Philosophical Foundations Of Leadership

The nature of leadership and the human qualities that promote or inhibit it have a long history in Western thought and remain a central concern in modern societies. Crises in leadership may arise from either human failings or social complexities that defeat or reject those most qualified to lead. While most contemporary political or social commentators on such crises tend to focus on external circumstances, David Cawthon examines classical thinkers from Plato to Nietzsche to offer a historical and philosophical perspective on the intrinsic qualities of leadership and how these qualities are coded into the souls of some, but not of others.

A study of the nature of leadership and the human qualities that promote or inhibit it. David Cawthon examines classical thinkers from Plato to Nietzsche to offer a historical and philosophical perspective on leadership qualities and how these are coded in the souls of some, but not others.

The book's premise is that the theories taught in management schools are based on unacknowledged philosophical perspectives that are significant not so much for what they explain, but for what they assume. Rarely made explicit, these perspectives cannot be reconciled, with the result that the study of management has been dominated by contradictions and internecine intellectual warfare. However, the ability critically to analyze these diverse perspectives is essential to practicing and aspiring managers if they are to evaluate expert opinion. Moreover, since management is primarily an exercise in communication, managing is impossible in the darkness of an imprecise language, in the absence of moral references, or in the senseless outline of a world without intellectual foundations. Managing is a prime example of applied philosophy.

This book offers a refreshing view of leadership as a psycho-social phenomenon. Attention is drawn to the conceptual muddle which underlies much of managerial practices, particularly in the selection and development of future leaders. Also demonstrated is the conceptual muddle through semantic analysis of the vocabulary used in defining leadership in different languages. The concept of leadership from four different perspectives is examined in detail: leadership as a universal and natural phenomenon; membership and social roles; leadership as a collective process; conceptual models. In addition to the theoretical models, the author discusses patterns of influence and use and abuse of power. Consistent with his emphasis on the reciprocal nature of leadership, he complements his analysis of leading behavior by insightful analysis of the phenomenon of obedience: the psychological and cultural foundations of obedience; patterns of obedience; the collusion of leaders and followers in the abuse of power. The author''s conceptualization of leadership challenges much of our conventional wisdom and traditional notions. He questions, for example, the universality of intelligence, dominance, aggressiveness and extraversion as predictors of leadership potential. Instead of imposing an ideal model of leadership, he lays the philosophical foundations that allow institutions to make their own choice of the model (or models) best suited for their values and unique historical circumstances. As such, the book can best be described as an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural guide for policy makers, particularly those concerned with the selection and training of leaders.

Why are some political leaders stronger than others? How do we make sense of the interaction between the leader's personality and the context that the leader faces? This book provides a unique way of approaching these questions, identifying the very different philosophical foundations that underpin the contemporary study of political leadership.

This book systematically elaborates Scott Eacott’s “relational” approach to organizational theory in education. Contributing to the relational trend in the social sciences, it first surveys relational scholarship across disciplines before providing a nuanced articulation of the relational research program and key concepts such as organizing activity, auctors, and spatio-temporal conditions. It also includes critical commentaries on the program from key figures such as Tony Bush, Megan Crawford, Fenwick English, Helen Gunter, Izhar Oplatka, Augusto Riveros, and Dawn Wallin. As such, the text models an approach to, or social epistemology for building knowledge claims in relation rather than through parallel monologues. Eacott’s relational approach provides a distinctive, post-Bourdieusian variant of the relational sociological project. Shifting the focus of inquiry from entities (e.g., leaders, organizations) to organizing activity and recognizing how auctors generate – simultaneously emerging from and constitutive of – spatio-temporal conditions unsettles the orthodoxy of organizational theory in educational administration and leadership. By presenting its claims in the context of other approaches, the book stimulates intellectual debate among both relational sociologists and opponents of relational approaches. Beyond Leadership provides significant insights into the organizing of education. As it does not fit neatly into any one field, but instead blends educational administration and leadership, organizational studies, and relational sociology, among others, it charts new territory and promotes important dialogue and debate.

Philosophy of Leadership has been written to arouse curiosity, not to satisfy it. The authors point out ideas about leadership which draw upon both ancient and modern wisdom. This book develops a philosophy of leadership by tracing the evolution of Western ideas from philosophical perspectives, ancient and modern.

Guided by and complimenting the writings of Robert K. Greenleaf, this book aims to deepen, expand and extend the philosophy of servant-leadership. Proposing a grounding framework for the studies of leadership, training and development, the author suggests that servant-leadership is primarily based on the structures of human development. Emphasizing the notion of a developing servant-consciousness and explaining the composition of a servant-leader disposition, this book analyzes the way that leadership has evolved. The characteristics of a servant-leader are categorized into five primary capacities, each with a focus on holistic listening and path-finding foresight. Servant-leaders in Training is essential reading for scholars of organizational leadership and management, and those wishing to gain a deeper understanding of servant-leader philosophy more generally.