- Trial lecture starts at 11.00
- Public defence starts at 12.15
The title of the trial lecture is "The science of high expectations: How communication shapes firm performance".
Assessment committee:
- Professor Roy Mersland, UiA (head of committee)
- Associate Professor Darius-Aurel Frank, Aarhus Universitet
- Professor Erlend Nybakk, Kristiania
Supervisors in the doctoral work:
- Professor Jan Inge Jenssen, NLA (previously UiA)
Summary of thesis
This dissertation examines Pygmalion language—verbal leader and influencer communication that contains high, positive expectations—as a catalyst for igniting positive self-fulfilling prophecies in business contexts. It comprises three linked studies advancing theory and practice in Pygmalion leadership, leadership communication, expectancy theory, and entrepreneurship.
Study 1 delivers the first integrated conceptualization of Pygmalion language, defining the construct, proposing a multidimensional framework, and tracing cognitive, affective, and behavioral pathways influencing mindsets and outcomes. This narrative review consolidates fragmented work across leadership, organizational behavior, expectancy, and linguistic domains, highlighting features leaders and influencers can use to increase motivation and performance.
Study 2 applies elements of this framework in a qualitative analysis of CEO shareholder letters from leading firms, identifying linguistic devices—reframing challenges as opportunities, expressing personalized confidence, invoking collective efficacy—that signal high expectations to employees, investors, and stakeholders, aligning strategy, building trust, and reinforcing purpose.
Study 3 tests the rhetorical effects of Pygmalion language in entrepreneurial investment contexts using televised pitch data from the ABC reality show Shark Tank. High-expectation communication is found to raise investor interest and commitment, moderated by context and relational cues, extending Pygmalion theory beyond hierarchical settings.
Taken together, these studies position Pygmalion language – with its rhetorical manifestations – as a strategic form of communication that shapes perceptions, fosters motivation, drives performance, and influences decision-making. The dissertation addresses an unexamined gap by explicitly linking expectancy effects to leadership communication through the definition and operationalization of Pygmalion language. Methodologically, it integrates conceptual, qualitative, and experimental approaches.
Practically, it serves as a toolkit to help mobilize employees and stakeholders toward increased performance and exceptional results, and to influence decision-makers.
What to do as an online audience member
The disputation is open to the public. To follow the trial lecture and the public defence online, register on Zoom.
We ask online audience members to join no earlier than 10 minutes in advance. After these times, you can leave and rejoin the meeting at any time.
Opponent ex auditorio:
Deadline for the public to pose questions is during the break between the two opponents. Questions ex auditorio can be submitted to disputation chair.
Questions?
- gunvor.guttormsen@uia.no
- Phone
- +47 38 14 16 48