological research, social learning theory, the expectation states theory framework and shared reality theory, we propose that groups create stronger influence hierarchies (more transitive structures) when all group members interact directly (e.g., in the group context) rather than indirectly (e.g., via a series of dyadic encounters). We find support for our hypothesis across two experimental studies: Informal hierarchies are stronger or more transitive when groups freely allow social interaction processes to happen amongst their members (group interaction condition) as compared to when these social interactions are stifled (serial dyadic interaction condition). We conclude with suggestions for future research and practical implications.