The Five Mythical Habits of Highly Ineffective Leadership

Abstract

ABSTRACT A great deal of contributions to new knowledge has become amassed in the management academic literature since the beginning of scientific management in the 1920s, through the New York University appointment of the first professor of management, Peter Drucker (1950), and into this new millennium. Human resource practitioners and other managers in the field of hospitality management borrow from these sources to remain informed concerning management developments. Despite the proliferation of literature, mythical beliefs exist among management practitioners and shareholder groups, through the fault of improper applications of otherwise well documented scientific investigations. This article identifies five commonly held myths concerning management that do possess apparent supportive citations from the literature when interpreted through narrow and irresponsible predetermined applications. Counter points to these myths are also presented from the same body of literature, the entertainment arts, and less-than-noticeable moments in sports history. The article concludes by encouraging readers to balance scientific, artistic, and anecdotal observations in the process of differentiating between management myths and management realities.