Judging from the onslaught of books, articles, and blog posts extolling Steve Jobs’ virtues and condemning his vices, the question of whether leaders can replicate Jobs’ results by emulating his methods is an important one. Since most managers quantitatively analyze the factors that affect the performance of their firms, we find it surprising that this great debate has raged in a context largely uninformed by any hard data.
We believe that in addition to having a polarizing effect on a broader discourse about leadership, this debate highlights an important shortcoming in how we think about it. Most organizational theorists conceptualize leadership in one of two dichotomous ways. Psychologists focus on interpersonal behavior; how a leader influences others within an organization. Management scholars define leadership in terms of the business prowess required to implement the right strategy and structure to achieve a positive outcome; in other words, what a leader emphasizes. Research suggests both the how and the what are important.
Authors: Darren Overfield, Rob Kaiser
Source: Harvard Business Review
Subject: Leadership
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