Chapter 12: A Unifying Framework for Systems and Configurational Models of Leadership and Substitutes

There is an emerging convergence in the broader leadership literature that leadership must be understood as a dynamic system that involves the leader, the follower, the context, and the relationships among these components. Each component of this system is important and may contribute directly to a variety of outcomes. However, each component cannot be examined in isolation of the others because each factor may interact with the others. Despite the recognition of the need to examine the leadership process holistically, advances in this direction have been limited by reliance on symmetric linear hypotheses and methods that primarily focus on direct and mediated relationships. Our study begins with an examination of three perspectives on leadership as a configural system. From these perspectives we develop a framework for the configurational and systems study of leadership and derive five core propositions fundamental to this perspective: individual insufficiency, combinatorial effects, equifinality, asymmetry, and time relativity. We close with a consideration of the implications of this perspective and opportunities for leadership research.