The Politics of Leadership

Abstract

This chapter focuses on some of the most contested terrain in all of management and organization studies: leadership. It argues that leadership becomes significant in a professional service context for three reasons. The chapter first emphasizes that professional service organizations are no exception to demands for more and better leadership. It stresses that leadership in professional service organizations is often of a particular kind: Traditionally, professional service organizations have often had various collective solutions to the ‘problem’ of leadership, involving shared leadership and different forms of collegial decision-making. The chapter notes that leadership in professional service organizations is often referred to as ‘herding cats’, implying its futility. The chapter highlights common assumptions about leadership in professional service organizations — the idea of ‘cat herding’. It also addresses the romance of leadership, and discusses leadership theory. The chapter then returns to the role of ambiguity, this time in leadership processes.