Towards a Leadership Theory Based on Philosophical Predispositions

E-ISSN： 1447-9575|9|3|85-98

ISSN： 1447-9524

Source： The International Journal of Knowledge, Culture, and Change Management: Annual Review, Vol.9, Iss.3, 2009-01, pp. : 85-98

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Abstract

A large number of leadership theories focus on understanding the concept of leadership from an ontological perspective by focusing on the leader, the leader/follower relationship, or the concept of leadership itself. Others focus on axiological premises, referring to the moral values of the leader/manager under which he or she leads and makes decisions. However, one may argue that they tend to be too focused on finding intricacies that they forgo a comprehensive perspective. This paper focuses on the nature of the leader by considering his/her worldviews as driven by four philosophical dimensions: epistemological, ontological, teleological, and axiological. It is argued that these dimensions need to be considered simultaneously in order to present a holistic perspective of the nature of leaders. The proper balance of these dimensions are also contingent on the situation faced by the leader/manager at a given moment, which may make his or her leadership style appropriate or inappropriate given a situation. This appropriateness is also addressed in the paper and the concepts of wicked problems and complex situations are presented to establish a context. These arguments lead to the formulation of five propositions that provide an understanding on the underlying foundations of leaders.