Is the present popularity of leadership studies an echo of the status of the U.S. as the leader of the free world, or is it hype created by smart entrepreneurs? Have current leadership concepts emerged from the democratic environment in America or do they reflect a globalist and timeless approach? How do leadership studies reflect national values, such as individualism and competition, success, commonly associated with American culture?
An international group of scholars of American society seeks to answer these questions in this volume. They critically examine the terminology and the explanatory power of various leadership concepts. These essays show that the promises of 'good' leadership to protect democratic processes against political and commercial exploitation are often too optimistic. Examples from military academies, state politics, marginal groups, and African American politicians dampen high expectations for new visionary political leadership in the United States.
Moreover, analyses of the limited success of the export of American leadership models abroad contradict the assumption of the universal validity of (American) leadership styles.
The strongest appeal of leadership concepts remains in the corporate world. While the disciplines of arts and humanities experienced a considerable loss in leadership, this relative decline has stimulated critical self-reflection which in turn generated humanistic alternatives to the prevalent economic values.
