Discourse on Leadership
A Critical Appraisal

A critical study of the concept of leadership within both a historical and cultural context.

Bert A. Spector (Author)

9781107628137, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 23 May 2019

322 pages, 3 tables
23 x 15.3 x 2 cm, 0.52 kg

'Writing in a lovely prose that is rare among academics, Spector reaches all the way back to Chaucer in his survey of the ongoing dialogue about the paucity of both women and racial outsiders in the C-suite. In another chapter, he traces with perception and wit the evolution of the discourse from management to general management, then on to leadership and, then, to transformation.' David Carl Wilson, Philosophy of Management

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.

Subject Areas: Organizational theory & behaviour [KJU], Business communication & presentation [KJP], Management: leadership & motivation [KJMB]