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  • No More Heroes accepted pdf version 2017

    Rights statement: The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Organization Studies, 39 (11), 2018, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2017 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Organization Studies page: http://journals.sagepub.com/home/oss on SAGE Journals Online: http://journals.sagepub.com/

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    Available under license: CC BY-NC: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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No More Heroes: Critical Perspectives on Leadership Romanticism

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<mark>Journal publication date</mark>1/11/2018
<mark>Journal</mark>Organization Studies
Issue number11
Volume39
Number of pages23
Pages (from-to)1625-1647
Publication StatusPublished
Early online date23/10/17
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

This paper revisits Meindl et al’s (1985) ‘romance of leadership’ thesis and extends these ideas in a number of inter-related ways. First, it argues that the thesis has sometimes been neglected and/or misinterpreted in subsequent studies. Second, the paper suggests that romanticism is a
much broader and more historically rich term with wider implications for leadership studies than originally proposed. Arguing that romanticism stretches beyond leader attribution, we connect leadership theory to a more enduring and naturalistic tradition of romantic thought that has
survived and evolved since the mid-18th century. Third, the paper demonstrates the contemporary relevance of the romanticism critique. It reveals how the study of leadership continues to be characterised by romanticising tendencies in many of its most influential theories, illustrating this argument with reference to spiritual and authentic leadership theories, which only recognise positive engagement with leaders. Equally, the paper suggests that romanticism can shape
conceptions not only of leaders, but also of followers, their agency, and their (potential for) resistance. We conclude by discussing future possible research directions for the romanticism critique that extend well beyond its original focus on leader attribution to inform a broader critical approach to leadership studies.

Bibliographic note

The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Organization Studies, 39 (11), 2018, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2017 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Organization Studies page: http://journals.sagepub.com/home/oss on SAGE Journals Online: http://journals.sagepub.com/