Constructions of Leadership at the Intersection of Discourse,Power,and Culture

Abstract

This study uses discursive leadership as a framework for analyzing the sense-making narratives of managers in the Caribbean island of Jamaica. The study analyzes whether or how these Jamaican managers see themselves as acting to develop organizations that are culturally indigenous in the context of dominant national colonial and neocolonial cultural Discourses that seek to marginalize local forms of cultural expression and innovation. Data from the study suggest that asking managers to make sense of the cultural context in which they practice leadership reveals connections between culture, leadership, and communication. The study also reinforces the important role control and agency play in our understanding of leadership.