Leadership might be an innate characteristic for both animals and humans, a British research team has claimed.

According to an article published in the research journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a team of researchers put certain fish in a large laboratory tank for several weeks to conduct a study on role reversals: leaders becoming followers and followers becoming leaders.

According to the report, the fish that seemed to be leaders tended to move to a risky part of the tank where there was a feeding bucket, rather than staying in the safe area.

When the role of the leaders and followers changed, leader fish showed much quicker adjustment to the situation.

“Followers can follow the leaders but struggle to lead others,” said Shinnosuke Nakayama, a professor from the University of Cambridge and coauthor of the report. “Leaders are born, not made.”

The result of the study could be broadened into group behavior, suggesting that a social group can perform better when members are given freedom to establish their own role.

“It would appear to be better for us to adopt social roles of leader and follower in the way we feel natural,” added Nakayama.

By Im Woo-jung, Intern reporter
(iwj@heraldcorp.com)