What is it about?
Are leaders born or made? Is it better to be authoritarian or consensual? Are transformational leaders more desirable than transactional leaders? These are just some of the ways in which simplistic dichotomies are used to avoid deep thinking about leadership. This book examines many such claims and explains in detail the strengths and weaknesses of each side of the argument. We uncover the underlying concepts and show why simplistic explanations are often desired but seldom helpful. This is a book for students of leadership (and people who suffer too much leadership jargon), especially those who know that deeper understanding is crucial for wise action.
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Why is it important?
Naming and shaming simplistic assumptions about leadership, and demonstrating the value of more subtle and inclusive concepts. This book is important because it enables students of leadership to see beyond 'easy answers' and to understand leadership in ways that are more true to real-life experience.
Perspectives
This book is properly about 'perspectives' - the way we look at leadership, what we choose to notice and bring to the foreground. We cover the main terminologies and theoretical methods and concerns. But its real value, and why I enjoyed writing it (with my colleagues) is that it requires us, as leadership scholars, to be aware of why we prefer some perspectives over others, and forces us to be self-critical and reflective - and sometimes to re-cast out own theories.
Prof Jonathan R Gosling
Exeter University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Key Concepts in Leadership, January 2012, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.4135/9781473914759.
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