Modern Theories of Leadership

The modern period of leadership studies begins at the start of the twentieth century. It was motivated by the demands of business and the increasing need to develop effective managers for burgeoning corporations which measured their success by how much they produced. Many other fields of study, such as political science, psychology, education, public administration, and management sociology, all contributed towards and grew from modern leadership studies. Let’s examine some of the prevailing theories within the modern period.

The modern period of leadership studies

Theories within the modern period of leadership moved aways from the classical emphasis of ethics and morality of being a mature leader to rather defining and quantifying what leaders need to know and be able to do in order to achieve high productivity levels most effectively—and get others to accomplish set goals. Essentially, a clear shift towards pragmatism took place in the modern era of leadership studies. As with the classical period, modern leadership principles and theories are reflective of the historical times and context in which they were conceptualized.

Modern leadership principles and theories

Navigate through this interactive presentation that summarizes some of the theories and principles of leadership from the modern era of leadership studies.