Are superheroes bad for business? How shared leadership supports organizational sustainability

Abstract

Purpose

To examine the relationship between leadership and organizational sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

Presents research on the effects of leadership style on follower behavior and the emergence of managerial malfeasance. Contrasts the impact of shared and centralized leadership on organizational sustainability.

Findings

Is the age of heroic leadership coming to an end? Can all those articles interviewing celebrity chief executives and business books about their secrets of successful leadership really be wrong? A recent study argues that this model of centralized, top-down leadership can put the future of the organization at risk. Instead, it advocates selecting and developing the people who will teach others how to lead and suggests that companies that use this approach at every level are the ones most likely to have a sustainable future.

Practical implications

Advocates wider use of management development for shared leadership at all levels of the organization, rather than restricting leadership training to those already in or candidates for leadership positions.

Originality/value

Highlights the need for further theoretical and empirical research into shared leadership in general and its impact on organizational sustainability in particular.

Citation

(2013), "Are superheroes bad for business? How shared leadership supports organizational sustainability", Strategic Direction, Vol. 29 No. 11, pp. 28-30. https://doi.org/10.1108/SD-09-2013-0073