Human subjects study

Stevens, M., Rees, T., Steffens, N. K., Haslam, S. A., Coffee, P., & Polman, R. (2019). Leaders’ creation of shared identity impacts group members’ effort and performance: Evidence from an exercise task. PloS one, 14(7), e0218984.

Background of the study

The identified article aimed to examine the impact of a leaders' identity entrepreneurship on the effort along with the performance of the group members during a five kilometers cycling time trial. The study took a quantitative nature, with the participants allocated randomly to either a low or high entrepreneurship condition. The study revealed that, relative to the study subjects in the minimal entrepreneurship identity condition, their counterparts in the other group maintained a higher level of effort (optimal heart rate). The study also established that these subjects showed enhanced performance. The study’s findings indicated that people in leadership positions who seek to create a mutual sense of identity among the members of their teams are more likely to inspire improved participants' effort, not mentioning performance.

The vulnerability of the participants

The participants in this study were 88 recreationally active individuals from a British University. These participants were not vulnerable in any way. To understand this assertion, it is essential to define who is a vulnerable participant. According to Allen (2017), a vulnerable human subject is a person particularly susceptible to undue influence or coercion in a research setting. Such a person includes an individual incapable of understanding the meaning of taking part in a research study. Alternatively, a vulnerable research subject is a person who cannot understand what constitutes an informed consent (Allen, 2017).

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