10.4225/03/593767f5de525
Reser, Clarence L. W.
Clarence L. W.
Reser
Sarros, James C.
James C.
Sarros
The origins of leadership
Monash University
2017
monash:62804
2000
1959.1/468413
2017-06-07 02:41:56
Journal contribution
https://bridges.monash.edu/articles/journal_contribution/The_origins_of_leadership/5084713
The purposes of this paper are to outline the origins of leadership and explain its role in human civilization. The methodology is analytical and discursive. The paper addresses three themes: leadership as a social institution, a field of inquiry, and as a vocation. The research is based on a survey of the leadership literature. The discussion is organized thematically. The paper offers five principal conclusions: leadership is ancient, a universal social institution, a key determinant of progress in human civilization, a new field of inquiry, and that the job of leader is poorly understood.