Informal leader

Informal leader is a person who influences group behavior without holding an official leadership position or formal authority within the organization (Robbins S.P., Judge T.A. 2019, p.412)^[1]. No title on the door. No corner office. No direct reports on the org chart. Yet when this person speaks, others listen. When they suggest a direction, people follow. Their authority comes from somewhere other than the company hierarchy.

Every organization has them. The engineer everyone consults before making technical decisions. The veteran employee who knows where all the bodies are buried. The natural mediator who resolves conflicts before they escalate. These individuals shape group dynamics as much as—sometimes more than—the managers officially in charge.

How informal leaders emerge

Leadership doesn't require appointment. It emerges from interaction.

Chester Barnard recognized this in 1938. His work on informal organization showed that status and influence patterns develop alongside formal structures. These patterns don't appear on organization charts but profoundly affect how work actually gets done^[2].

Several factors contribute to emergence:

Expertise. The person who knows most about a critical topic becomes the go-to authority. Colleagues defer to their judgment. New employees seek their guidance. The formal manager might officially approve decisions, but the real decision happens when the expert gives their nod.

Social skills. Some people connect naturally. They remember names, listen actively, and make others feel valued. Their networks span departments. Information flows through them. Influence follows.

Seniority. Time in the organization builds knowledge and relationships. Veterans understand unwritten rules, organizational history, and political dynamics. Newer managers often rely on them.

Personality. Charisma matters. Confidence, energy, and vision draw followers. Some people simply command attention when they enter a room—regardless of their title.

Situation. Crises can create informal leaders. When normal structures fail, someone steps up. The person who keeps their head while others panic becomes the de facto leader for that moment.

Sources of informal power

French and Raven's classic 1959 framework identifies power bases available to informal leaders^[3]:

Expert power. Stemming from knowledge and skill. The software developer who architected the legacy system holds expert power years after the original work. Nobody can modify that code without consulting her.

Referent power. Based on likability and respect. People comply because they want to please the person or be associated with them. Charismatic individuals wield referent power naturally.

Information power. Control over information flow creates influence. The person who knows what's really happening—beyond official communications—holds power. Executive assistants often possess this power despite modest titles.

Network power. Connections to important people multiply influence. The informal leader who lunches with the CEO carries weight even in meetings the CEO never attends.

What informal leaders typically lack: legitimate power (formal authority), reward power (ability to grant raises or promotions), and coercive power (ability to punish). They must influence through other means.

Positive contributions

Organizations benefit from informal leadership in multiple ways:

Filling leadership gaps. Formal structures leave voids. Managers can't be everywhere. Informal leaders step in, providing guidance and direction when official leaders are absent or overloaded.

Knowledge sharing. Expertise resides in individuals, not documentation. Informal leaders serve as living repositories—answering questions, training newcomers, preserving institutional memory^[4].

Cultural transmission. "How things work around here" rarely appears in employee handbooks. Informal leaders model and teach organizational culture. They show new hires which rules actually matter and which are ignored.

Change facilitation. When management announces changes, employees watch informal leaders for cues. If respected figures embrace the change, others follow. Resistance leaders can doom initiatives; supportive ones accelerate adoption.

Conflict resolution. Peers often prefer resolving disputes informally rather than escalating to management. Informal leaders serve as mediators, negotiating solutions that preserve relationships.

Communication improvement. Information flows through informal networks faster than formal channels. Informal leaders serve as nodes, transmitting messages that official communications miss or garble.

Potential problems

The same dynamics that make informal leaders valuable can create difficulties:

Shadow hierarchy. When informal power structures diverge from formal ones, confusion results. Employees receive conflicting signals. Who's really in charge? Following the wrong leader creates problems^[5].

Resistance to management. Informal leaders opposed to organizational direction can mobilize resistance. Their influence can undermine initiatives, slow change, and frustrate formal leaders.

Favoritism and cliques. Informal leaders may favor their networks, creating in-groups and out-groups. Those outside the clique feel excluded. Promotions and opportunities flow to friends rather than top performers.

Manipulation. Not all influence is benign. Political operators can use informal influence for personal gain, spreading rumors, undermining rivals, and hoarding information.

Burnout. Being everyone's go-to person exhausts. Informal leaders often work harder than their job descriptions require—without extra compensation or formal recognition. The best eventually burn out or leave.

Succession problems. When informal leaders retire or depart, their knowledge and influence disappear. Unlike formal positions, no succession planning exists. The gap they leave can be devastating.

Formal leader response strategies

How should managers respond to informal leaders in their teams?

Identify them. The first step is knowing who they are. Watch communication patterns. Notice who people consult. Observe whose opinions carry weight in meetings. Social network analysis can map informal influence formally.

Understand their motivations. What drives the informal leader? Recognition? Impact? Belonging? Understanding motivation helps determine appropriate response^[6].

Engage rather than compete. Fighting informal leaders rarely succeeds. They'll often outlast managers who try to suppress them. Better to build relationships, seek their input, and incorporate them into decision-making.

Leverage their influence. When rolling out changes, involve informal leaders early. Get their buy-in. Use their networks to spread the message. Convert potential resisters into champions.

Formalize when appropriate. Sometimes informal leaders deserve formal recognition. Promoting them, expanding their roles, or simply acknowledging their contributions can align informal and formal structures.

Set boundaries when necessary. If informal leaders actively undermine organizational goals or create toxic dynamics, intervention is required. Difficult conversations, role changes, or even exits may be needed.

Research findings

Organizational behavior research has examined informal leadership extensively:

Keith Murninghan and Dennis Conlon (1991) studied string quartets, finding that quartets with clear informal leaders (typically first violinists) performed better than those with ambiguous leadership structures^[7].

Robert Cross and Andrew Parker's network analysis research showed that organizations with strong informal leadership networks—robust connections among influential employees—outperformed those with fragmented networks.

Studies of emergency response consistently find that informal leaders emerge during crises, often providing more effective coordination than formal command structures designed in advance.

Research on innovation suggests that informal leaders serve as "innovation champions"—shepherding new ideas through organizational resistance when formal authority would be insufficient.

Informal leadership in virtual teams

Remote and hybrid work changes informal leadership dynamics:

Physical proximity traditionally boosted informal influence. The person in the next cubicle answered quick questions. Water cooler conversations built relationships. These advantages disappear online^[8].

New informal leadership patterns emerge in virtual environments:

• Those most comfortable with digital tools gain influence
• Active contributors to chat channels build visibility
• People who respond quickly to messages become go-to contacts
• Documented knowledge (wiki pages, shared documents) creates lasting influence

Some informal leaders thrive virtually; others fade. The skills that created influence in offices don't automatically transfer to screens.

Cultural variations

Informal leadership manifests differently across cultures:

High power-distance cultures (much of Asia, Middle East) show more deference to formal hierarchy. Informal leaders must operate carefully within those constraints. Challenging formal authority openly carries greater risk.

Low power-distance cultures (Scandinavia, Netherlands) accept informal influence more readily. The gap between formal and informal authority matters less when formal authority is already limited.

Collectivist cultures emphasize group harmony. Informal leaders often emerge as consensus-builders rather than individual champions.

Individualist cultures tolerate informal leaders who stand out personally—the lone expert or charismatic figure^[9].

Developing informal leadership

Can informal leadership be deliberately cultivated? Partially:

• Building expertise creates a foundation
• Developing networks expands influence
• Practicing communication skills increases persuasiveness
• Volunteering for visible projects creates opportunities

But much of informal leadership stems from personality and circumstance. Not everyone can become an informal leader through effort alone. And forcing the role on those unsuited to it creates awkward results.

Organizations can create environments where informal leadership flourishes:

• Flat structures that allow influence beyond hierarchy
• Open communication enabling informal networks
• Cross-functional projects bringing diverse people together
• Recognition systems acknowledging contribution beyond formal roles

Informal leader — recommended articles

Leadership — Management — Teamwork — Organizational structure — Organizational culture

References

• French J.R.P., Raven B. (1959), The Bases of Social Power, in Studies in Social Power, University of Michigan Press.
• Homans G.C. (1950), The Human Group, Harcourt Brace, New York.
• Robbins S.P., Judge T.A. (2019), Organizational Behavior, 18th Edition, Pearson, Boston.
• Cross R., Parker A. (2004), The Hidden Power of Social Networks, Harvard Business School Press.
• Yukl G. (2013), Leadership in Organizations, 8th Edition, Pearson, Boston.

Footnotes

1. ↑ Robbins S.P., Judge T.A. (2019), Organizational Behavior, p.412
2. ↑ Barnard C.I. (1938), The Functions of the Executive, pp.114-128
3. ↑ French J.R.P., Raven B. (1959), The Bases of Social Power
4. ↑ Cross R., Parker A. (2004), The Hidden Power of Social Networks, pp.45-67
5. ↑ Yukl G. (2013), Leadership in Organizations, pp.312-328
6. ↑ Robbins S.P., Judge T.A. (2019), Organizational Behavior, pp.425-442
7. ↑ Murninghan J.K., Conlon D.E. (1991), The Dynamics of Intense Work Groups
8. ↑ Cross R., Parker A. (2004), The Hidden Power of Social Networks, pp.145-167
9. ↑ Yukl G. (2013), Leadership in Organizations, pp.378-395

Author: Sławomir Wawak