Liderazgo bien temperado: Mecanismos de influencia entre director invitado y músicos en la orquesta sinfónica

The aim of this doctoral thesis is to analyze the leadership of guest conductors in their work with musicians in symphony orchestras. To address this issue, the research starts from the observation of a double gap: on the one hand, the scarcity of musicological studies that analyze conducting beyond aspects of pure gestural technique or the myth of the “charismatic maestro”; on the other hand, the absence of empirical models in organizational psychology that consider the specificity of the artistic context. In view of these shortcomings, an interdisciplinary approach is proposed that understands orchestral conducting as a process of collective construction of musical meaning, where leadership is exercised through mechanisms of symbolic, emotional, and aesthetic influence. The research focuses on the figure of the guest conductor, who exercises a type of ephemeral leadership characterized by his or her temporarily restricted interaction with the orchestra and the need to generate credibility and cohesion in a limited rehearsal time. The thesis analyzes the stages and mechanisms that characterize this guest conductor-musicians relationship, which is forged within a complex context of interaction and mutual relationships of influence. It also discusses the fundamental characteristics that define leadership in this scenario and potentially determine a positive experience for both the conductor and the orchestra, resulting in high-quality sound. The theoretical framework of the thesis is based on the Transformational Leadership model, which describes leadership as a relationship of shared growth, articulated around four dimensions: influence through idealization, inspirational motivation, individualized attention, and intellectual stimulation. Methodologically, the research adopts Grounded Constructivist Theory, which allows theoretical models to be induced from the iterative interpretation of data. Data collection was carried out in the context of the work of the Spanish National Orchestra, through semi-structured interviews with ten guest conductors, observation of rehearsals, and the organization of a focus group with a sample of musicians from that institution. The comparative analysis of these sources allowed for the identification of patterns of interaction, leadership styles, and perceptions of artistic effectiveness by both groups. The results show that the interaction between guest conductor and musicians is based on a dialectical relationship, marked by sources of antagonism that generate permanent tension between individual control and collective resistance. To address this dialectic, the analysis finds evidence of transformational leadership behaviors on the part of the conductors, which are in turn positively valued by the musicians. Thus, the best-perceived conductors are those who, in addition to technically mastering the works and gestural aspects, communicate a clear interpretive vision and value the expressive autonomy of the musicians in the orchestral performance during rehearsals, which thus become spaces for collective growth. Effective leadership is also manifested in the impression management that the conductor makes on the musicians, in his attentive listening and in his sensitivity to the microdynamics of the group, which are also part of the style marked by transformational leadership. In conclusion, the new perspective provided by this interdisciplinary research extends our current knowledge of the role of the guest conductor, discussing their work as a practice of artistic leadership that aims not only to achieve excellence in the musical result of concerts, but also to contribute value in terms of professional growth for the musicians with whom they work at any given time.

Grantor dc:publisher

Universidad de La Rioja (España)

Year dc:date

2026

Author dc:creator

• Simón Cordero, Cristina

Contributors dc:contributor

• Rodríguez Fernández, Pablo L. (null)

Statement dc:rights

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Language dc:language

spa

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/oaites?codigo=399606

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dialnet.unirioja.es:TES0000023231