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Teaching leadership from a social constructionist perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2014

Jon Billsberry
Jon Billsberry*
Affiliation:
Deakin Graduate School of Business, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia
*
Corresponding author: j.billsberry@deakin.edu.au, www.jonbillsberry.co.uk
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Abstract

Traditional approaches to leadership assert that leadership is a definite quality of leaders. In contrast, the social constructionist approach conceptualises leadership as a quality of observers. The goal of this paper is to show how this philosophical base can be used to create a teaching strategy for leadership. In this strategy, there are three learning objectives: understanding the philosophical approach; revealing students’ lay theories of leadership; and, skill development. The lessons revolve around understanding how leadership perceptions form so that students appreciate how they are influenced and, in turn, how they might influence other people's perceptions of themselves.

Keywords

leadershipleadership developmentmanagement educationsocial construction
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 19 , Issue 6 , November 2013 , pp. 679 - 688
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2013 

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