|
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
|
Transformational Leadership, Corporate Cultism and the Spirituality Paradigm: An Unholy Trinity in the Workplace?
Dennis Tourish
University of Aberdeen, D.Tourish{at}abdn.ac.uk
Ashly Pinnington
University of Queensland, School of Management, A.Pinnington{at}gsm.uq.edu.au
Leadership is a perennially popular topic in the academic and practitioner literature on management. In particular, the past twenty years have witnessed an explosive growth of interest in what has been termed ‘transformational leadership’ (henceforth, TL). The theory is closely linked to the growth in what has been defined as corporate culturism - an emphasis on the importance of coherent cultures, as a means of securing competitive advantage. This article outlines the central components of TL theory, and subjects the concept to a critical analysis. In particular, similarities are identified between the components concerned and the characteristics of leadership practice in organizations generally defined as cults. This connection has been previously unremarked in the literature. These similarities are comprehensively reviewed. Trends towards what can be defined as corporate cultism in modern management practice are also discussed. We conclude that TL models are overly concerned with the achievement of corporate cohesion to the detriment of internal dissent. Such dissent is a vital ingredient of effective decision-making. It is suggested that more inclusive and participatory models of the leadership process are required.
Key Words: cults/undue social influence • transformational/transactional influence
Human Relations, Vol. 55, No. 2,
147-172 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/0018726702055002181
 CiteULike  Connotea  Del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Technorati What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
|
|
 
S. K. Robinson and R. Kerr
The symbolic violence of leadership: A critical hermeneutic study of leadership and succession in a British organization in the post-Soviet context
Human Relations,
June 1, 2009;
62(6):
875 - 903.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. C. Schippers, D. N. Den Hartog, P. L. Koopman, and D. van Knippenberg
The role of transformational leadership in enhancing team reflexivity
Human Relations,
November 1, 2008;
61(11):
1593 - 1616.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. Tourish
Challenging the Transformational Agenda: Leadership Theory in Transition?
Management Communication Quarterly,
May 1, 2008;
21(4):
522 - 528.
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. Amernic, R. Craig, and D. Tourish
The transformational leader as pedagogue, physician, architect, commander, and saint: Five root metaphors in Jack Welch's letters to stockholders of General Electric
Human Relations,
December 1, 2007;
60(12):
1839 - 1872.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. Tourish
Themed book reviews: Communication, discourse and leadership
Human Relations,
November 1, 2007;
60(11):
1727 - 1740.
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. C. Bligh and B. Schyns
Leading Question: The Romance Lives On: Contemporary Issues Surrounding the Romance of Leadership
Leadership,
August 1, 2007;
3(3):
343 - 360.
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. Singhal and L. Chatterjee
A Person-Organization Fit-based Approach for Spirituality at Work: Development of a Conceptual Framework
Journal of Human Values,
October 1, 2006;
12(2):
161 - 178.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. Tourish and N. Vatcha
Charismatic Leadership and Corporate Cultism at Enron: The Elimination of Dissent, the Promotion of Conformity and Organizational Collapse
Leadership,
November 1, 2005;
1(4):
455 - 480.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. A. Morris, C. M. Brotheridge, and J. C. Urbanski
Bringing humility to leadership: Antecedents and consequences of leader humility
Human Relations,
October 1, 2005;
58(10):
1323 - 1350.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. M. Jones
The Anthropology of Leadership: Culture and Corporate Leadership in the American South
Leadership,
September 1, 2005;
1(3):
259 - 278.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
