Author: Richard Bolden
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317614682
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
Leadership Paradoxes was shortlisted for the 2017 Management Book of the Year, an industry book award organised by the Chartered Management Institute and the British Library. ******************************************** Leadership remains one of the most sought-after qualities in contemporary society, yet after centuries of research, education and debate it remains just as elusive as ever. Leadership Paradoxes: Rethinking Leadership for an Uncertain World argues that the key to understanding and enhancing leadership education, theory and practice lies in the recognition of its paradoxical tendencies. Drawing on the expertise of an international team of leadership scholars and practitioners, this book examines common leadership paradoxes and challenges faced by leaders — and shows how they can be reconceived as opportunities to be embraced, rather than problems to be solved. Readers will benefit from reflective questions at the end of each chapter, plus a companion website at www.leadershipparadoxes.com offering further material and a forum for discussion. Leadership Paradoxes will be valuable supplementary reading for students of leadership at advanced undergraduate, postgraduate, and post-experience level, as well as professionals seeking to improve their practice.
Leadership Paradoxes
Author: Richard Bolden
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317614682
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
Leadership Paradoxes was shortlisted for the 2017 Management Book of the Year, an industry book award organised by the Chartered Management Institute and the British Library. ******************************************** Leadership remains one of the most sought-after qualities in contemporary society, yet after centuries of research, education and debate it remains just as elusive as ever. Leadership Paradoxes: Rethinking Leadership for an Uncertain World argues that the key to understanding and enhancing leadership education, theory and practice lies in the recognition of its paradoxical tendencies. Drawing on the expertise of an international team of leadership scholars and practitioners, this book examines common leadership paradoxes and challenges faced by leaders — and shows how they can be reconceived as opportunities to be embraced, rather than problems to be solved. Readers will benefit from reflective questions at the end of each chapter, plus a companion website at www.leadershipparadoxes.com offering further material and a forum for discussion. Leadership Paradoxes will be valuable supplementary reading for students of leadership at advanced undergraduate, postgraduate, and post-experience level, as well as professionals seeking to improve their practice.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317614682
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
Leadership Paradoxes was shortlisted for the 2017 Management Book of the Year, an industry book award organised by the Chartered Management Institute and the British Library. ******************************************** Leadership remains one of the most sought-after qualities in contemporary society, yet after centuries of research, education and debate it remains just as elusive as ever. Leadership Paradoxes: Rethinking Leadership for an Uncertain World argues that the key to understanding and enhancing leadership education, theory and practice lies in the recognition of its paradoxical tendencies. Drawing on the expertise of an international team of leadership scholars and practitioners, this book examines common leadership paradoxes and challenges faced by leaders — and shows how they can be reconceived as opportunities to be embraced, rather than problems to be solved. Readers will benefit from reflective questions at the end of each chapter, plus a companion website at www.leadershipparadoxes.com offering further material and a forum for discussion. Leadership Paradoxes will be valuable supplementary reading for students of leadership at advanced undergraduate, postgraduate, and post-experience level, as well as professionals seeking to improve their practice.
Navigating Leadership Paradox
Author: Rikke Kristine Nielsen
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 311078887X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 234
Book Description
One of the most significant management challenges in modern companies and organizations is dealing with unavoidable, complex paradoxes. Today’s world is multidimensional, multipolar, and multipurpose, and increasingly, classic management challenges such as leadership vs. management; exploitation vs. exploration, virtual vs. physical presence, economic sustainability vs. environmental sustainability, localization vs. globalization, etc. assume the characteristics of paradoxes rather than problems or dilemmas. Leadership of paradox is not about making a decision once and for all or prioritizing tough trade-offs, but about navigating between opposing considerations. Navigating Leadership Paradox argues that academic knowledge pools can support leaders’ decision-making and sense-making in organizations and navigating paradoxes. The book outlines a practical pathway for management leaders and professionals for steering through paradox using 5 phases, 10 paradoxes, 15 tools, 20 cases, and 25 learning points. It delineates how to identify a paradox by assessing the nature of your challenge and discusses the appropriate courses of action individually as well in collaboration with other stakeholders. It also gives inspiration and advice for professional helpers assisting others in navigating paradox as part of organizational development or other educational purposes. This book will be essential reading for practitioners and academicians in the fields of leadership paradox, complexity management, change management, leadership dilemmas and organizational paradox.
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 311078887X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 234
Book Description
One of the most significant management challenges in modern companies and organizations is dealing with unavoidable, complex paradoxes. Today’s world is multidimensional, multipolar, and multipurpose, and increasingly, classic management challenges such as leadership vs. management; exploitation vs. exploration, virtual vs. physical presence, economic sustainability vs. environmental sustainability, localization vs. globalization, etc. assume the characteristics of paradoxes rather than problems or dilemmas. Leadership of paradox is not about making a decision once and for all or prioritizing tough trade-offs, but about navigating between opposing considerations. Navigating Leadership Paradox argues that academic knowledge pools can support leaders’ decision-making and sense-making in organizations and navigating paradoxes. The book outlines a practical pathway for management leaders and professionals for steering through paradox using 5 phases, 10 paradoxes, 15 tools, 20 cases, and 25 learning points. It delineates how to identify a paradox by assessing the nature of your challenge and discusses the appropriate courses of action individually as well in collaboration with other stakeholders. It also gives inspiration and advice for professional helpers assisting others in navigating paradox as part of organizational development or other educational purposes. This book will be essential reading for practitioners and academicians in the fields of leadership paradox, complexity management, change management, leadership dilemmas and organizational paradox.
Ten Years to Midnight
Author: Blair H. Sheppard
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ISBN: 1523088761
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 162
Book Description
“Shows how humans have brought us to the brink and how humanity can find solutions. I urge people to read with humility and the daring to act.” —Harpal Singh, former Chair, Save the Children, India, and former Vice Chair, Save the Children International In conversations with people all over the world, from government officials and business leaders to taxi drivers and schoolteachers, Blair Sheppard, global leader for strategy and leadership at PwC, discovered they all had surprisingly similar concerns. In this prescient and pragmatic book, he and his team sum up these concerns in what they call the ADAPT framework: Asymmetry of wealth; Disruption wrought by the unexpected and often problematic consequences of technology; Age disparities--stresses caused by very young or very old populations in developed and emerging countries; Polarization as a symptom of the breakdown in global and national consensus; and loss of Trust in the institutions that underpin and stabilize society. These concerns are in turn precipitating four crises: a crisis of prosperity, a crisis of technology, a crisis of institutional legitimacy, and a crisis of leadership. Sheppard and his team analyze the complex roots of these crises--but they also offer solutions, albeit often seemingly counterintuitive ones. For example, in an era of globalization, we need to place a much greater emphasis on developing self-sustaining local economies. And as technology permeates our lives, we need computer scientists and engineers conversant with sociology and psychology and poets who can code. The authors argue persuasively that we have only a decade to make headway on these problems. But if we tackle them now, thoughtfully, imaginatively, creatively, and energetically, in ten years we could be looking at a dawn instead of darkness.
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ISBN: 1523088761
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 162
Book Description
“Shows how humans have brought us to the brink and how humanity can find solutions. I urge people to read with humility and the daring to act.” —Harpal Singh, former Chair, Save the Children, India, and former Vice Chair, Save the Children International In conversations with people all over the world, from government officials and business leaders to taxi drivers and schoolteachers, Blair Sheppard, global leader for strategy and leadership at PwC, discovered they all had surprisingly similar concerns. In this prescient and pragmatic book, he and his team sum up these concerns in what they call the ADAPT framework: Asymmetry of wealth; Disruption wrought by the unexpected and often problematic consequences of technology; Age disparities--stresses caused by very young or very old populations in developed and emerging countries; Polarization as a symptom of the breakdown in global and national consensus; and loss of Trust in the institutions that underpin and stabilize society. These concerns are in turn precipitating four crises: a crisis of prosperity, a crisis of technology, a crisis of institutional legitimacy, and a crisis of leadership. Sheppard and his team analyze the complex roots of these crises--but they also offer solutions, albeit often seemingly counterintuitive ones. For example, in an era of globalization, we need to place a much greater emphasis on developing self-sustaining local economies. And as technology permeates our lives, we need computer scientists and engineers conversant with sociology and psychology and poets who can code. The authors argue persuasively that we have only a decade to make headway on these problems. But if we tackle them now, thoughtfully, imaginatively, creatively, and energetically, in ten years we could be looking at a dawn instead of darkness.
The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership
Author: Tim Elmore
Publisher: HarperCollins Leadership
ISBN: 140022831X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 241
Book Description
Become a next generation leader—rich in emotional and social intelligence and orchestrating outstanding collaborative results—by mastering these eight status quo-shattering paradoxes. The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership unpacks the fresh strategies and new mindset required today from a next generation leader. Author Dr. Tim Elmore helps leaders of all kinds navigate increasingly complex, rapidly changing environments, as well as manage teams who bring a range of new demands and expectations to the workplace that haven’t been seen even one generation prior. After working alongside John C. Maxwell for twenty years, Tim offers counter-intuitive paradoxes that, when practiced, enable today’s leader to differentiate themselves and better connect with their team and customers. The book furnishes ideas that equip leaders to inspire team members in a way a paycheck never could. Having trained hundreds of thousands of young professionals to develop into leaders—Dr. Elmore shares the secrets of next generation leaders who have practiced the unique paradoxes outlined in this book and inspired their team members in a way that a paycheck never could. In The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership, readers will: Learn how today’s team members require a combination of different qualities from their leaders than they did in even the recent past; Grasp the importance of eight key paradoxes that are critical for next generation leaders to put into practice right now; Be inspired by historic and modern-day leaders who lived the eight paradoxes; and Understand how they too can lead with the eight paradoxes, guiding them to emotional and social intelligence that resonates with their teams and leads to outstanding collaborative results.
Publisher: HarperCollins Leadership
ISBN: 140022831X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 241
Book Description
Become a next generation leader—rich in emotional and social intelligence and orchestrating outstanding collaborative results—by mastering these eight status quo-shattering paradoxes. The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership unpacks the fresh strategies and new mindset required today from a next generation leader. Author Dr. Tim Elmore helps leaders of all kinds navigate increasingly complex, rapidly changing environments, as well as manage teams who bring a range of new demands and expectations to the workplace that haven’t been seen even one generation prior. After working alongside John C. Maxwell for twenty years, Tim offers counter-intuitive paradoxes that, when practiced, enable today’s leader to differentiate themselves and better connect with their team and customers. The book furnishes ideas that equip leaders to inspire team members in a way a paycheck never could. Having trained hundreds of thousands of young professionals to develop into leaders—Dr. Elmore shares the secrets of next generation leaders who have practiced the unique paradoxes outlined in this book and inspired their team members in a way that a paycheck never could. In The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership, readers will: Learn how today’s team members require a combination of different qualities from their leaders than they did in even the recent past; Grasp the importance of eight key paradoxes that are critical for next generation leaders to put into practice right now; Be inspired by historic and modern-day leaders who lived the eight paradoxes; and Understand how they too can lead with the eight paradoxes, guiding them to emotional and social intelligence that resonates with their teams and leads to outstanding collaborative results.
Paradoxes of Power and Leadership
Author: Miguel Pina e Cunha
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351056646
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 239
Book Description
Why do great companies and other organizations fail, sometimes abruptly? Why do admired leaders fall from their organizational pedestals? Why do young and promising managers derail? Why do organizations create and reinforce rules that manifestly damage both them and those that they employ, serve and sustain? Leadership is a much-discussed but ill-defined idea in business and management circles. Analysing and understanding the skills and behaviours exhibited in leadership practice reveal that leaders exhibit paradoxical activities that challenge our understanding of organizations. In this text, the authors identify leadership behaviours that compete towards business equilibrium: selfish versus selfless, distance versus proximity, consistency versus individuality, enforcing professional standards versus flexibility and control versus autonomy. These paradoxical dilemmas require a reflexive and analytical approach to a subject that is tricky to define. The book explores the paradoxes of power and leadership not as a panacea for solving organizational problems but as a lens through which leadership and power are seen as an exercise in dynamic balance. Read this book as an invitation to the paradoxes of power and leadership that frame organizational life today. Be prepared to find surprises – and some counterintuitive arguments. Providing a thought-provoking guide to the traits and skills that will help readers to understand and navigate paradoxical leadership behaviour, this reflexive book will be a useful reading for students and scholars of business, management and psychology globally.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351056646
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 239
Book Description
Why do great companies and other organizations fail, sometimes abruptly? Why do admired leaders fall from their organizational pedestals? Why do young and promising managers derail? Why do organizations create and reinforce rules that manifestly damage both them and those that they employ, serve and sustain? Leadership is a much-discussed but ill-defined idea in business and management circles. Analysing and understanding the skills and behaviours exhibited in leadership practice reveal that leaders exhibit paradoxical activities that challenge our understanding of organizations. In this text, the authors identify leadership behaviours that compete towards business equilibrium: selfish versus selfless, distance versus proximity, consistency versus individuality, enforcing professional standards versus flexibility and control versus autonomy. These paradoxical dilemmas require a reflexive and analytical approach to a subject that is tricky to define. The book explores the paradoxes of power and leadership not as a panacea for solving organizational problems but as a lens through which leadership and power are seen as an exercise in dynamic balance. Read this book as an invitation to the paradoxes of power and leadership that frame organizational life today. Be prepared to find surprises – and some counterintuitive arguments. Providing a thought-provoking guide to the traits and skills that will help readers to understand and navigate paradoxical leadership behaviour, this reflexive book will be a useful reading for students and scholars of business, management and psychology globally.
Polarity Management
Author: Barry Johnson
Publisher: Human Resource Development
ISBN: 9780874251760
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 294
Book Description
University level text. Some complex problems simply do not have "solutions." The key to being an effective leader is being able to recognize and manage such problems. Polarity Management presents a unique model and set of principles that will challenge you to look at situations in new ways. Also included are exercises to strengthen your skills, and case studies to help you begin applying the model to your own unsolvable problems.
Publisher: Human Resource Development
ISBN: 9780874251760
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 294
Book Description
University level text. Some complex problems simply do not have "solutions." The key to being an effective leader is being able to recognize and manage such problems. Polarity Management presents a unique model and set of principles that will challenge you to look at situations in new ways. Also included are exercises to strengthen your skills, and case studies to help you begin applying the model to your own unsolvable problems.
Navigating Polarities: Using Both/And Thinking to Lead Transformation
Author: Brian Emerson
Publisher: Paradoxical Press
ISBN: 1733382836
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 196
Book Description
How do you do two seemingly opposite things at once? How can you be candid and diplomatic, provide structure and flexibility, keep things stable and lead change, and focus on organizational interests while simultaneously doing what's best for employees? Many approach these polarities with either/or thinking, but leaders, teams, and organizations that navigate them using a both/and mindset significantly outperform those who don't. The trick is knowing how. In their work with thousands of people across the globe, Brian Emerson and Kelly Lewis have seen the tension and stress polarities can create in relationships, teams, and in organizations. In this book, they share the practical tools to transform that tension into a positive driving force by expanding either/or thinking to include a both/and mindset.
Publisher: Paradoxical Press
ISBN: 1733382836
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 196
Book Description
How do you do two seemingly opposite things at once? How can you be candid and diplomatic, provide structure and flexibility, keep things stable and lead change, and focus on organizational interests while simultaneously doing what's best for employees? Many approach these polarities with either/or thinking, but leaders, teams, and organizations that navigate them using a both/and mindset significantly outperform those who don't. The trick is knowing how. In their work with thousands of people across the globe, Brian Emerson and Kelly Lewis have seen the tension and stress polarities can create in relationships, teams, and in organizations. In this book, they share the practical tools to transform that tension into a positive driving force by expanding either/or thinking to include a both/and mindset.
Managing Leadership Paradoxes
Author: Lotte Luscher
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351019929
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 282
Book Description
Managers today are faced with numerous complex challenges speckled with paradoxes. They must have a sharp economical focus while simultaneously engaging in creative and innovative thinking. They must support individuals as well as teams, think globally, and do business locally. This book views complexity as a fundamental element of leadership, rather than something that should simply be reduced and removed. It presents a leadership concept that includes both sides of the paradox. Managing Leadership Paradoxes uses case studies and practical exercises to show how managers can maintain decisiveness in the face of paradoxes, complexities, and contradictory demands. Lotte Lüscher draws on research gleaned from managers within the international corporation, Lego, to provide first-hand knowledge of how a large-scale organization meets and manages change paradoxes, rather than treating them as something that needs to be reduced and removed. It will assist managers and aspiring managers in expanding their understanding of leadership challenges beyond dilemmas, and equip them with the managerial skills to handle the most persistent and pervasive paradoxical challenges that arise as a result of organizational change. The book will be of interest to leaders and managers, as well as students of leadership, management and organizational studies.The intent is to provide the reader with a foundation for reflecting on his or her own leadership practice with special focus on organizational complexity, ambiguity, and paradoxes.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351019929
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 282
Book Description
Managers today are faced with numerous complex challenges speckled with paradoxes. They must have a sharp economical focus while simultaneously engaging in creative and innovative thinking. They must support individuals as well as teams, think globally, and do business locally. This book views complexity as a fundamental element of leadership, rather than something that should simply be reduced and removed. It presents a leadership concept that includes both sides of the paradox. Managing Leadership Paradoxes uses case studies and practical exercises to show how managers can maintain decisiveness in the face of paradoxes, complexities, and contradictory demands. Lotte Lüscher draws on research gleaned from managers within the international corporation, Lego, to provide first-hand knowledge of how a large-scale organization meets and manages change paradoxes, rather than treating them as something that needs to be reduced and removed. It will assist managers and aspiring managers in expanding their understanding of leadership challenges beyond dilemmas, and equip them with the managerial skills to handle the most persistent and pervasive paradoxical challenges that arise as a result of organizational change. The book will be of interest to leaders and managers, as well as students of leadership, management and organizational studies.The intent is to provide the reader with a foundation for reflecting on his or her own leadership practice with special focus on organizational complexity, ambiguity, and paradoxes.
Complex Adaptive Leadership
Author: Nick Obolensky
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040277284
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 330
Book Description
Since its publication, Complex Adaptive Leadership has become a Gower bestseller that has been taught in corporate leadership programmes, business schools and universities around the world to high acclaim. In this updated paperback edition, Nick Obolensky argues that leadership should not be something only exercised by nominated leaders. It is a complex dynamic process involving all those engaged in a particular enterprise. The theoretical background to this lies in complexity science and chaos theory - spoken and written about in the context of leadership for the last 20 years, but still little understood. We all seem intuitively to know leadership 'isn't what it used to be' but we still cling to old assumptions which look anachronistic in changing and challenging times. Nick Obolensky has practised, researched and taught leadership in the public, private and voluntary sectors. In this exciting book he brings together his knowledge of theory, his own experience, and the results of 19 years of research involving 2,500 executives in 40 countries around the world. The main conclusion from that research is that the more complex things become, the less traditional directive leadership is needed. Those operating in the real world, nonetheless, need ways of coping. The book is focused on helping practitioners struggling to interpret and react to increasingly VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) times. The book will particularly appeal to practitioners wishing to improve their leadership effectiveness as well as for students and researchers in the field of leadership.
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040277284
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 330
Book Description
Since its publication, Complex Adaptive Leadership has become a Gower bestseller that has been taught in corporate leadership programmes, business schools and universities around the world to high acclaim. In this updated paperback edition, Nick Obolensky argues that leadership should not be something only exercised by nominated leaders. It is a complex dynamic process involving all those engaged in a particular enterprise. The theoretical background to this lies in complexity science and chaos theory - spoken and written about in the context of leadership for the last 20 years, but still little understood. We all seem intuitively to know leadership 'isn't what it used to be' but we still cling to old assumptions which look anachronistic in changing and challenging times. Nick Obolensky has practised, researched and taught leadership in the public, private and voluntary sectors. In this exciting book he brings together his knowledge of theory, his own experience, and the results of 19 years of research involving 2,500 executives in 40 countries around the world. The main conclusion from that research is that the more complex things become, the less traditional directive leadership is needed. Those operating in the real world, nonetheless, need ways of coping. The book is focused on helping practitioners struggling to interpret and react to increasingly VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) times. The book will particularly appeal to practitioners wishing to improve their leadership effectiveness as well as for students and researchers in the field of leadership.
Rethinking Leadership
Author: Donna Ladkin
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1849805342
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 215
Book Description
Books about leadership abound, often generalizing from a heroic leader s own experiences or reflecting the latest incremental advances in scholarly theorizing. Rethinking Leadership is different in that Ladkin questions the key questions of leadership thinking and thus arrives at a radically different conception of leadership. It is a welcome conception that recognizes the embodied, sensual, felt nature of leadership as an ongoing process involving leaders and followers within a particular context. For the complex and challenging times we live in, we need complex and challenging conceptions of leadership and Donna Ladkin has given us an excellent starting place. Steve Taylor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, US Beautifully written, insightful and novel, this book departs nicely from mainstream views on leadership and can be strongly recommended to anyone wanting a new look on the complexities, meanings and dynamics of leadership and workplace relations. Mats Alvesson, Lund University, Sweden Donna Ladkin s inspiring and informed book breaks new ground in leadership studies. Writing lucidly, warmly and accessibly, Ladkin makes philosophy to bear on some key themes of leadership. Picking up concepts from philosophy s all time greats, she enriches the existing leadership discourse powerfully. Questions of charisma , vision , indeed the nature of leadership itself, are cast in fresh settings, and they become alive. Skilfully avoiding becoming overtly abstract, with a keen eye to examples, Donna Ladkin delivers a delightful, elevating and original contribution to the rethinking of leadership. Esa Saarinen, Helsinki University of Technology, Finland Adopting a post-positivist phenomenological perspective inspired by the writings of Husserl and Heidegger among others, Donna Ladkin crafts a series of philosophical questions that prompt the reader to deconstruct and reposition many habitually held views of leaders and leadership. Through her deep questioning, Ladkin reminds us that wisdom the virtue of practical circumspection is central to the ethical and aesthetic moment of leading. Rethinking Leadership is a refreshing and much-needed re-evaluation of the field, which should be read by anyone with a serious interest in the subject. Peter Case, University of the West of England, UK Writing anything new about leadership might seem like a difficult task these days. Writing anything new and interesting about leadership might seem beyond most of us. Writing anything new, interesting and provocative about leadership is restricted to only a few very talented scholars. Ladkin is one of these very talented scholars she has done all three in a groundbreaking review of the nature of leadership and the questions we should be asking about this phenomenon. Keith Grint, University of Warwick, UK A must-read for serious leadership studies scholars, Rethinking Leadership offers a radical reconceptualisation of leadership as a contextually embedded, physically embodied phenomenon. The book arrives at original and surprising answers to perennial questions such as What is leadership? and How do leaders lead change? , by addressing them from a philosophical, rather than psychological or sociological standpoint. Beautifully written, Ladkin makes complex ideas accessible by illustrating them with practical examples drawn from her wide experience as a leadership academic and management consultant across a range of commercial, political and not-for-profit organisations. A fresh voice amongst the crowded field of leadership studies, Rethinking Leadership delivers not just new answers, but an entirely new way of thinking about leadership and its role in contemporary society.
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1849805342
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 215
Book Description
Books about leadership abound, often generalizing from a heroic leader s own experiences or reflecting the latest incremental advances in scholarly theorizing. Rethinking Leadership is different in that Ladkin questions the key questions of leadership thinking and thus arrives at a radically different conception of leadership. It is a welcome conception that recognizes the embodied, sensual, felt nature of leadership as an ongoing process involving leaders and followers within a particular context. For the complex and challenging times we live in, we need complex and challenging conceptions of leadership and Donna Ladkin has given us an excellent starting place. Steve Taylor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, US Beautifully written, insightful and novel, this book departs nicely from mainstream views on leadership and can be strongly recommended to anyone wanting a new look on the complexities, meanings and dynamics of leadership and workplace relations. Mats Alvesson, Lund University, Sweden Donna Ladkin s inspiring and informed book breaks new ground in leadership studies. Writing lucidly, warmly and accessibly, Ladkin makes philosophy to bear on some key themes of leadership. Picking up concepts from philosophy s all time greats, she enriches the existing leadership discourse powerfully. Questions of charisma , vision , indeed the nature of leadership itself, are cast in fresh settings, and they become alive. Skilfully avoiding becoming overtly abstract, with a keen eye to examples, Donna Ladkin delivers a delightful, elevating and original contribution to the rethinking of leadership. Esa Saarinen, Helsinki University of Technology, Finland Adopting a post-positivist phenomenological perspective inspired by the writings of Husserl and Heidegger among others, Donna Ladkin crafts a series of philosophical questions that prompt the reader to deconstruct and reposition many habitually held views of leaders and leadership. Through her deep questioning, Ladkin reminds us that wisdom the virtue of practical circumspection is central to the ethical and aesthetic moment of leading. Rethinking Leadership is a refreshing and much-needed re-evaluation of the field, which should be read by anyone with a serious interest in the subject. Peter Case, University of the West of England, UK Writing anything new about leadership might seem like a difficult task these days. Writing anything new and interesting about leadership might seem beyond most of us. Writing anything new, interesting and provocative about leadership is restricted to only a few very talented scholars. Ladkin is one of these very talented scholars she has done all three in a groundbreaking review of the nature of leadership and the questions we should be asking about this phenomenon. Keith Grint, University of Warwick, UK A must-read for serious leadership studies scholars, Rethinking Leadership offers a radical reconceptualisation of leadership as a contextually embedded, physically embodied phenomenon. The book arrives at original and surprising answers to perennial questions such as What is leadership? and How do leaders lead change? , by addressing them from a philosophical, rather than psychological or sociological standpoint. Beautifully written, Ladkin makes complex ideas accessible by illustrating them with practical examples drawn from her wide experience as a leadership academic and management consultant across a range of commercial, political and not-for-profit organisations. A fresh voice amongst the crowded field of leadership studies, Rethinking Leadership delivers not just new answers, but an entirely new way of thinking about leadership and its role in contemporary society.