Deakin University
Browse

The organizational story as leadership

Version 2 2024-06-13, 10:42
Version 1 2017-07-27, 14:09
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-13, 10:42 authored by KW Parry, H Hansen
Leaders are often noted for providing a compelling vision that inspires followers to act to fulfill the vision, often by telling stories. Here, we begin a separation of the notion of 'leader as person' from the notion of leadership as the discourse that represents such a vision. We transcend the notion that leaders tell stories, to the proposition that stories themselves operate like leaders. We suggest that people follow the story as much as they follow the storyteller or author, hence the story becomes the leader. In discussing the characteristics that stories share with leadership, we generate two propositions. First, within the context of organizational development, leadership development can move from 'people' development to the development of the narratives that resonate within organizations. Second, we decouple leader as person or position, from leadership as process in order to illustrate stories as leaders. We conclude with specific messages that individuals can take away. Copyright

History

Journal

Leadership

Volume

3

Pagination

281-300

Location

London, Eng.

ISSN

1742-7150

eISSN

1742-7169

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2007, Sage Publications

Issue

3

Publisher

Sage Publications

Usage metrics

    Research Publications

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC