What are your leadership assumptions?
Use the Wild Questionnaire to find out! Click here
In my book 'Leadership A Critical Text', I identify four discourses of leadership; the Controller, Therapist, Messiah and the Eco-leader. Each discourse represents the way leadership is thought about, the asssumtions that we take for granted, therefore determining how leadership is enacted. For example, the Messiah discourse (epitomised by Transformational leadership) represents the idea of salvation, that leaders will take us to a 'promised land'. Unfortunately the Messiah discourse can also lead to conformist organisational cultures that diminish questioning and critical thinking, dangerously mimicking fundamentalist church cultures. The emergent and important leadership discourse for the 21st century is the Eco-leadership discourse:
"The Eco-leadership discourse is about a new paradigm of leadership. Eco-leadership recognises that within an organisation there are interdependent parts which make up a whole, this goes for all stakeholder relationships, and in ever widening circles that eventually reach the air that we breath. It is about connectivity, interdependence and sustainability underpinned by an ethical and socially responsible stance." ( Western 2007)
Different leadership discourses are releveant in different contexts and situations. It is important to identify which leadership discourses dominate your thinking, and the thinking in your organisation. Trying to establish new leadership cultures when another discourse is dominant, leads to resistance to change.
Leadership and Organizational Development
Three ways of working with you -
• Consulting and designing organisational interventions
Working with you to identify;
• Training and Leadership Formation
Delivering leadership training specifically tailored for you and your organisation.
This will vary from structured leadership programmes to the concept of 'leadership formation'. A new way of delivering distributed leadership and the Eco-leadership discourse.
• Teaching and Masterclasses
Previous Leadership teaching: MPhil in Critical Management, MA in Management Learning and Leadership, MSc Marconi Leadership at Lancaster University Management School. Internationally at McGill University, Montreal, The IIM Bangalore on the IMPM.
Contact me for Masterclasses/key note speaking on leadership or coaching.
To use ‘Leadership A Critical Text’ as a teaching text/educational aid, download the support materials on the book site:
www.simonwestern.com
www.sagepub.co.uk
For more information click on a link below.
The Leadership Game PDF
The Leadership Matrix PDF
Human Resources Leadership PDF