Have we neglected hierarchies in the study of public sector leadership?

Abstract

This article was written to encourage scholars to not forget to include the power of hierarchy in their studies of leadership in public sector organizations. Contemporary theories of leadership too often assume that hierarchy will wither away once the leader imposes his or her will on the organization, an assumption that does not seem to work in reality given the bureaucratic nature of public organizations. Instead it is argued that we can learn about public sector leadership needs by remembering the power of hierarchy and what it demands in terms of leadership from different levels in the organization. The article concludes with speculation as to how future research on leadership might be directed with hierarchy in mind.

Citation

Ihrke, D.M. (2003), "Have we neglected hierarchies in the study of public sector leadership?", International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 252-273. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-07-02-2004-B005