Leadership roles and group climate in isolation: A case study of 4-subject 180-day mission

Abstract

In an isolated and confined environment, leadership roles are important for mission success and harmonious interpersonal relationships. The task role benefits the achievement of mission goals and operational needs while the supportive role promotes emotional support and boosts morale. This study examined the effects of time on leadership roles and leadership influence among four crew members in a 180-day isolated and confined experiment. The crew members completed the Group Environment Scale around every two weeks to record their perceptions of leader support and leader control. Overall, perceived leader support decreased over the isolated and confined period, but the perception of leader control remained stable. Crew members perceived the role of leadership as providing support more than control. Leadership had a positive effect on the group climate by clarifying tasks and reducing aggression. Finally, the various functions of perceived leadership roles could be explained by crew composition and occupational features. The findings have implications that should be considered in future space missions and earth-based experiments when selecting leaders and arranging work duties with high autonomy. Further studies are needed to examine the generality of leadership roles in isolated and confined environments.