ABSTRACT
Leadership is widely seen to be a central, if often inadequately taught, part of the management education curriculum. Although it has traditionally been taught by imparting theories, normative models of what makes a good leader and also case studies of well-known corporate heroes (Doh 2003), there is some doubt as to whether leadership can be effectively taught using such conventional pedagogic methods (Parks 2005; Sinclair 2007a). Some suggest there is a need for alternative ways of conveying the complex, contradictory and embodied pressures associated with the lived experience of trying to ‘do’ leadership. This includes the use of experiential approaches that use the classroom as an opportunity ‘in the here and now’ (see Vince, this volume) for participants to embody and experience leadership amongst their peers and do their own leadership ‘identity work’ (Sinclair 2007b; Carroll and Levy 2010; Nicholson and Carroll 2013).
