Early Research and Speculations

Abstract

This chapter will look at, first, the early research and management failure. It will also look at more recent popular writings and provide a very quick overview concerning the extensive literature on leadership. Historians have always been interested in evil, despotic and destructive leaders. Psychoanalysts have also been happily exploring the dark side of leaders. But, as noted earlier, popular interest in leadership failure remains a modern concern. This is not necessarily because modern senior management jobs are more complex, or that through media attention we are becoming much more aware of the whole issue of derailment. It may be that followers want to believe in heroic leaders, and books about success outsell books on failure.