The leadership delusion
International Journal of Leadership in Public Services
ISSN: 1747-9886
Article publication date: 24 November 2009
Abstract
The author argues that leadership in the public sector operates within the belief of a historical and often mythical hierarchy, and that leadership as a term often is over‐used and under‐conceptualised. This ‘leadership delusion’ is located in a functional approach to leadership where the assumption is that removing dysfunctions from organisations through efficient and effective delivery will automatically bring about changes to standards. While organisational systems, structures and roles are important for quality and improvement, such an approach is not of itself socially critical. This viewpoint argues that we need approaches to leadership that engage with bigger issues such as class, gender and race in ways that are more than counting and measuring.
Keywords
Citation
Gunter, H. (2009), "The leadership delusion", International Journal of Leadership in Public Services, Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 50-54. https://doi.org/10.1108/17479886200900022
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited