ABSTRACT
J. Adair was one of the first theorists to suggest that leadership is a trainable and transferable skill, rather than it being an exclusively inborn ability. Some academics have also denounced Action-Centred Leadership as being too ‘authoritarian’, applicable in a rigid, formal, military-type environment, but less relevant to the modern workplace, where the leadership emphasis is on leading change, empowering, enabling, managing knowledge and fostering innovation. Adair’s simple model is often seen as a ‘blueprint’ for leadership and the management of any team, group or organisation. It is independent of situation or organisational culture and enables a leader to identify where he or she may be losing touch with the real needs of the group or situation. Critics have claimed that Adair’s approach has become outdated given the pace and scale of changes in the work environment.
