Reflexive Leadership

Making a case for a reflexive approach to leadership that is informed by in-depth studies of managers. The book aims to facilitate reflexivity in terms of challenging one's position - understanding of leadership - and considering alternatives.

Making a case for a reflexive approach to leadership, the authors draw upon decades of carrying out in-depth studies of professionals trying to do leadership. Through interviews with managers and their subordinates, getting a good understanding of organizational context, and critically interpreting their observations considering both leadership theories and a wealth of other perspectives, their celebration of reflexivity is used to question dominant leadership thinking.

Considering and challenging various departures from lines of reasoning results in a book that draws upon rich empirical material and which has a number of new, provocative, critical and constructive ideas that help to develop sharper and more thoughtful thinking and practice - both in academic and practical contexts.

Suitable for leadership and organisation courses at upper-level undergraduate and upwards (including MBA-classes and Executive Education) and a thought provoking read for practitioners and management development professionals interested in leadership thought.

Auteur

Mats Alvesson works at Lund University and also part-time at the University of Queensland and Cass Business School, City University. He has published about thirty books on critical theory, organizational culture, leadership, gender and qualitative and reflexive methods.

Stefan Sveningsson is Professor of Business Administration at the School of Economics and Management, Lund University. He has been visiting researcher at Cardiff Business School, Melbourne University, University of Sydney and Auckland Business School. His research includes leadership, managerial work, strategic and organizational change and organization of knowledge intensive work. He has published several books and journal articles. Recent books include Changing Organizational Culture (2ed, Routledge, 2015, with M Alvesson), Managerial Lives: Leadership and Identity in an Imperfect World (Cambridge University Press, 2016, with M Alvesson), and Reflexive Leadership (SAGE, 2017, with M Alvesson & M Blom).

Texte du rabat

In this exciting new book, Alvesson, Blom and Sveningsson make a case for a reflexive approach to leadership that is informed by in-depth studies of managers doing (or trying to do) leadership. Reflexivity can be defined as employing a systematically critical view of one's own assumptions, ideas and favoured vocabulary and considering alternatives. The book aims at facilitating reflexivity in terms of challenging one's position - understanding of leadership - and considering alternatives.

Contenu

Chapter 1: Leadership: The Need for a Reflexive Approach
Chapter 2: On Reflection and Reflexivity
Chapter 3: Perspectives on Leadership
Chapter 4: Leadership Beyond Ideology, Harmony and All-inclusiveness: The Case for a More Nuanced View
Chapter 5: Leadership and Organizational Culture
Chapter 6: Followership and Its Alternatives
Chapter 7: Modes of Organizing
Chapter 8: Leadership Varieties: The 5P Framework
Chapter 9: Constraints on Leadership in Managerial Work
Chapter 10: Alignment or Misfit in Leadership Constructions?
Chapter 11: Reflexive Group Work on Leadership and Its Alternatives
Chapter 12: Reflexive and Unreflexive Leadership
Chapter 13: The Reflexive Follower (LIP)
Chapter 14: Conclusions: Reflexivity, Trap-awareness and a Suggested Way Forward