We noted yesterday that society has changed dramatically over the past few hundred years, but individual leadership continues to be conceived and cultivated virtually as it has for millennia. What, exactly, has changed, and why has the concept of leadership resisted changing with it?
One major change, of course, has been in how we perceive the principle of sovereignty. It no longer exists exclusively in the person of the sovereign at the top, who had the right to lead, if not actually being viewed as owning, the people. Rather, it now increasingly is understood to arise from those very people, who are expected to appoint – not to serve or follow – administrators.
But there has been another, generally more recent, and perhaps equally profound change: the rise of the modern world of organizations. Peter Drucker first remarked on this notable development. As late as the early 20th century, there was a limited number of what might be called professionally run, ongoing enterprises – even, really, in government.
A number of powerful trends combined to change that dramatically. Now, much of the work of society – even the living of life – is done through organizations conceived, established, and administered by the people themselves.
So here’s the problem: the traditional notion of individual leadership rested on the historic facts of sovereignty residing in the leader, and all instruments or institutions of state and society emanating from, or ultimately organized to serve, that person. But the facts have changed.
Now, both sovereignty, and the sources and purposes of organizations, have been widely distributed among the general population. And yet, the concept of leadership has successfully resisted changing with these new historic facts. It continues to be presented as requiring that authority, power, and purpose be concentrated in the persons of specially designated individual leaders.
Why does this essentially pre-modern – even archaic – view of leadership so successfully persevere in the midst of so fundamental a transformation of the environment that gave rise to it?
That is next. In the meanwhile, have a great weekend – see you on Monday.
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Today’s tip: Speaking of adaption to fundamental changes, please see this piece, from Fox News, about where one college will be holding its graduation ceremony this year: online at Second Life.
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