ABSTRACT
Management Functions On cable and network television, shows offer prime-time stereotypes of people in
command almost hourly-authoritative police commanders on Law and Order, a decisive doctor on House, and a confident President on the West Wing. Commercials on both TV and radio almost invariably present the boss as a figure to be both
feared and pleased. The executive’s voice is loud and strong, his or her manner is
forceful, and subordinates are relegated to inferior positions. In bestselling fiction,
the genre of Michael Crichton and colleagues deals primarily in stereotypes of pow-
erful figures. Novels of politics or crime seem to trade in
images of strong presidents, CIA directors, admirals and
generals, commissioners and commanders. The language
is idiomatic; the characterizations are two-dimensional. In
sports, the image of the lone, aggressive decision maker is
reinforced daily, and especially on the weekends, by stern-
faced coaches and managers pacing the sidelines or sitting
on the bench: They play the role of chess master, while the
players are simply pieces on the game board. In comics, the
boss often is portrayed as insensitive, and the power rela-
tionship is lopsided. Take Dilbert, for example-the staff in this cartoon typically suffers from the wrong-headed be-
havior of management, but those same incumbent, incompetent managers seem to
survive. In Blondie, the boss is the productivity figure, while Dagwood is the buffoon. This chapter takes a closer look at the notions of leadership. Students will be
presented with theories of leadership and real-world leadership examples, which
are tied to a broader discussion of public-sector management.
