Democratic Roots: Feeding the Multiple Dimensions of Leadership-as-Practice

This chapter argues that the leadership as practice (L-A-P) perspective on leadership should see itself as having a root in democratic values. The chapter also introduces the notion of “multiple distributions” of leadership and puts forward an analytical framework based on this to help in framing critical investigations of leadership as a distributed and democratic phenomenon. It is suggested that the democratic root of L-A-P should draw from a rich conception of democracy (holistic democracy). Democratic practice from this perspective involves working subjectively and inter-subjectively towards two aims that interconnect: development as whole human beings and inclusive participation, which involves critically interrogating injustices and power abuses and changing these through practice. Explicit recognition of this rich democratic root would help L-A-P to extend its reach into questions of ethics, values, and human well-being that are inescapably part of leadership practice.