Understanding Leadership: An Arts and Humanities Perspective

Laozi, Marx, the Buddha, Ibsen, Machiavelli these are just a few of the worlds great thinkers who have weighed in on the subject of leadership over the centuries. Yet the contemporary student of leadership often overlooks many of these names in favor of more recent theorists hailing from the social sciences. Understanding Leadership: An Arts and Humanities Perspective takes a different angle, employing the works of the great philosophers, authors, and artists found in world civilization and presenting an arts and humanities perspective on the study of leadership.

The authors build their conceptual framework using their Five Components of Leadership Model, which recognizes the leader, the followers, the goal, the context, and the cultural values and norms that make up the leadership process.

Supporting the text are a wealth of case studies that reflect on works such as Ayn Rands novella Anthem, Eugène Delacroixs painting Liberty Leading the People, Charlie Chaplins film Modern Times, Athol Fugards play Master Harold . . . and the boys, Laozis poetic work Dao De Jing, and Antonín Dvoáks New World Symphony. The authors also introduce studies from various world cultures to emphasize the role that cultural values and norms play in leadership. This illuminating framework promotes the multidimensional thinking that is necessary for understanding and problem-solving in a complex world.

Understanding Leadership: An Arts and Humanities Perspective will be a valuable resource for both undergraduate and postgraduate leadership students, while leadership professionals will also appreciate the books unique liberal arts and cultural approach.