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Leadership: a perniciously vague concept.

Spicker, Paul

Authors

Paul Spicker



Abstract

Purpose “ Despite the vast amount of literature covering the concept of leadership, it remains contentious, under-conceptualised and often uncritical. The purpose of this paper is to question the validity of the concept and dispute its application. Design/methodology/approach “ The paper reviews what the idea of leadership means, how it relates to competing accounts of management in the public services, and what value it adds. Findings “ There is no evident reason why the supposed roles, tasks, or qualities of leadership either need to be or should be concentrated in the person of a leader; the tasks involved in leading an organisation are not in fact the tasks of motivation, influence or direction of others which are at the core of the literature; and there is no reason to suppose that leadership is a primary influence on the behaviour of most organisations. Practical implications “ In the context of the public services, there is no set of skills, behaviours or roles that could be applied across the public services; the emphasis in leadership theory on personal relationships may be inconsistent with the objectives and character of the service; and the arrogation to a public service manager of a leadership role may be illegitimate. Originality/value “ The argument here represents a fundamental challenge to the concept of leadership, its relevance and its application to public services.

Citation

SPICKER, P. 2012. Leadership: a perniciously vague concept. International journal of public sector management [online], 25(1), pages 34-47. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1108/09513551211200276

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 31, 2011
Online Publication Date Jun 20, 2012
Publication Date Jan 31, 2012
Deposit Date Jun 12, 2013
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal International journal of public sector management
Print ISSN 0951-3558
Electronic ISSN 0951-3558
Publisher Emerald
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 25
Issue 1
Pages 34-47
DOI https://doi.org/10.1108/09513551211200276
Keywords Leaders; Leadership; Public administration; Public sector management; Public sector organisations; Public services
Public URL http://hdl.handle.net/10059/827

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