The New Psychology of Leadership by Haslam, S. Alexander; Reicher, Stephen D.; Platow, Michael J.;

Short description:

This book is the perfect introduction to new theoretical and scientific insights into leadership being created by social psychology. Written in an accessible and engaging style, it is suitable for students on courses including social psychology, organizational psychology, business and management, sociology, economics, and leadership studies.

Long description:

This groundbreaking book provides a refreshing introduction to the field of leadership and is jam-packed with theoretical and practical insights derived from a wealth of applied scientific research conducted by the authors and their colleagues around the world over the last three decades.

It starts from the premise that leadership is never just about leaders. Instead it is about　leaders and followers who are joined together as members of a social group that provides them with a sense of shared social identity – a sense of "us-ness". In these terms, leadership is understood as the process through which leaders work with followers to　create, represent, advance, and embed this sense of shared social identity. The new edition of this award-winning book presents a wealth of evidence from historical, organizational, political and sporting contexts to provide an expanded exploration of these processes of identity leadership in action. In particular, it builds upon the success of the first edition by examining the operation of identity leadership in contemporary society and fleshing out practical answers to key organizational and institutional challenges.

Drawing on real-world examples and rich data sources, this book will appeal to academics, researchers, and students of psychology, business, and management, as well as to practitioners, policy makers, and anyone interested in the workings of leadership, influence, and power.

‘As Haslam, Reicher and Platow set it out, a simple but profound theory underlies their　New Psychology of Leadership. And that theory seems so very right that it may come as a surprise that this is not already the concept of leadership everywhere. I thought the first edition of this book was timely, the second edition is even more so.　‘ - From the Foreword by George A. Akerlof, Nobel Laureate in Economics

‘What I like about this book, and why I will recommend it to anyone interested in leadership, is how the science of leadership is mingled in a readable way with historical and modern-day examples. It is a must-read.’　- Cary L. Cooper in the　Times Higher Education

‘This book provides a tremendous service by sorting through the tangle of leadership studies and theories to offer a new perspective that is at once elegant, supported by eclectic research, and readily translatable into practice.’ 　- Blake Ashforth,　Professor of Management,　Arizona State University, USA

‘An amazing book that completely changed my mind about leadership.’ - Rafael di Tella, Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, USA

‘A path-breaking book that will reinvigorate and redirect scholarship on leadership for many years to come.’　- Jack Dovidio, Department of Psychology, Yale University USA

Table of Contents:

Foreword  Preface  1. The Old Psychology of Leadership: Great Men and the Cult of Personality  2. The Current Psychology of Leadership: Issues of Context and Contingency, Transaction and Transformation  3. Foundations for The New Psychology of Leadership: Social Identity and Self-Categorization  4. Being One of Us: Leaders as In-group Prototypes  5. Doing It for Us: Leaders as In-group Champions  6. Crafting a Sense of Us: Leaders as Entrepreneurs of Identity  7. Making Us Matter: Leaders as Embedders of Identity  8. The pragmatics and politics of identity leadership: Being effective and doing good  9. The tools of identity leadership: Translating theory into practice  Notes  References  Glossary