Literature of Leadership


	The Literature of Leadership


	An exploration of the hearts and minds of leaders and followers

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	Unit 1: Management and Leadership Theories


	Reading from Required Texts Machiavelli, Nicolo. The Prince and Selected Discourses. Be sure to read the following online readings: Battle of Maldon, Elizabeth I, Henry V excerpt, Leadership theories (see links in facing column). Also read the articles and look in D2L for additional readings. Daft, The Leadership Experience: Chapters 1- 4 Daft, R. L. The leadership experience. Mason, OH: Cengage South-Western. Reading from Online Texts Procedure for reading -- read quickly, for concepts rather than detail. Choose two or three to read more closely. Please think of ways that what is occurring in the text relates to a current contemporary situation, or a leadership / management issue that you have encountered or been aware of. Be sure to relate the reading to current historical & political issues as well. Guiding Questions Please use these questions as springboards for fruitful contemplation, and to help you with your paper. You may respond to the questions if you wish. If you prefer to address other issues regarding the readings and leadership, please feel free to do so. What are the attributes of a leader as illustrated by Machiavelli? Elizabeth I? Henry V? The soldiers at the Battle of Maldon? In the various readings, which seems to be more important to the author: the state / organization, or the people who make it? Why does this perspective matter in leadership? How does a person's core belief about the nature of humanity influence how they lead? Does Machiavelli believe that people are inherently good or bad? What difference does this make in leadership decisions? In the various readings, according to the author, which people in the organization benefit most? Why? What is a leader's role in a utopian experiment? Can a corporation or a unit of the military ever have a kind of utopian vision? For example, in the case of special forces, or small units, what type of animating idea keeps the vision alive? What does having a utopian vision mean for the leader? What are various implications? Do followers ever force a vision upon a leader? In that case, are the followers, in fact, shaping the way the leader must behave? Michel Foucault suggests a kind of control-based view of leadership and followership. He suggests that the followers' belief that their actions -- even thoughts and attitudes -- are being monitored in order to punish deviation from the norm has a great impact on the organizational dynamics. How do fear and paranoia of the followers result in a reinforcing of power? Anti-hero vs. Hero: What makes an anti-hero compelling? When is the anti-hero appeal most intense? What are the circumstances? Can a charismatic leader even exist without devotees or followers? Do leaders tend to exhibit the archetypal characteristics of a hero?


	In this unit you will examine various management and leadership theories, with the goal of applying them to specific instances in your life, or to current events. The goal is to be able to compare approaches and philosophies, and be able to understand the costs and benefits of each.

Unit Objectives:

Make connections between the ideas contained in Machiavelli's The Prince and leadership situations in contemporary society, including the military

Explain how a person's core beliefs about the nature of humanity can influence one's actions and attitudes with respect to leadership

Categorize types of power in an organization, and make connections between power and leadership in organizations

Describe how utopian ideas have influenced leadership decisions in the past, and how they may influence them now

Explore the hubris-nemesis model of leadership

Explain how followership relates to leadership, and how states of mind (including paranoia) influence the organization's culture and the behavior of followers.

Online Readings

Machiavelli
The Prince (full text)

Elizabeth I
Speech to the Troops at Tilbury

Shakespeare
Henry V Speech (Battle of Agincourt) Act III, Scene 1

Anglo-Saxon Poem "The Battle of Maldon"
Background, with the poem

Examples in Film: Please feel free to write your paper on the following films. Compare / contrast the heroism / heroes in the following films:

Henry V (dir. Kenneth Branaugh)
Alexander (Dir. Oliver Stone)
The Good Shepherd (dir. Robert DeNiro)

Beware the Hubris-Nemesis Complex: A Concept for Leadership Analysis ** New **
by David Ronfeldt
Rand Report
This essay introduces and defines the concept of the hubris-nemesis complex, illustrates it by drawing upon both mythic characters and real personalities, relates it to other psychological phenomena that have been described well in the past, and discusses some challenges that may be faced in recognizing and dealing with the complex in the course of international relations. The essay argues that the complex is relatively common, but often unappreciated, and that we can see it at work in current-day figures such as Fidel Castro, Saddam Hussein, and Slobodan Milosevic--leaders about whom the United States has made serious misjudgements over the years. Thus, while the essay is intended to be conceptual and scholarly, it may have direct significance for understanding and dealing with foreign leaders in future crises and conflicts.

Foucault's Ideas about Crime, Society, Power, and Influence
Michel Foucault, the French philosopher, was one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th Century. Discipline and Punish, written in 1975, gave people a new way to view the prison system. In this book, Foucault describes the history of prisons. He explained why prisons continue to be popular even when they are not successful. Foucault believed prisons serve a greater purpose than just incarcerating criminals. He described how prisons really enslave everyone to a life of government-imposed discipline. Today, Foucault's theories are still popular in all areas of academia.