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Leadership and negative capability

Bristol Business School, University of the West of England

Robert French

Bristol Business School, University of the West of England

Charles E Harvey

Bristol Business School, University of the West of England

Our aim in this article is to explore and explain the concept of 'negative capability', in the context of the current resurgence of interest in organizational leadership. We suggest that negative capability can create an intermediate space that enables one to continue to think in difficult situations. Where positive capability supports 'decisive action', negative capability supports 'reflective inaction', that is, the ability to resist dispersing into defensive routines when leading at the limits of one's knowledge, resources and trust. The development of negative capability is discussed but it is suggested that its status is problematic in the context of a societal and organizational culture dominated by control and performativity. The practice of negative capability is illustrated throughout the article, using a case study of the leadership of an international joint venture.

Key Words: containment • dispersal • leadership • learning • negative capability

Human Relations, Vol. 55, No. 10, 1209-1226 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/0018726702055010081


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