[rating:3.0]
( Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, 2013)
481 pgs
This book is a bit different than many I have reviewed in that it is a leadership textbook. I am teaching a Ph.D. seminar on leadership next week and this was one of the textbooks assigned by the school. I thought it might be good to review it here as a possible resource for those wanting a manual that surveys various leadership theories.
It must be said that this is, indeed, written to be a textbook. It is also intended to cover the waterfront of leadership theory. If you are looking for a light read, or a presentation of a particular view, this book is not for you.
However, if you have read much in the leadership field, you may have been somewhat confused by the numerous terms, books, and proponents that crop up. If so, this book could be a useful reference for you as you seek to understand the most influential theories on leadership and to learn how they are related or divergent from each other.
This volume examines many of the most common leadership theories such as the trait, skills, styles, and situational approaches. It looks at Contingency, Path-Goal, and Leader-Member Exchange theories. It also examines Transformational Leadership, Servant Leadership, Authentic Leadership, and Team Leadership. It presents the Psychoanalytic Approaches well as presenting Women in Leadership, Culture and Leadership, and Leadership Ethics issues. In each case the editor surveys the primary theorists of each view, the dominant writings in that field, and then presents strengths and weaknesses of each approach. There are questions that help readers to interact with the views as well as extensive bibliographies. Certainly those seeking to broaden their understanding of the subject of leadership will find this a helpful resource.
The author offers a survey of the changing emphases in leadership theory through the decades before eventually landing on his own theory. It is: “Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal’ (5). I might challenge his use of the terms “individual” and “group.” Teams can provide leadership as well as individuals. Likewise, leadership could be exercised over even just one other person and not a group. Nevertheless, it is a workable definition, emphasizing “influence” and the achieving of a common goal.
The author identifies his own understanding and view of leadership at the outset, and then for the most part, attempts to deliver an objective presentation of the various views. As you read, you are struck by the fact that most views have at least some merit and several appear to deal with significant leadership issues that people commonly experience. You are left with the recognition that while leadership is a commonly recognized and valued practice universally, there continues to be an inability to clearly define it and to develop one comprehensive view that embraces every aspect of the subject. It is also clear that some views, such as authentic leadership or women in leadership or cultural leadership issues have arisen out of current social issues. For instance, after the enormous moral failures by prominent CEOs, there has been an increased desire to develop leadership approaches that carry a stronger ethical component. Likewise, with increasing globalization, modern leadership views must take cultural differences into account.
As an aside, it also becomes clear that while several of the views, such as Transactional Leadership, or Authentic Leadership or Servant Leadership certainly lend themselves to Christian values, there are no inherently Christian views of leadership (Although my dad and I get a start to one in Spiritual Leadership!). This is a secular textbook and as a result, it does not take into account specifically Christian concerns or perspectives.
I am not sure I would have normally read this book if it had not been required in a seminar I had been asked to teach. Nevertheless, it is a book I am sure I’ll reference again as I seek to deepen my understanding of the various issues related to leadership. While it is not boring as far as textbooks go, it will not rival the more popular leadership writers either.
This is a resource book and so will only be useful to a limited number of people. As a result, I have rated it with only a 3.
by Richard Blackaby