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The concept of leadership

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journal contribution
posted on 2017-06-07, 06:26 authored by Reser, Clarence L. W., Sarros, James C.
The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic discussion of the concept of leadership. While leadership is a key instrument for progress in society, it is poorly understood as a concept. The methodology employed in this paper is analytical and discursive. Three major themes are addressed: the problematics, paradigms, and possibilities of leadership. The research is based on a limited survey of the voluminous leadership literature. The discussion is organized thematically. The principal table in the text provides a summary of leadership paradigms. The paper offers three sets of conclusions. First, leadership is a problematic because it lacks a clear and generally accepted definition; research has not elucidated the job of leader yet leadership is an arduous profession. Second, there are many leadership paradigms but no dominant one. Opinion is divided on the occurrence of paradigmatic shifts but there is consensus on the point that, empirically, leadership is a complex phenomenon. Third, leadership is a paragon for society. Ethics and morality govern the work of leaders. Effective leaders everywhere appear to practice ethical leadership. Despite numerous roles for leaders, there is no one best leadership prototype. Overall, despite extensive research and intensive debate, leadership remains enigmatic.

History

Year of first publication

2000

Series

Working paper series (Monash University. Department of Management).

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