The Relationship Between Literature and Leadership: A Humanities-Based Approach for Studying Leadership

Abstract

Current studies of leadership focus primarily on the use of empirical research to clarify our understanding of leadership. Unfortunately, these studies are often limited in the amount of information they reveal, simply because they are unable to address many of the variables or influences that lie outside the scope of empirical research. In contrast, many of the humanities, such as philosophy and the study of literature, look at information from an entirely different perspective and allow a multitude of variables to be examined simultaneously. However, few studies have been conducted that try to look at leadership from this perspective, and the relative usefulness of this type of study has not yet been adequately examined. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how literary works can be used to teach leadership to students and scholars.