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Managerial leadership: Identities, processes, and interactions

Sveningsson, Stefan LU ; Alvehus, Johan LU orcid and Alvesson, Mats LU (2012)
Abstract
Three perspectives of leadership are discussed in this chapter: the transformative (i.e., the heroic), the post-heroic and the mundane. The theme of the chapter is that if we want to understand managerial leadership as an empirical phenomenon and as a work practice, we need to base our understanding of leadership on ordinary managers’ work (i.e., the work of people who are assigned with leadership responsibilities). In order to understand leadership as a work practice, we need more theories that are grounded in managers’ behaviours rather than in the theoretical and ideological underpinnings researchers and other societal actors assign them. According to this perspective, a muddling-through manager occupied with various administrative,... (More)
Three perspectives of leadership are discussed in this chapter: the transformative (i.e., the heroic), the post-heroic and the mundane. The theme of the chapter is that if we want to understand managerial leadership as an empirical phenomenon and as a work practice, we need to base our understanding of leadership on ordinary managers’ work (i.e., the work of people who are assigned with leadership responsibilities). In order to understand leadership as a work practice, we need more theories that are grounded in managers’ behaviours rather than in the theoretical and ideological underpinnings researchers and other societal actors assign them. According to this perspective, a muddling-through manager occupied with various administrative, relational and ill-specified work tasks can do an excellent work, while it is plausible that a manager trying to act as heroic leader may cause serious problems. Management research should avoid contributing to the heroic and post-heroic misconceptions about what managers do or should be doing. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
The work of managers. Towards a practice theory of management
editor
Stefan, Tengblad
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:84919742338
ISBN
978-0-19-963972-4
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
52185a39-3f8c-4e35-97f8-e1215cf729a0 (old id 1768517)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 11:05:46
date last changed
2022-01-29 21:20:11
@inbook{52185a39-3f8c-4e35-97f8-e1215cf729a0,
  abstract     = {{Three perspectives of leadership are discussed in this chapter: the transformative (i.e., the heroic), the post-heroic and the mundane. The theme of the chapter is that if we want to understand managerial leadership as an empirical phenomenon and as a work practice, we need to base our understanding of leadership on ordinary managers’ work (i.e., the work of people who are assigned with leadership responsibilities). In order to understand leadership as a work practice, we need more theories that are grounded in managers’ behaviours rather than in the theoretical and ideological underpinnings researchers and other societal actors assign them. According to this perspective, a muddling-through manager occupied with various administrative, relational and ill-specified work tasks can do an excellent work, while it is plausible that a manager trying to act as heroic leader may cause serious problems. Management research should avoid contributing to the heroic and post-heroic misconceptions about what managers do or should be doing.}},
  author       = {{Sveningsson, Stefan and Alvehus, Johan and Alvesson, Mats}},
  booktitle    = {{The work of managers. Towards a practice theory of management}},
  editor       = {{Stefan, Tengblad}},
  isbn         = {{978-0-19-963972-4}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  title        = {{Managerial leadership: Identities, processes, and interactions}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}