Facilitative leadership: drawing on Jürgen Habermas’ model of ideal speech to propose a less impositional way to lead

Abstract

Even leadership prescriptions that claim facilitative, democratic or participative credentials struggle to break away from the depiction of leadership as a fundamentally impositional undertaking; a feature which may put many academics and practitioners off the subject altogether. This article therefore calls for more attention to the question of how people who find themselves in leadership roles might lead in a less impositional manner. It also offers a contribution to that agenda. After highlighting some limitations of potential sources of reassurance against leadership’s impositional connotations, the article draws on Jürgen Habermas’ discussion of ideal speech, along with some commentaries on Habermas’ work, to propose an outline for a model of leadership as the facilitation of ideal speech. It also considers the practical feasibility, in contemporary organizations, of leadership that facilitates ideal speech, identifying some aspects of organizational theory and practice that may offer nourishment to such an approach.

Critical leadership studies: The case for critical performativity

“…In addition, we might explore new practices of (anti-) leadership and management such as professionalism, committees, peer reviews, and bureaucratic control (Kerr and Jermier, 1978;Rennstam, 2007). One could also develop a conception of leadership as delegation whereby members of a va collective give a person a mandate to exercise authority under certain preconditions during a specified time period (Fryer, 2011;Klein et al, 2006). This is already the case in some professional service firms (Greenwood and Empson, 2003), orchestras (Sennett, 1980), hospitals (Klein et al, 2006) emergency response teams (Grint, 2005b) and craft organizations (Sennett, 2008).…”

“…The contemporary leadership craze calls for biting critique, and it remains an urgent task for CMS (Alvesson, 2010). But an exaggerated and immature view of authority should not be replaced by an exaggerated and one-sided rejection (Fryer, 2011;Western, 2008). Recognition and respect for at least some mode of authority are crucial for good social relations (Sennett, 1980).…”

“…To be va sure, critical studies of leadership remain diverse and many do not wholly reject the idea of leadership (e.g. Ford and Harding, 2007;Fryer, 2011;Western, 2008).…”

“…Collinson, 2005Collinson, , 2011Zoller and Fairhurst, 2007;Ford et al, 2008), we outline an approach that simultaneously recognises the potentially negative consequence of leadership as well as the potentially positive value of functional exercises of authority. We agree with Western (2008) that 'critical theorists must go beyond identifying "bad leadership practice" and aim to create and support successful ethical frameworks for leadership' (p 21; see also Fryer 2011). For us this involves a performative engagement with the concept to draw out the emancipatory potential of leadership.…”

“…But more is called for than some indications of monological communication and the perpetuation of the idea of the manager being superior in terms of knowledge and the subordinates being ignorant, slow or reluctant and therefore in need of being 'hammered at'. The views of subordinates need to be expressed and carefully considered (in line with the idea of communicative action, Habermas, 1984;Fryer, 2011).…”