Exploring alignment of assumptions in plural leadership: A case study of managers’ implicit leadership theories in the danish public sector

Abstract

Several researchers have observed that growing attention has been given to the concept of plural leadership in the past couple of decades. However, the role of the manager is largely overlooked in the plural leadership literature. In this study, I draw on the concept of implicit leadership theories to explore how managers’ assumptions about leadership might influence organisations’ ability to realise plural leadership. Based on participant observation and interview data, I identify three basic managerial assumptions about leadership that align poorly with the principles of plural leadership: (1) management positions entail ultimate accountability, (2) disagreement is definitively bad, and (3) resistance is exclusively caused by faulty processes. I argue that these assumptions constitute an obstacle to the practical realisation of plural leadership and consequently that interventions targeting managers’ implicit leadership theories might be effective in developing plural leadership beyond rhetorical changes.