"Leadership" is a contested term.[3] Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the concept, sometimes contrasting Eastern and Western approaches to leadership, and also (within the West) North American versus European approaches.[4]
Some U.S. academic environments define leadership as "a process of social influence in which a person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common and ethicaltask".[5] In other words, leadership is an influential power-relationship in which the power of one party (the "leader") promotes movement/change in others (the "followers").[6] Some have challenged the more traditional managerial views of leadership (which portray leadership as something possessed or owned by one individual due to their role or authority), and instead advocate the complex nature of leadership which is found at all levels of institutions, both within formal[7] and informal roles.[8][page needed][need quotation to verify]
Western, Simon (2013). Leadership: A critical text. London: Sage. p. 26. ISBN9781446294208. Leadership is a contested term with multiple meanings and diverse practical applications.
^Chemers, M. (1997). An integrative theory of leadership. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. ISBN978-0-8058-2679-1.
^Northouse, Peter G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and Practice (8 ed.). California: Sage Publication. ISBN9781506362298. ...some define leadership in terms of the power relationship that exists between leaders and followers.
^Washington, Marvin; Boal, Kimberly; Davis, John (18 February 2020). "Institutional Leadership: past, present, and future". In Greenwood, Royston; Oliver, Christine; Lawrence, Thomas B; Meyer, Renate E. (eds.). The Sage Handbook of Organizational Institutionalism. SAGE Publications, Limited. pp. 719–733. ISBN9781529712117.
^Goleman, D.; Boyatzis, R.E.; McKee, A. (2003). The New Leaders: Transforming the art of leadership. London: Sphere. Sphere. ISBN9780751533811.
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Seyranian, Viviane (2010). "Interactionist Theories of Leadership". In Levine, John M; Hogg, Michael A. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. Sage reference. Vol. 1. Los Angeles: SAGE. p. 458. ISBN9781412942089. Retrieved 20 August 2023. Interactionist leadership scholars also have argued that trait-based or situational accounts of leadership ignore how a leader can affect a situation or how a situation may influence leaders. [...] Interactionist theories of leadership link person–situation variables in a network of multidirectional relationships that attempt to capture the evolving nature of leadership.
^Saffold, Guy (2005). "Leadership Through Vision". Strategic Planning: Leadership through Vision. Nairobi: Evangel Publishing House. p. 137. ISBN9789966201225. Retrieved 11 November 2021. ...leadership is about the future; and the future is about vision.
^Richards, Dick; Engel, Sarah (2005) [1986]. "After the vision: suggestions to corporate visionaries and vision champions". In Adams, John D. (ed.). Transforming Leadership (2nd ed.). New York: Cosimo. p. 206. ISBN9781596053656. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
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Riggio, Ronald E.; Murphy, Susan Elaine; Pirozzolo, Francis J., eds. (2001). Multiple Intelligences and Leadership. Organization and Management Series. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. ISBN9781135662431. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
^Chin, Roger (2015). "Examining teamwork and leadership in the fields of public administration, leadership, and management". Team Performance Management. 21 (3/4): 199–216. doi:10.1108/TPM-07-2014-0037.