The contextualisation of leadership

Ph.D.Abstract: This study was a deliberate effort to move away from a general leader-centric approach to a more complex (which does not imply complicatedness) contextual approach to the study of leadership. For the purpose of contextualizing leadership, fundamental question: Where is leadership? was crafted to guide the present study. This question implies that leadership should be explained, discovered and approached in a systematic manner in a particular context. Flowing from the aim; two research objectives were developed, namely a theoretical and an empirical objective. On a meta-theoretical level, the objective was to contextualize and therefore systematize the current leadership theory, providing for the meta-contextualisation of leadership. On an empirical level, the objective was to develop a contextual theory of leadership, providing for a micro-contextualization of leadership. These objectives suggest that leadership is context dependent, and as contexts differ, the abilities and competencies required to lead in these contexts will vary. In order to address the first objective of the study, namely to systematize current leadership theory, Pepper’s (1942) meta–structural framework was used to make sense of the current leadership theories. Pepper’s meta-structure offers four adequate world hypotheses, also referred to as structural hypotheses to explain how cognition of knowledge takes place. These are labelled as Formism, Mechanicism, Organicism and Contextualism. Dominant leadership theories were structured in terms of Pepper’s world hypotheses framework. The outcome of this exercise indicated that most leadership theories are eclectic. The purest examples of general leadership theories which adhere to Pepper’s four adequate world hypotheses were identified and interpreted. No pure example for contextualism could be found, providing the reason for the development of a contextual theory of leadership embedded in data - the second objective of the study. Pepper’s contextualist world hypothesis was chosen as the paradigm informing the empirical component of this study. Contextualism is embedded in the philosophic world view of pragmatism. Given the study’s contextual nature a case study approach was adopted as a research strategy. More particularly an instrumental case study was utilized. A qualitative research approach was deemed appropriate for this study as the..