Judgment Calls

First, I enjoyed the case studies included in the text. However, I challenge the authors' success in accomplishing their stated goal - that is, the show how we have moved away from the “Great Man” theories of leadership. The case studies do show collaborative leadership, joint decision-making at several levels, etc., yet the final section reiterates the importance of the leader.

True, we have moved away from the purest sense of the “Great Man” theories. Yet Davenport and Manville have stumbled upon a modernization the definition of a “Great Man” theory - call it the “Great Leader” theory. Though the responsibility for decision-making is not as frequently vested solely in an organization's leader, decisions are still resultant from the strategic course upon which an organization is set by its leader.