Understanding what makes likely heroes tick might help recruiters of police officers, firefighters, rescue workers, and other risky professions make better hiring decisions, according to a new study.

In the past, efforts to identify heroic types have relied heavily on stereotypes, looking for gung-ho, athletic types who seem ready and willing to risk jumping into harm's way, says Koert van Ittersum, assistant professor of marketing at Georgia Tech College of Management.

"However, our research suggests the possibility of more than one type of hero," he says. "A strong sense of loyalty and selflessness can help more introverted types overcome an initial reluctance to enter the fray and save the day."

Van Ittersum conducted the study, "Profiling the Heroic Leader: Empirical Lessons from Combat-Decorated Veterans of World War II" with marketing researchers Brian Wansink and Collin R. Payne of Cornell University.

Valorous Veterans

Forthcoming in The Leadership Quarterly journal, the study surveyed 526 World War II veterans who experienced heavy and frequent combat, 83 of whom had won medals for meritorious service or valor. These veterans evaluated themselves for such qualities as leadership, loyalty, spontaneity, and selflessness.

As expected, decorated veterans rated themselves higher for qualities like adaptability, adventurousness, and spontaneity than those who did not receive medals for heroism.

But the researchers found differences among decorated veterans who enlisted (eager heroes) and those who were drafted (reluctant heroes). While the eager heroes reported higher levels of risk taking, their reluctant comrades scored highest on selflessness and working well with others.

Sense of Duty

"Instead of a need for excitement, core values and sense of duty may be what motivates reluctant heroes to put themselves at risk," van Ittersum says.

One reason the researchers chose to examine this topic was to offer guidelines or suggestions that could help identify potential heroes in either recruitment or training.

"Unfortunately, the type of person capable of reluctant heroism in a crisis situation may be in danger of being overlooked in the recruitment, training, or promotion process," van Ittersum says.

"While they may be just as likely to perform heroically as their eager counterparts, they may not show the same self-centered confidence. Instead, their potential for heroism will be made evident by their ability to work well with others and make friends easily."