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Managing without Leadership: Towards a Theory of Organizational Functioning
Author(s): Gabriele Lakomski (Author)
- Publisher: Elsevier Science Ltd
- Publication Date: 28 Feb. 2005
- Language: English
- Print length: 168 pages
- ISBN-10: 9780080433523
- ISBN-13: 9780080433523
Book Description
A critical examination of leadership theories past and present, "Managing without Leadership" argues that leadership as traditionally understood does not explain organizational functioning. Bounded by empiricist assumptions and methodology, and including a narrow theory of mind as symbol processor, leadership theories are unable to support their claims about leaders and their actions. Drawing on coherentist epistemology, connectionism, and the theory of self-organizing dynamic systems, a naturalistic account of organizational functioning and organization design is explored that includes leaders as non-privileged agents in the cognitive fabric of organizational life.
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Managing Without Leadership challenges orthodox thinking about leadership provoking scholars in the field to re-examine the epistemological assumptions that underpin their work." - Professor James Spillane, Northwestern University, US
