Editing Leadership (section)

=== Willingness to participate ===
A willingness to participate in a group can indicate a person's interest as well as their willingness to take responsibility for how the group performs.<ref name=":1" /> Those who do not say much during a group meeting are less likely to emerge as a leader than those who speak up.<ref name=":1" /> There is however some debate over whether the quality of participation in a group matters more than the quantity.

A hypothesis termed [[Babble hypothesis|the 'babble effect' or the 'babble hypothesis']] has been studied as a factor in the emergence of leaders.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last1=MacLaren|first1=Neil G.|last2=Yammarino|first2=Francis J.|last3=Dionne|first3=Shelley D.|last4=Sayama|first4=Hiroki|last5=Mumford|first5=Michael D.|last6=Connelly|first6=Shane|last7=Martin|first7=Robert W.|last8=Mulhearn|first8=Tyler J.|last9=Todd|first9=E. Michelle|last10=Kulkarni|first10=Ankita|last11=Cao|first11=Yiding|date=October 2020|title=Testing the babble hypothesis: Speaking time predicts leader emergence in small groups|journal=The Leadership Quarterly|language=en|volume=31|issue=5|pages=101409|doi=10.1016/j.leaqua.2020.101409|s2cid=213370303 |doi-access=free}}</ref> It posits that leader emergence is highly correlated with the quantity of speaking time—specifically, those who speak a lot in a group setting are more likely to become a group leader.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Mast|first1=Marianne Schmid|last2=Hall|first2=Judith A.|year=2004 |title=Who Is the Boss and Who Is Not? Accuracy of Judging Status|url=http://link.springer.com/10.1023/B:JONB.0000039647.94190.21|journal=Journal of Nonverbal Behavior |language=en |volume=28 |issue=3 |pages=145–165 |doi=10.1023/B:JONB.0000039647.94190.21|s2cid=54492090 |issn=0191-5886}}</ref><ref name=":2" />

The quantity of participation is more important that the quality of these contributions when it comes to leader emergence.<ref name=":1" /> However, some studies indicate that there must be some element of quality combined with quantity to support leader emergence. Thus, while sheer quantity does matter to leadership, when the contributions made are also of high-quality leader emergence is further facilitated.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jones|first1=Eric E.|last2=Kelly|first2=Janice R.|date=2007|title=Contributions to a group discussion and perceptions of leadership: Does quantity always count more than quality?|url=https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F1089-2699.11.1.15|journal=Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice|language=en|volume=11|issue=1|pages=15–30|doi=10.1037/1089-2699.11.1.15|issn=1930-7802}}</ref>