Publication date:

16 January 2009

Length of book:

258 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

Dimensions:

239x161mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9780739123966

This book addresses the major problems of leadership in groups, organizations, and societies in the twenty-first century, when rapid change, complex dilemmas, and earth-shattering consequences affect the daily lives of people in the diverse contexts of social institutions, the corporate world, domestic politics, and international terrorism and conflict. The volume convenes a group of distinguished scholars, consultants, and leaders who address significant contemporary dilemmas that test the skills and knowledge of all concerned individuals. Benjamin Disraeli said, "I am their leader; therefore I must follow them." This book speaks directly to that intimate connection between leaders and followers.

The organizing principle of the book is a "group systems" understanding of leadership further elaborated through the relational and intersubjective concepts emerging in the fields of counseling, dynamic psychiatry, and psychotherapy. This interdisciplinary approach both complements and contrasts with the traditional understanding of leadership based on the dynamics of individual and collective self-interest.
These cogently edited papers by experienced and knowledgeable experts in their special disciplines explore and illuminate the co-creation of leadership in various kinds of social systems, ranging from small therapy groups to nation-states. This is a timely, useful, and entirely relevant contribution to the knowledge and wisdom that humankind will desperately need for surviving the challenges of the 21st Century. This book makes creative use of societal trauma in exploring dynamics and solutions of leadership and conflict.