Abstract
Ph.D.
This study was a deliberate effort to move away from a general leader-centric
approach to a more complex (which does not imply complicatedness) contextual
approach to the study of leadership. For the purpose of contextualizing leadership,
fundamental question: Where is leadership? was crafted to guide the present study.
This question implies that leadership should be explained, discovered and approached
in a systematic manner in a particular context. Flowing from the aim; two research
objectives were developed, namely a theoretical and an empirical objective.
On a meta-theoretical level, the objective was to contextualize and therefore
systematize the current leadership theory, providing for the meta-contextualisation of
leadership. On an empirical level, the objective was to develop a contextual theory of
leadership, providing for a micro-contextualization of leadership. These objectives
suggest that leadership is context dependent, and as contexts differ, the abilities and
competencies required to lead in these contexts will vary.
In order to address the first objective of the study, namely to systematize current
leadership theory, Pepper’s (1942) meta–structural framework was used to make
sense of the current leadership theories. Pepper’s meta-structure offers four adequate
world hypotheses, also referred to as structural hypotheses to explain how cognition
of knowledge takes place. These are labelled as Formism, Mechanicism, Organicism
and Contextualism.
Dominant leadership theories were structured in terms of Pepper’s world hypotheses
framework. The outcome of this exercise indicated that most leadership theories are
eclectic. The purest examples of general leadership theories which adhere to Pepper’s
four adequate world hypotheses were identified and interpreted. No pure example for
contextualism could be found, providing the reason for the development of a
contextual theory of leadership embedded in data - the second objective of the study.
Pepper’s contextualist world hypothesis was chosen as the paradigm informing the
empirical component of this study. Contextualism is embedded in the philosophic
world view of pragmatism. Given the study’s contextual nature a case study approach
was adopted as a research strategy. More particularly an instrumental case study was
utilized. A qualitative research approach was deemed appropriate for this study as the...