Leadership: A Communication Perspective

The revision of this text retains its skillful blend of theory and practice in a well-organized, readable format. The fourth edition includes increased coverage of emotional intelligence, transformational leadership, resisting influence, group decision making, global leadership, and ethics. Two new features give students additional perspectives on leadership: "Cultural Connections" illustrates the impact of global diversity on concepts covered in the chapter, and "Leadership on the Big Screen" describes a movie or documentary that illuminates chapter themes.
The authors weave the latest scholarship and research with earlier findings in the evolution of leadership studies. The multiple examples of leadership, abundant exercises, self-assessments, and interesting case studies provide ample opportunity for class discussion - and provide students with invaluable information about how to become effective leaders. This text discusses the skills necessary for competent leadership, the ethical questions leaders face, the roles of diversity and gender in leading and following, and the role of leadership in multiple contexts.

"I use Hackman and Johnson for my undergraduate and graduate leadership theory classes instead of other texts for three reasons: context, thoroughness, and application. H and J clearly situate leadership in communication.... The book lets students apply knowledge through the multiple case studies per chapter, viewing selected movies, and an explicit cultural focus in other activities." --Lora A. Cohn, Park University

"This text offers the foundational leadership knowledge to enable a student to not only appreciate the currently embraced trends in educational leadership but also to become an informed, critical consumer of trends in leadership as they evolve." --Jess Gregory, Southern Connecticut State University

"The text's strength is its accessibility. I also like that it doesn't just focus on effective traits, but also why ineffective leadership exists. It is a wonderful text." --John Saunders, Huntingdon College