ABSTRACT
This chapter explores some of the literature that tries to explain what might appear to be the metaphysical concept of vision, which is thought to be a requirement for leading today's highly complex organisations. It traces some of the antecedents of the idea of visioning, and by drawing on some current management literature will show how the concept has been used to buttress the notion of leader as distinct from manager. The chapter explores some of the difficulties and dilemmas around visioning and the way it may be experienced in organisations, leading me to reflect on how we might consider the concept from a more social and emergent perspective. Hannah Arendt regarded herself more as political theorist than as a philosopher, and as such she would probably have been alive to the intersection of power and politics in organisations.
