Glossary

authority: legitimate power

bad faith: Jean-Paul Sartre’s term for decision-making that denies responsibility

bricoleur: a do-it-yourself pragmatic experimenter

calculative compliance: Etzioni’s term for compliance rooted in rational behaviour

charisma (strong): Weber’s original term for the supernaturally gifted individuals destined to save us in crises

charisma (weak): the subsequent watering down of Weber’s original sense to imply strong character

clumsy solutions: an approach to problem-solving rooted in transgressing elegant cultural boundaries

coercive compliance: Etzioni’s term for compliance rooted in force

command: a decision-style associated with crisis

community of fate: a community bound together by a shared fate

community of practice: Wenger’s original model of learning rooted in collective practice not individual cognition

competence: a discrete skill or trait

concertive action: distributive leadership whereby the whole is greater than the sum of the parts

constructive dissent: a form of follower dissent intended to protect the collective and prevent leaders from taking erroneous decisions

contingency theory: a model of leadership that relates an understanding of the situation to a form of leadership behaviour

cosmology episode: a critical point in a situation that threatens the sense-making of the individuals involved

critical problems: a problem defined by the commander as a crisis

destructive consent: a form of follower assent that threatens the collective by acquiescing to an erroneous decision by its leaders

devil effect: the assumption that a bad first impression (dis)colours all subsequent impressions

distancing: a mechanism by which leaders and followers keep each other apart physically and/or symbolically

distributed leadership: a form of collective leadership

egalitarianism: a political and cultural model rooted in equality and shared decision-making

elegant solutions: solutions that appear consistent with the cultural environment from which they appear

empathy: the ability to see the world through somebody else’s eyes

essentially contested concept: Gallie’s original term for a concept that would remain without consensus

fatalism: a cultural approach whereby resignation and acquiescence prevail

fatalist community: a community that has collectively given up its ability to resist or change

golden bridge: Sun Tzu’s term for the device that enables the other’ to save face and avoid further conflict

Great Man theory: Carlyle’s original model for explaining the development of history through the actions of a tiny number of extraordinary men

grid/group: Douglas’s terms for constructing her cultural heuristic

halo effect: the assumption that a first positive impression colours all aspects of the other’

hard wiring: the assumption that behaviours are genetically coded into humans and therefore beyond change

heterarchy: a mobile hierarchy in which decision-making changes with the situation

hierarchy: a model of organizational coordination and decisionmaking in which inequalities of power and knowledge increase with ascendant position

hierarchy of needs: Maslow’s original model that suggests that lower (physiological) needs take priority over higher (cognitive) needs

ideal types: Weber’s original methodological device for comparing organizational forms by reference to a theoretically perfect (but nonexistent) model

individualism: the cultural model that explains the world by reference to individual economically rational action and logical patterns of behaviour

institutional sclerosis: Olsen’s claim that over time organizations became more rigid and inefficient

inverse learning: the assumption that learning to lead derives from responding to cues from followers

irresponsible followership: a model of followership that attributes all responsibility for all decisions to the leadership

leaderful organizations: the claim that organizations can have multiple leaders rather than either being led by a leader or being leaderless

leadership: the art of engaging a group or community into facing its wicked problems

LMX: leader–member exchange theory

Machiavellian: a model of behaviour that implies leaders should do whatever is necessary to achieve the public good

management: the science of directing the appropriate process to solve tame problems

mundane activities: the assumption that leadership is actually rooted in the rather humdrum activities of everyday discussions and social exchanges rather than the extraordinary aspects of charismatic leadership

negative capability: Keats’s claim that the ability to remain comfortable with uncertainty was extraordinarily important in decision-making

nemo sine vitio est: ‘no-one is without fault’

New Public Management: the Thatcher/Reagan/Blair model of public governance rooted in a combination of markets, targets, and customers

normative compliance: Etzioni’s term for compliance rooted in followers wanting to follow a leader of their own volition

path-goal theory: House’s contingency model of leadership rooted in the relationship between various variables

permission-giving: a model of leadership that suggests that in the absence of formal or informal permission from leaders, followers tend not to take risks

political nous: the ability to read organizational situations

positive deviance: the group of individuals in organizations whose deviation from the rules and norms enables them to achieve what others who comply cannot

power: the ability to get someone to do something they wouldn’t otherwise have done

prototypes: a model of leadership that suggests the most likely candidates for leadership are those who embody the most extreme forms of the cultural norms

responsible followers: followers who accept responsibility for the fate of their organization rather than attribute it to the formal leaders

reverse dominance hierarchies: the organizational collection of individuals formed to resist the dominance of an unpopular individual leader

romance of collaborative leadership: the assumption that distributive leadership can solve all organizational problems

romance of leadership: the assumption that organizational success or failure is the direct result of the leader’s actions

scapegoating: a form of collective response in times of crisis that allows the collective to remain innocent’

scientific management (Taylorism): Taylor’s model for increasing the productivity of industry through the application of scientific methods

social capital: the accumulation of social networks that build up effective organizations

social identity theory: a model of leadership rooted in collective identity as the primary source of collective mobilization

tame problems: problems that are commonly solved by the application of standard operating procedures

Theory X: McGregor’s original model (close to Hobbes) whereby ‘human nature’ suggests people are fundamentally lazy and selfish and need to be coerced into productive work

Theory Y: McGregor’s original term (close to Rousseau) whereby human nature’ suggests people are fundamentally responsible and selfless and need to be freed from coercion if they are to engage in productive work

THWαMPs: tall handsome white alpha-males of privilege

traits: patterns of behaviour or personal characteristics

transactional leadership: a model of leadership that takes the exchange process as critical

transformational leadership: a model of leadership that attempts to lift followers beyond their self-interests

wheelwright leadership: a model of leadership whereby success does not relate to the expertise of the individual leader but to the ability of that leader to engage a team of experts

white elephant: a model of leadership whereby only god-like individuals can succeed

wicked problems: problems that are either new or recalcitrant for which there are no apparent answers, and which require collaborative effort to address

Zeitgeist: the ‘spirit of the times’