Leadership Lessons from the Kardashians

The Kardashians are not only a massive global pop culture phenomenon, they are also effective business leaders and entrepreneurs having established many brands and companies. In addition to their celebrity, they successfully market their businesses and serve as aspirational role models. They have changed our understanding of what successful women in the economic arena look like and how they’re supposed to behave.

Brigitte Biehl uses examples from the popular TV series “The Kardashians” and “Keeping up with the Kardashians” to explore leadership concepts that focus on women in business, and the obstacles they face in a male dominated world. Among the many subjects that will appeal to a variety of readers, from college students to professional practitioners, Biehl addresses questions of gender performativity, bodies, motherhood, race, class, as well as issues on female misogyny and masculine leadership stereotypes. The book provides guidelines how to use TV series and film for self-directed learning to develop a better awareness and understanding of what goes on between people and one’s own leader identity.

Exploring Effective Leadership Practices through Popular Culture aims to bring examples, theory and methodology of leadership to life by analyzing academic concepts through popular culture examples that will appeal to a broad range of readers.

Brigitte Biehl is Professor at SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences, Germany, and Head of Studies, where she directs the B.A. Creative Industries Management and the M.A. International Management “Creative Leadership” and the IWK Institute for Professional Development. Biehl was a guest Professor for Gender & Queer Studies in Leadership at FernUniversität in Hagen, Germany, where she currently also works as a researcher at The Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.