Metaphors We Lead By: Understanding Leadership in the Real World

Alvesson, Mats

ISBN 10: 0415568455 / ISBN 13: 9780415568456

Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2010

About this Item

2010. 1st Edition. Paperback. Drawing on the many studies of managers trying to 'do' leadership, this book presents six metaphors for the leader: as gardener, cosy-crafter, saint, cyborg, commander and bully. It sheds light on a varied - often contradictory and sometimes darker - side of leadership. It is suitable for students and researchers, as well as the thinking managers. Editor(s): Alvesson, Mats; Spicer, Andre. Num Pages: 232 pages, 1 black & white illustrations, 1 black & white tables, 1 black & white line drawings. BIC Classification: KJMB. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly; (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 231 x 157 x 13. Weight in Grams: 370. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780415568456

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Metaphors We Lead By: Understanding Leadership in the Real World
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Publication Date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0415568455
• ISBN 13: 9780415568456
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

We live in a leadership-obsessed society. The result is that we assume nearly any social or economic ill can be mended through better leadership. Sometimes, this commitment to leadership is followed by hero worshipping, wishful thinking and misplaced hope.

Seeking to understand the faith we place in leadership, the authors draw on a number of in-depth studies of managers trying to "do" leadership. It presents six metaphors for the leader: as gardener, cosy-crafter, saint, cyborg, commander and bully. Some of these offer unexpected insights into how leadership does and does not work. The book sheds light on a varied - often contradictory and sometimes darker - side of leadership.

Cutting through the management-speak drenched current literature on leadership, Metaphors We Lead By presents an enlightening and refreshing understanding of an important topic. It will be useful reading for students and researchers, as well as the thinking manager.

About the Author

Mats Alvesson is Professor of Business Administration at the Lund University, Sweden. He is also affiliated with University of Queensland Business School.  Another of his recent books, Changing Organizational Culture, is also available from Routledge.

André Spicer is an Associate Professor of Organisation Studies at Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, UK. He is also a visiting research fellow at the University of Lund, Sweden. His recent publications (as co-author) include Unmasking the Entrepreneur and Understanding Corporate Life.