Discourse on Leadership: A Critical Appraisal
Cambridge University Press, 7/21/2016
EAN 9781107049789, ISBN10: 1107049784
Hardcover, 324 pages, 22.8 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm
Language: English
In a wide-ranging and provocative new study, Bert A. Spector provides a critical analysis of past and present theories of leadership. Spector asserts that our perception of leadership influences who we vote for, who we hire and promote, and ultimately, who we choose to grant our authority to. Focusing on leadership in discourse, the book sets out to explore how the notion of leadership has been articulated, studied and debated by academics, but also by practitioners, journalists, and others who seek to influence the thoughts of others. Paying particular attention to the social, economic, political, intellectual and historical forces that have helped shape the discussion, Discourse on Leadership offers an insightful historiography of leadership as a concept and considers how our understanding of it continues to evolve.
Prologue
a discussion without end, and the nature of this inquiry
1. The great man and the beginning of contemporary discourse
2. More who than do and the trait vs behavior debate
3. Whistling in the dark and the insertion of power between followers and leaders
4. The sublime myth and the ideology of purpose
5. (White) men named John and the persistence of bias
6. No longer just managing and the misuse of ideal types
7. Globalization and the challenge of complexity
Epilogue
key moments in leadership discourse and a plausible chronological narrative
References
Index.