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

Short description:

This groundbreaking book provides a comprehensive and compelling introduction to the field of leadership that 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 four decades.

Long description:

This groundbreaking book provides a comprehensive and compelling introduction to the field of leadership that 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 four decades.

The book 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. 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 bestselling book captures the breadth and depth of ongoing research from around the world that speaks to the power of social identity as a basis for both effective leadership and engaged followership. This approach is highlighted in case studies from the COVID-19 pandemic and as a way of understanding the rise, fall and resurgence of Donald Trump. The book also discusses practical applications that show how leaders can create, advance, represent and embed social identity in ways that are beneficial not only for group engagement and performance but also for health and well-being.  

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.

“If you only ever read one book about leadership this should be it.”

- George A. Akerlof, Nobel Laureate in Economics.

“What I like about this book 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.

“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, Professor of Psychology, Yale University USA.

Table of Contents:

1

The old psychology of leadership: Great men and the cult of personality

Leadership in history: The “great man” and his charisma

The political decline of the “great man” approach: The impact of the “great dictators” 

The standardization of leadership: Personality models and their failings 

The biographical approach: Looking for the roots of greatness in personal histories 

The theoretical deficiency of individualistic models 

The political deficiency of individualistic models 

The faulty definition of leadership

Conclusion: Five criteria for a useful psychology of leadership

2

The current psychology of leadership: Issues of context and contingency, transaction and transformation 

The importance of context and contingency 

The importance of followers 

The importance of that “special something” 

Conclusion: The need for a new psychology of leadership

3

Foundations for the new psychology of leadership: Social identity and self-categorization

Social identity and group behavior  

Social identity and collective power 

Defining social identities  

Conclusion: Setting the agenda for a new psychology of leadership

4

Being one of us: Leaders as in-group prototypes 

The importance of standing for the group  

Prototypicality and leadership effectiveness 

Prototypicality and leadership stereotypes  

Prototypicality and the creativity of leaders  

Conclusion: To lead us, leaders must represent “us” 

5

Doing it for us: Leaders as in-group champions  

The importance of fairness  

From fairness to group interest  

Clarifying the group interest  

Conclusion: To engage followers, leaders’ actions and visions must promote group interests 

6

Crafting a sense of us: Leaders as entrepreneurs of identity 

The complex relationship between reality, representativeness, and leadership   

Social identities as world-making resources  

Who can mobilize us? The importance of defining category prototypes  

Who is mobilized? The importance of defining category boundaries  

What is the nature of mobilization? The importance of defining category content  

Conclusion: Leaders are masters not slaves of identity

7

Making us matter: Leaders as embedders of identity 

Identity as a moderator of the relationship between authority and power   

Leaders as artists of identity  

Leaders as impresarios of identity  

Leaders as engineers of identity  

Conclusion: Leadership and the production of power both center on the hard but rewarding work of identity management 

8

The pragmatics of identity leadership: Being effective in the world   

The nature of effective leadership 

The nature of ineffective leadership 

A case study of the pragmatics of identity leadership: The COVID-19 pandemic 

Conclusion: Identity leadership is practical because it is grounded in well-evidenced integrative theory  

9

The politics of identity leadership: Doing good and evil in the world    

The intragroup dimension of identity leadership  

The intergroup dimension of identity leadership  

A case study of the politics of identity leadership: Donald Trump and the 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol  

Conclusion: Whether leadership is benign or toxic hinges on the form and content of identity leadership 

10

The tools of identity leadership: Translating theory into practice