Why is leadership so misunderstood? Inquiring minds want to know

Abstract

Purpose

This paper examines leadership and its associated prominent theories from the perspectives of Mitroff and Linstone's (1993) five inquiry systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Five inquiry systems: Lockean (Inductive‐Consensual); Leibnitzian (Analytic‐Deductive); Kantian (Multiple Realities); Hegelian (Dialectic); and Singerian (Unbounded Systems Thinking) – are used to consider the advantages and disadvantages of major theories of leadership.

Findings

Although each inquiry system has some beneficial application to leadership theory development, the article posits that the Kantian, Hegelian, and Singerian inquiry systems offer the greatest potential to understand the complex phenomenon of leadership.

Practical implications/limitations

Implications for leadership research are offered based on each of the five inquiry systems.

Originality/value

The value of this article comes from using the inquiry systems to look at leadership theory and research from fresh philosophical perspectives.

Citation

Nielson, T.R. and Pate, L.E. (2008), "Why is leadership so misunderstood? Inquiring minds want to know", International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 249-259. https://doi.org/10.1108/19348830810944693