Leadership

Written by an author team from one of Europe's leading management schools, Leadership combines highly up-to-date research with a wealth of real-world case studies to help readers make the transition from theory to practice. This student-focused text encourages critical appraisal of the mainstream viewpoints and personal reflection on leadership experience in a way that is both clear and highly engaging. Divided into four parts, the book guides the reader thematically through the big issues and debates in the field, including the leadership versus management debate, team performance, and the question of whether leaders are born or made. The first part of the book, 'Defining the Terrain', lays the foundation for subsequent chapters by exploring what we mean by leadership, how it compares to management, and why we study it. The second and third parts of the book build on this, addressing core topics that have shaped leadership thinking for academics and practitioners over the last fifty years, as well as considering the cutting-edge debates within the field, and tackling issues such as strategic leadership, ethical leadership, and leading change. Finally, the fourth part, 'Developing Leaders', explores traditional and state-of-the-art development techniques, before encouraging the reader to consider their own leadership through identity work. Leadership mappings in the final chapter assimilate the range of theories and themes from the previous chapters, providing a framework for comparisons and connections throughout the book. This clear and logical structure is combined with carefully designed learning features including author and student reflection boxes, film and media parallels, case studies, and discussion points to develop and support learning, while the critical approach invites students to exercise their thinking skills and develop their own perspectives on the material presented. The authors draw upon their years of academic and business experience to offer an insight into this important and dynamic field, making this text a must read for all students concerned with understanding and practising leadership.