Critical perspectives on leadership

This chapter reviews the emerging body of literature on critical theories of leadership. It begins by putting critical approaches to leadership in the context of broader debates about leadership. It notes that most existing work builds on either functional or interpretive assumptions. After noting some of the shortcomings with these directions, this chapter offers an alternative set of ideas based on critical theory. These suggest that leadership should be denaturalized and studied reflexively, and that this research should be done with a noninstrumental intent. The chapter then reviews the growing body of work that has built on these ideas. This work addresses issues including ideology, identity, exclusions and inclusions, and interventions. The chapter concludes by outlining a range of areas for future research.