Leadership Talk: A Discourse Approach to Leader Emergence

This book takes an in-depth look at an emerging approach to the creation of business leaders. Traditionally, management theories have taken a psychological approach to leadership, assuming that it is located within or an attribute of individuals. In contrast, the discursive approach to leadership, assumes that leadership is created through communication practices--practices that are contingent on the negotiation that then occurs between leader and followers. This book is intended for a broad audience, including students and professors in business schools and practicing business executives. The goal is to inform current and future leaders on how to more effectively approach leadership as a communication practice that involves and depends upon the response of potential followers. This is particularly important in a business environment that involves diverse participants with differing expectations and values related to the practice of leadership.

Los Angeles, CA; Associate professor of clinical management communication at the Marshall School of Business; University of Southern California