Mind Changing Can Be Risky

Leaders who initially use moral arguments rather than pragmatic ones to support their positions may face increased scrutiny if they later change their stance. A new study reveals that people often judge leaders more harshly when they shift from moral reasoning to a more practical approach. Changing from moral to pragmatic reasoning can lead to severe backlash, as people perceive it as a betrayal of the leaders’ original principles.

Changing one’s position, especially from a moral to a pragmatic standpoint, significantly impacts how people perceive leaders. This research highlights the risks associated with altering one’s stance on ethical grounds and the potential for negative consequences.

The study says people perceive leaders who change their viewpoint on moral positions as hypocritical and less effective.

Leaders using moral arguments may face severe judgment if they later change their position to a practical one. They are perceived as hypocrites, less effective and unworthy of future support. This is according to a research published by the American Psychological Association.

Changing Views on Moral Stances: How Shifting from Ethical to Practical Positions Impacts Leadership Perception

In the study, the researchers conducted a series of 15 experiments online including more than 5,500 participants from the United States ranging in age from 18 to 77. In each experiment, participants got to know about political or business leaders who had changed their opinion on an issue. Some participants learned that the leaders’ initial positions were based on a moral point of view.

Others were told the leaders’ position was based on a practical argument (e.g., it was good for the economy). Across the studies, participants rated the leader who altered his or her mind on the moral point of view as more hypocritical, also in most instances, less effective and unworthy of their support than the leaders whose initial stance was practical.

Lead author Tamar Kreps believes the findings show people view breaking moral commitments as difficult and completely unethical. All in all, these outcomes paint a gloomy picture for leaders whose initial stand was moral.

We know that moral beliefs do tend to remain more constant over the time. So, leaders should take moral stances only if they have the fundamental beliefs to back up those point of views. Taking an imitative moral stance to please a moralizing audience can backfire if the leader later changes it.