What’s new about Leadership-as-Practice?

Abstract

It appears that leadership studies is now in the throes of a ‘new movement’, one that, according to its leading exponent, is ‘destined to shake the foundations of the very meaning of leadership in the worlds of both theory and practice’ (Raelin, 2016b: 1). This ‘leading questions’ article questions three of Raelin’s central claims for this Leadership-as-Practice perspective namely that this approach supersedes other post-heroic perspectives, constitutes a distinct ‘movement’ and is more radical than critical leadership studies. Arguing that these claims are excessive and have little or no substantial supporting evidence, I suggest that Leadership-as-Practice is better seen as one variant of post-heroic leadership. Furthermore, I contend that the primary weakness of Leadership-as-Practice is its continued lack of critical engagement, particularly in relation to its neglect of asymmetrical power relations and control practices in all their multiple forms.