Product Description

`It is a real delight to read such a splendid book as this...After reviewing leadership books for over twenty years this book is by far one of the best I have come across. It provides an excellent leadership account and discussion for those working in the education and business field' - International Journal of Educational Management

For anyone seeking to explore how an understanding of leadership theory can inform and direct the way leadership is practiced, the Fourth Edition of Leadership: Theory and Practice is an indispensable tool. Adopted as a textbook at over 250 colleges and universities, this bestselling volume is equally useful for private-sector leadership development training programs.

New to the Fourth Edition:

- A chapter on cross-cultural leadership and diversity

- New material on the Globe study

- New material on servant leadership

- New material on spiritual leadership

- New material on followership

- New material on Konzes & Posner/LPI (20090805)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8896 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Review
"Love the analysis of theories and end of chapter exercises." (Gary Williams 20090806)

"Excellent review of major concepts and theories; applications at close of chapter is a perfect ending!" (Jeany Gonzalez 20060627)

"The book seems to have been sprung from the author's experiences of teaching and consulting on leadership issues. This is evident from the way in which the approaches and theories to leadership are structured for easy application and practice in active scenarios. A clear positive aspect of the book is the Summary at the end of each chapter with serves the purpose of integrating several dimensions that the chapter deals with." (Venkatesh Pamu Book Reviews 20080326)

"After reading many current educational leadership books which seem less about leadership and more about the ‘evils’ of government reform and ‘commodification’ it is a real delight to read such a splendid book as this. Peter Northouse has combined an academically robust account of the major themes and approaches with an accessible style and approach that makes the book very readable. This book is a major source of insights and perspectives for all those studying on leadership courses in both the business and education sectors. It is also an excellent source for school leaders and educators who want to go deepen their understanding of leadership.

The book is divided into fourteen chapters which cover all the key aspects in the leadership field: defining leadership; trait approaches; skills approaches; style approaches; situational approach; contingency theory; path-goal theory; leader-member exchange theory; transformational leadership; team leadership; psychodynamic approach; women and leadership; culture and leadership and leadership ethics. It is unusual to get such a comprehensive coverage of leadership, with such a perceptive and engaging account.

The layout of the book is excellent making it very reader friendly with great use of colour display of models and tables. This is a major improvement on earlier editions of the book. It has outstandingly good case examples and questions for reflection and very useful leadership instruments and questionnaires. These instruments, case studies and questionnaires provide practical applications and reflection tools and add a significant reality check to theory as the reader can apply the leadership analysis to themselves or their situation. For anyone starting out as a student of leadership or an experienced leader reviewing their leadership style and approach this book would be an essential starting place.

After reviewing leadership books for over twenty years this book is by far one of the best I have come across. It provides an excellent leadership account and discussion for those working in the education and business field."

-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT (Brent Davies International Journal of Educational Management 20080918)

"Leadership: Theory and Practice provides excellent analyses of a number of leadership theories and research findings in considerable detail...The book succeeds in advancing our understanding of the different approaches to leadership and the methods by which it can be practiced more effectively." (Ravindra Nath Saxena )

About the Author

Peter G. Northouse, Ph.D, is a professor of communication in the School of Communication at Western Michigan University. For more than 20 years, he has taught leadership, interpersonal, and organizational communication on both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition to publications in professional journals, he is the author of Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice and coauthor of Health Communication: Strategies for Health Professionals (3rd ed.). His scholarly and curricular interests include models of leadership, leadership assessment, ethical leadership, and leadership and group dynamics. He has worked as a consultant in a variety of areas, including leadership development, leadership education, conflict management, and health communication. He holds a doctorate in speech communication from the University of Denver and a master’s and bachelor’s degree in communication education from Michigan State University.

Customer Reviews

If only more text books were written like this...
I can't even begin to explain how well constructed this book is. It tackles the fundamental elements of Leadership theory and systematically explains the strengths, limitations and history behind each theory, as well as giving useful insights into the ways and reasoning behind their development.

If you are studying for exams in Leadership (as I was) this book provides a great overview, and will enable you to answer those popular 'compare and contrast' one theory against another exam questions.

This book was worth every penny! I hope other authors of textbooks can take note.

best text book ever purchasd
this book was the best text book ever purchaesed! easy to read format, with chapters clearly defined. I am studying nursing leadership at degree level and found this book to contain everthing I wanted and more in relation to the theories of leadership and could put it all into context within the nursing profession. I particulary like the "advantages and disadvantages" section of each chapter which helped enormously with analytical skills and critiquing!

An excellent read for graduate and postgraduate students
This is an excellent summary of the current state of leadership research. The book is composed of 12 chapters 10 of which each deal with a single leadership theory.Each theory is clearly outlined followed by sections headed strengths and criticisms. An ideal layout for any student with an essay to write. Far better written then most popular management books and containing a vast amount of useful and easily understood information, I highly recommend it to lecturers, trainers, students, and general readers who are fed up with reading the latest mangement cookbook.