In their article, Zombie leadership: Dead ideas that still walk among us, Haslam et al. 2024, present a compelling argument that the field of leadership has been held back by commitment to an older set of ideas that refuse to die, despite the inadequacy of those ideas having been demonstrated over and over again.
They suggest that ideas survive, not because they are supported by evidence or by careful, critical thinking but rather because they accord with the interests of groups that hold the power: if you control the narrative of leadership you control one of the principal engines through which power and privilege are understood and reproduced.
The ‘Hollywood’ narrative of leadership
They propose that the widely accepted ‘Hollywood’ narrative of leadership is based on the following principles:
1. The masses are incapable of looking after themselves and require a hierarchical society with strong leaders at the top
2. Leaders deserve their position because they are special individuals who have distinct qualities that set them apart from the masses and which only certain men are endowed with
3. Success a group might have are attributed to the actions of its leader
Igniting inclusion as a core leadership value
At Inclusive Leadership Company, we have an ambitious aspiration to ignite one million leaders to embrace inclusion as their core value as leaders.
When leaders adopt inclusion as their core value, they challenge the principles of zombie leadership:
- They appreciate that each individual is capable of leading
- They appreciate that leadership is a privilege and not a right
- Everyone can develop inclusive leadership
- The success of a group is attributable to the group
If you want to read the full paper on Zombie Leadership you can access it here.
