Rethinking Leadership

Chapter 5

The institutional perspective

There is a dual correlation between human centered management and institutions: institutions influence the attitudes and behaviors of leaders, and moral leaders exert an influence on institutions. The former is seen in public and private educational institutions and also in ideological and professional associations; the latter gave birth to creeds and thought systems that became known through an outstanding leader’s ideas, words and actions, such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism or Gandhism, and are institutions of their own. Governmental institutions that play a major role in shaping the bonds within a society are not necessarily based on a thought system or an ideology – an example is the Chinese free ...