Leadership and Liberation: A Psychological Approach

How do leaders influence the people around them?

Is leadership about having particular personality traits or is it about what leaders actually do and the types of relationships they build?

This ground-breaking book looks at how to be an effective leader. It presents a model of leadership that has many practical implications for those who occupy formal leadership roles or who seek to influence events informally. This model views leadership as a collaborative, influence process rather than a hierarchical or authoritarian one.

By looking at leadership in the context of liberation, it provides the reader with an alternative perspective, enabling them to think about their own aims and effectiveness as a leader. It analyses our understanding of oppressed and oppressor groups and how processes of mistreatment develop and become institutionalised. From this standpoint, effective leadership is presented as a means of confronting inequality and initiating positive change.

The practical skills required by leaders to assist them in becoming agents of change and influence, and in dealing with the inevitable conflicts that arise in complex interpersonal situations, are considered. The reasons why leaders are targets of attack are also looked into, as well as the situations in which they can act as a positive force for transformation.

Containing an in-depth review of the development of leadership theory, Leadership and Liberation also critically evaluates main-stream approaches and analyses the implications for leaders on the ground. The lessons to be learned are applicable to leaders in all types of groups and organisations and will be of interest to those studying psychology, business and management.

Seán Ruth is an Organizational Psychologist who was formerly Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Head of the Department of Organizational and Social Studies at the National College of Industrial Relations, Dublin, Ireland. He now runs his own training and consultancy business specializing in leadership development, conflict resolution, liberation and equality.