Abstract

This chapter presents the argument that leadership is not always effective, even though we know a great deal about what makes leadership effective. Consequently, we are asking the wrong question when we inquire into what makes leadership effective. A more interesting question is that when we know so much about effective leadership, why are leaders sometimes unable to exercise effective leadership? Why do not they do as they should? The answer discussed here is that leadership is often ineffective because people are imperfect, including leaders. Therefore, there are individual and organisational barriers to effective leadership, as well as constraints in the environment. Better education and training programmes for leaders, as well as more robust and transparent methods of recruitment and selection of leaders, may remedy this to some extent. But it is perhaps more important to accept the fact that leadership is often ineffective and that we should settle for 'good enough'. This perspective offers us the opportunity to investigate the barriers to effective leadership and what may be done to reduce them. This is a better way forward for researchers and practitioners than the present dominating focus within leadership literature on unobtainable ideals involving flawless acts carried out by perfect human beings operating in rational organisational environments.

Highlights

  • People are capable of great things, but they are imperfect

  • When we know so much about leadership, why do not leaders exercise more effective leadership? The simple answer is that leadership is ineffective because people are imperfect, including leaders themselves

  • There is certainly something to gain from creating better education and training programmes for leaders, as well as more robust and transparent methods of recruitment and selection of leaders

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Summary

Introduction

People are capable of great things, but they are imperfect. The Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck [1] wrote in his novel, The Log from the Sea of Cortez, that ‘there is a strange duality in the human which makes for an ethical paradox’. Steinbeck goes on to say that human societies tend to share more or less universal descriptions of good and bad human qualities;. Leaders should achieve goals with efficient use of resources, while at the same time conserving and developing resources In reality, this is not always the case. It is important to understand what the barriers to effective leadership are and what can be done to minimise these, at both individual and organisational levels. This issue deserves more attention and will provide an important contribution to further research and understanding of the leadership phenomenon. The more pertinent question is if we know so much about what constitutes effective leadership, why do not leaders exercise more effective leadership in organisations?

Human beings are imperfect
Imperfect organisations
Organisations are not always rational
Why do we follow leaders?
What does research teach us about effective leadership?
Leaders influence interaction
Leaders are selected
Leaders and moral values
What ever the problem, leadership is the solution
The case for ‘good-enough’ leadership
Findings
Conclusion
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