In this book, some of the world's leading scholars come together to describe their thinking and research on the topic of the psychology of leadership. Most of the chapters were originally presented as papers at a research conference held in 2001 at the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University. The contributions span traditional social psychological areas, as well as organizational theory; examining leadership as a psychological process and as afforded by organizational constraints and opportunities. The editors' goal was not to focus the chapters on a single approach to the study and conceptualization of leadership but rather to display the diversity of issues that surround the topic. Leadership scholars have identified a host of approaches to the study of leadership. What are the personal characteristics of leaders? What is the nature of the relation between leaders and followers? Why do we perceive some people to be better leaders than others? What are the circumstances that evoke leadership qualities in people? Can leadership be taught? And so on. The contributions to this book examine these important questions and fall into three categories: conceptions of leadership, factors that influence the effectiveness of leadership, and the consequences and effects of leadership on the leader. All in all, the chapters of this volume display part of a broad spectrum of novel and important approaches to the study of the psychology of leadership. We hope that they are equally useful to those who are or would be leaders and to those who study the topic. As recent events have served to remind us, it is too important a topic to be ignored by psychologists.

A state-of-the-art reference, drawing on key contemporary research to provide an in-depth, international, and competencies-based approach to the psychology of leadership, change and OD Puts cutting-edge evidence at the fingertips of organizational psychology practitioners who need it most, but who do not always have the time or resources to keep up with scholarly research Thematic chapters cover leadership and employee well-being, organizational creativity and innovation, positive psychology and Appreciative Inquiry, and leadership-culture fit Contributors include David Cooperrider, Manfred Kets de Vries, Emma Donaldson-Feilder, Staale Einarsen, David Day, Beverley Alimo-Metcalfe, Michael Chaskalson and Bernard Burnes

This groundbreaking book provides a refreshing introduction to the field of leadership and is jam-packed with theoretical and practical insights derived from a wealth of applied scientific research conducted by the authors and their colleagues around the world over the last three decades. It starts from the premise that leadership is never just about leaders. Instead it is about leaders and followers who are joined together as members of a social group that provides them with a sense of shared social identity – a sense of "us-ness". In these terms, leadership is understood as the process through which leaders work with followers to create, represent, advance, and embed this sense of shared social identity. The new edition of this award-winning book presents a wealth of evidence from historical, organizational, political and sporting contexts to provide an expanded exploration of these processes of identity leadership in action. In particular, it builds upon the success of the first edition by examining the operation of identity leadership in contemporary society and fleshing out practical answers to key organizational and institutional challenges. Drawing on real-world examples and rich data sources, this book will appeal to academics, researchers, and students of psychology, business, and management, as well as to practitioners, policy makers, and anyone interested in the workings of leadership, influence, and power.

Moreover, not only do the new African states suffer severe shortages of managers of any kind, they also lack resources to give those they do have the skills in human behavior management they need. Dr. Ugwuegbu's book seeks to improve management effectiveness and efficiency by providing a better, more comprehensive understanding of African work systems and the behavior of Africans at work. His book, the first of its kind, introduces the science of human behavior into the management of African organizations. It challenges the reign of colonial management practice and blames them for the failure of African managers to adopt modern management techniques.

Searching for an explanation to human superiority, Friedman and Lackey offer their General Theory of Purposeful Behavior: People seek control as an end in itself--the ability to make accurate predictions is the means to that end. This tight knit theory defines the dynamic relationship between and among predictive processes responsible for human control and success. A distinctly different view of intelligence, this volume includes discussions on "Human Motivation," "Gaining Control," "Maximizing Control," and "Impediments to Control." Important implications of the theory include "Achieving Success," "Working Effectively," "Educating For Control," and "The Pursuit of Happiness."