Seducing leadership: stories of leadership development
Article Type: Abstracts From: Human Resource Management International Digest, Volume 17, Issue 6
Sinclair A. Gender, Work and Organization (UK), March 2009, Vol. 16 No. 2, Start page: 266, No. of pages: 19
Purpose – Argues that leadership development is a process of seduction,showing the ways in which certain sorts of highly valued leadership teaching contain seductive elements including sweeping audiences off their feet and, in some circumstances, forestalling critique about the content that is offered. Considers the extent to which this is a gendered performance. Design/methodology/approach – Looks at the relationship between seduction and leadership writing, and seduction and leadership teaching and learning. Relates experiences observing the teaching of leadership on an executive programme and being a student in a leadership short course and uses these to identify seductive patterns and their consequences. Notes the author’s experiences of teaching leadership. Findings – Shows that leadership and the teaching of leadership work in seductive ways and suggests that leadership teaching and learning perhaps should be seductive in the sense of opening up and engaging with new possibilities but not if it results in the surrender of the audience’s critical faculties or the avoidance of conflict. Considers that gender is central in any discussion of seduction and leadership. Originality/value – Shows how seduction is used in the process of teaching leadership. ISSN: 0968-6673 Reference: 38AJ157
Keywords: Leadership, Gender, Management styles
