Practicing Leadership

CHAPTER 1

Definitions and Conceptions of Leadership

Introduction

Leadership is a universal phenomenon that has preoccupied scholars, ­politicians, and others for centuries.¹ Zagoršek observed:

the simultaneous appearance of social institutions such as government, organized religion, and a significant role for individual leaders argues that there may well be something about people in complex organizations that provides a social value in having “­leaders”—they arise to fulfill a basic social function.²

In the management context, leadership has been consistently identified as playing a critical role in the success or failure of organizations and some surveys have pegged up to 45 percent of an organization’s performance on the quality and effectiveness ...