Humans of New York: An Illustration of How IT is Affecting Leadership

With two decades of research on leadership and information technology (IT), Binghamton University Professor Surinder Kahai argues that Humans of New York (HONY) and its author Brandon Stanton illustrate how technology has enabled the emergence of unappointed, informal leaders who have a powerful influence over others. This contradicts the argument that leadership is not affected by IT, and Kahai believes that Stanton provides a prime example of how leadership takes on a new meaning in the virtual realm. "One can see Stanton as a leader in the ‘swarm-like’ emergent behavior he enables,” said Kahai. "After Stanton makes a post, his followers collectively address the post without any external coordinating mechanisms or any explicitly posted rules. Occasionally, you notice conflict when posters counter others’ interpretations. For the most part, these conversations remain respectful. But when some cross the limits of respectful behavior, others jump in to control the conversation and prevent it from going out of control." So, what does HONY illustrate about IT's effect on leadership? The networking, viral communication and widespread reach enabled by technology make it more likely for those with an appealing vision to be discovered by people from different corners of the world. These individuals are not ordered to follow the leader. According to Kahai, they do so because they feel an emotional connection to the leader, the leader’s vision and the leader’s work. The leader is passionate about her/his vision and is constantly modeling it through actions shared via technology. After stimulating action, the leader gets out of the way. The followers, with the help of technology, take it up upon themselves to share their thoughts, their interests, and become leaders in their own right. There is no top-down system through which leadership is exercised.