Management and Labour Studies
Vol. 29, No. 1, February 2004, pp. 67-68.

BOOK REVIEW
"Leading: Lessons from Leadership"
--Sampat P. Singh. New Delhi: Response Books, 2003.
212 pages. ISBN 0-7619-9753-9. Rs. 300 (paperback).

Reviewed by Niti Singh and Venkat R. Krishnan, XLRI Jamshedpur

Sampat P. Singh provides a detailed explanation of what constitutes leader and leadership. He makes a digression from the normal ways of studying leadership by analyzing the phenomenon through examples from diverse disciplines like management science, literature, philosophy, drama, mythology, and experiential knowledge from key business leaders, etc. The book focuses mainly on his conceptual understanding of the relevance and significance of leadership, as displayed by characters from literature.

The book is interspersed with examples and anecdotes from the lives of characters discussed from humanistic literature. Through this book, the author has attempted to answer some of the persistent questions that thinkers and theorists have tried to answer since the beginning of organized human society. What is leadership? Who is a true leader? Are leaders born or made? What are the qualities that make one human being lead others? These questions have been addressed from a fresh perspective. In presenting his unique approach, Sampat P. Singh addresses some key issues including:

According to the author, the aim of the book is to develop an understanding of the leader as shown in literature. The author has tried to search thoroughly and select from a wide range of appropriate masterpieces from world literature. These literary pieces offer a wide range of characters, situations, events and ideas, which could be used as inputs for developing leadership mindset. The book covers well-known religious, fictional, and real-life characters, such as Rama, Buddha, Don Quixote, Gandhi, Vivekanand, Mulk Raj Anand, and Amrita Sher-Gil, etc.

The book is divided into five sections containing 16 chapters, and each section emphasizes a different theme related to leadership. The first section ("Looking at Leadership") has two chapters. In Chapter 1 ("Leaders and Leadership"), the leader has been presented as a hero, as a catalyst, as a visionary, as a fulfiller of dreams, as an adventurist, and as an individual whose self is balanced with objective and subjective reality. Chapter 2 ("Leaders and Managers") takes examples from literature to show the difference between the two roles. The difference lies in their psychological orientation, in their role definition, and in their outlook towards fellow humans. An alternative approach for bridging the gap between the two has been suggested.

The second section is on how management education can be molded and adapted for developing leadership mindsets. The author suggests that management education should not be focused on simply giving knowledge and skill-based courses, which develop only the transactional aspect in the individual. In Chapter 3, the author shows how science has limited scope for developing the complete individual and is incapable of explaining the complete picture. Chapter 4 gives an overview of three modules of management education that will make it holistic in approach. The three modules are (a) practitioner's module, (b) professional's module, (c) and the humanistic module. Chapter 5 has some examples of themes in literature. Anecdotes from Tughlaq, Panchatantra, Mudrarakshasa, Don Juan, Don Quixote, etc., have been used to show how a leader should be.

The third section is on orienting the mindsets of to-be-leaders. The author suggests that if leaders wish to influence followers' way of thinking, they must first bring changes in their own thinking. In Chapter 6, he notes that observing a child who looks at life with a fresh perspective can give many insights into how to de-program and re-program a pre-programmed mindset. Meditation is another route through which this can be done. Suggestions on how to synergize reason and emotion have been given in Chapter 7. The main emphasis is on why logic and reason alone are not sufficient for motivation. Charisma and emotion are essential to motivate and sustain followers to move towards a goal. Chapter 8 ("Enlightened Leadership") discusses key modern writers like Goethe and Maslow. Chapter 9 shows that knowledge without insight is not a sufficient criterion. With the help of insight, an individual can develop the faculty to resolve contradictions.

The fourth section is on leader's falsity, authenticity, and trust. One point that comes out emphatically is the statement that there are no clear-cut answers or norms for deciding between right or wrong, falsity or truth, good or bad. The author clearly shows that conflicts demand situational judgments, based on compromises, and checks and balances to control the misuse of freedom and power. He suggests transparency and accountability as means for getting good results.

The fifth and last section is on the leadership role. The demands and norms of a leader's role are discussed and case studies have been used to show the application. Mulk Raj Anand, Amrita Shergil, Don Quixote, Krishna, Ashoka, Gandhi, and Vivekanand are discussed in this section.

In conclusion, the book is an assimilation of enough material to help the reader understand that there is no significant conflict between traditional and modern views on leadership and that a synthesis of the two traditions is possible. Leadership has been looked at from all the three perspectives: as a personality, as a role, and as a process. The book draws examples from fictitious and living characters to show how each can be developed. However, the reader might feel that the flow of the material is not smooth. The author seems to be moving in and out of concepts and theories, without dwelling fully upon any point. However, considering the sheer enormity of the texts from which the book uses examples to illustrate its point, this might be a small sacrifice to make.

The unique contribution of the book lies in the fact that it is a storehouse of relevant and diverse material because it draws from ancient, new, eastern, and western texts. The book is of relevance not just to management students and professionals, but to all others also who are interested in understanding leadership in organizations.

Management and Labour Studies
Vol. 28, No. 2, May 2003, pp. 185-186.

BOOK REVIEW
"Managing Dyadic Interactions in Organizational Leadership"
--Kanika T. Bhal and M. A. Ansari. New Delhi: Sage Publications, 2000.
224 pages. ISBN 0-7619-9483-1. Rs. 395 (cloth).

Reviewed by Niti Singh and Venkat R. Krishnan, XLRI Jamshedpur

The book is a comprehensive volume on the topic of dyadic relationship between leader and follower. The authors maintain that most of the research in the field of leadership is devoted to studying the phenomenon from the leaders' point of view and considering the followers to be passive and homogeneous. The study of leadership in this volume shifts the focus from the leader to both the leader and the follower. The authors are of the opinion that different followers have different orientations and thus share differing relationships with the leader. This book presents evidence to support the opinion held by them.

The book begins with a comprehensive review of research work in the area of dyadic relationship in the leadership field. The authors have divided the theories of leadership into two broad categories--average approach and the vertical dyadic linkage approach. The first chapter contrasts the two approaches and provides the conceptual base for the dyadic approach. It describes the dyadic leader-member exchange (LMX) model and its relevance for the study. Finally, the chapter ends with a reference to the model that is used in the empirical study described later in the book.

The next chapter describes two studies that were conducted to examine the model. It contains details of the research sites, profile of participants, and method used in conducting the study. The chapter is divided into two sections, based on the two studies that were conducted. The second study corroborates the first study and its aim is to see whether different subordinates under one leader perceive the leader behavior differently. The questionnaire included a two dimensional scale developed to measure quality of interaction, and scales for measuring personal orientations, leadership orientations, perceived climate, and some outcome variables including influence strategies. The chapter also describes the psychometric properties of the questionnaire used in the study.

The third chapter deals with the scale developed in this study to measure dyadic quality of interaction. It contains a review of all the existing scales of LMX. Authors feel that the measures developed so far are insufficient as they are unable to measure the different aspects of interaction and they fail to incorporate the evaluations of both the parties (leader and follower) involved in the process. These are precisely the two points, which are overcome through the new questionnaire that has been developed in this study. The 24-item scale has been named "quality of interaction scale." The scale has two factors--perceived contribution and affect. These emerged through factor analyses in both the studies. The psychometric properties of the scale appear very sound and robust. Finally, what comes out in this chapter is that a leader's interaction with his or her subordinates varies along the dimensions of perceived contribution and affect.

Results of the studies are presented in the fourth and fifth chapters. The fourth chapter analyzes the effect of personal orientations, leadership orientations, and perceived climate of both leader and follower on the dyadic quality of interaction. The results show that the personal orientations of the leader and the follower do not affect the quality of interaction, but leadership orientations (leaders' styles and followers' preferences for these styles) and the interaction between personal orientations and perceived climate predict the quality of interaction. The fifth chapter analyzes the behavioral consequences of quality of interaction. It begins with an overview of the existing literature on the bases of power and influence strategies. The results show that quality of interaction predicts influence strategies, satisfaction, commitment, and unit effectiveness, but does not predict intent to leave.

The final and sixth chapter discusses the implications of the study with respect to the organizational setting, and especially discusses its relevance for the Indian context. It also discusses implications for managers and how the findings could be used for training and educational purposes. The questionnaire used in the study has been appended in the book.

Essentially, the book suggests that if leadership research is to yield results, it has to give due importance to the level of analysis. Perhaps for the first time, such a comprehensive study has been presented on the issue of differing relationships between the leader and the follower. Another major contribution of the book is the newly developed scale. In addition, several variables have been included in the study that has been conducted. Though at times the reader may feel lost because of possible information overload, the authors have to be commended for undertaking such a comprehensive and thorough investigation. Many references used in this book are from studies done in India and thus this becomes an extremely informative book for anyone interested in Indian culture at workplace. However, this has not diluted the relevance of the book in the western setting.

Practitioners, students, and academicians in the area of organizational behavior, human resource, psychology, and management would find the book practical and handy. Those who wish to improve their leadership effectiveness would also find this book useful.

Management Review
Vol. 11, No. 3, September 1999, pp. 157-159.

BOOK REVIEW
"Changing Organizations: Practicing Action Training and Research"
--Raymon Bruce & Sherman Wyman. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks (California), 1998.
pp: 274, Price: US$ 42 (cloth) US$ 22.95 (paper)

Reviewed by Venkat R. Krishnan, XLRI Jamshedpur

The book draws heavily from the work of Neely Gardner on the development of changing organizations. Gardner's unfinished manuscript, "Organization theory and behavior: An approach to managing in a changing environment" (1980) forms the genesis of this volume. Gardner pioneered the Action Training and Research (AT&R) method of organization development in the 1960s. He spent the greater share of his working life as a bureaucrat in the California state government. After spending nearly two decades in the pits of the bureaucracy, he rose to positions of influence as training consultant and academician.

The unique feature of Gardner's work is the importance given to training in the organization change process. To Gardner, training was more than putting on a few classes; it was an important vehicle for the accomplishment of organizational goals. The focus was not on the development of individual managers but was on the development of the whole organization. To distinguish between such an orientation toward the organization from traditional training emphases on the individual, Gardner began using the term 'organization development.' His organization change strategy involves the development of a learning community where there is a constant search for new understandings and an equally high commitment to the sharing of those findings. Gardner labeled his approach AT&R. AT&R focuses not so much on how to change organizations but how to develop organizations that could constantly change themselves without requiring intervention by outside consultants as change agents.

The book is divided into two parts. Part one presents the history and theory of AT&R. It starts by looking at the meaning of development. The authors define development as change associated with individuals or organizations growing in order to meet their true potential. Then the next question of how to bring about this development for ourselves is addressed. Exploring one's organization in its environment is presented as the ultimate source of new knowledge and organizational learning. The objective is to create an organization in which each employee is a trainer and each employee is an agent of change. After presenting the meaning and process of development, the book goes on to briefly describe the story of AT&R starting with Lewin. AT&R cycle consisting of 12 transition stages is also detailed; the first six stages (orientation, contract-compact for learning, reconnaissance, problem and opportunity identification, aspirations, analysis for strategic action options) make up a strategic decision making research phase and the last six stages (experiment, test results analysis, program design, implementation, program evaluation, re-cycle) comprise the change implementation action phase.

While the first part serves as the theoretical foundation, the second part of the book presents and examines a methodology that can be used as a guide for people who wish to develop their organizations into organizations that can change for themselves. Since the guide is meant for practitioners and participants, it explains in great detail all the stages in the process of developing changing organizations. Besides providing exhaustive information about and narrative accounts on the use of each transition stage of the AT&R cycle (introduced in part one of the book), the book also presents notes from Gardner's journals describing the process of developing the AT&R stage in a research project. The authors have taken the pains to include much of Gardner's seminal work in each of the 12 chapters (one chapter for each transition stage of the AT&R cycle) of the second part of the book under the subtitle 'from the journals of Neely Gardner.'

At the beginning of each chapter in part two of the book (each chapter dealing with one transition stage of the AT&R cycle), a menu for the AT&R stage with which that chapter is dealing is provided. This menu tells about that stage in terms of how it was used in various instances by AT&R practitioners. The menu includes four modules. The first module describes the change action that takes place in that stage. The second module consists of an abbreviated list of training that should be considered during that stage. The third module is a narration of the research and experimental activities that should take place. The fourth and final module describes the expected outcome of the stage. Besides the menu, each chapter also provides examples in practice to elaborate the processes involved in each stage.

The action stage approach to teaching, learning and developing changing organizations presented in this book can be used by teachers, trainers, students, practitioners, managers and employees alike to guide them through the development of their organizations into more democratic and entrepreneurial endeavors. Anyone involved in the development of changing organizations will definitely find this book extremely useful. The practitioner's guide presented in the second part of the book would help with the how and where in looking for new knowledge, values and innovative practices. However, as the authors themselves rightly caution, AT&R is not a cookbook of recipes but a map for the transitions between the action steps of changing organizations.

Many of the principles advocated by the AT&R approach are current today--participative management, self-managed work groups and employees, outcome budgets, empowering the employee, and viewing the citizen as customer/owner. The approach presented in this volume sees participative management as the key to achieving changing organizations. The book is a must for anyone interested in developing organizations that constantly change themselves.

Management and Labour Studies
Vol. 24, No. 2, April 1999, pp. 142-143.

BOOK REVIEW
"Leadership: Theory and Practice"
--Peter G. Northouse. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Puublications, 1997.
Pp.xviii+274. US$ 48.00 (cloth)/22.95 (paper).

Reviewed by Venkat R. Krishnan, XLRI Jamshedpur

The book tries to bridge the gap between theoretical writings on leadership and the inadequacy in presentation to the practitioner. The book reviews in an exhaustive fashion the research findings of many approaches to leadership, while at the same time giving attention to how leadership can be explained and applied in real-world organizations. The author does a commendable job of describing how the research on leadership can inform and direct our practical applications of leadership.

The first chapter introduces the concept of leadership, wherein the author defines leadership as a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. Leadership is also distinguished from similar other constructs like power, coercion and management. The book has 12 chapters. The five chapters following the introductory first chapter deal with the trait, behavioral and contingency approaches to leadership. The trait and behavioral approaches look at leadership from the point of view of the leader. The important traits and behaviors that differentiate leaders from non-leaders are touched upon by the author. The contingency approaches to leadership introduce the follower and the context as relevant variables in addition to the style and behavior of leader. Hersey and Blanchard's situational leadership theory, Fiedler's contingency model and the path-goal theory are dealt with in detail.

The book then goes on to explain leader-member exchange (LMX) theory and transformational leadership. The LMX theory (initially referred to as vertical dyad linkage theory) conceptualizes leadership as a process that is centered in the dyadic relationship and interaction between leader and follower. Followers are classified as belonging to either the in-group or the out-group based on the quality of exchange relationship they have with the leader. The author presents findings that highlight the positive effect of high quality exchange relationship on various individual and organizational variables.

Transformational leadership is then introduced as a current approach to leadership that has been the focus of much research since the early 1980s. Transformational leadership is distinguished from transactional leadership by highlighting that the latter refers to the bulk of leadership models which focus on the exchanges that occur between leaders and their followers. Transformational leadership, on the other hand, refers to the process whereby an individual engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower. Transformational leaders are recognized as change agents who are good role models, who can create and articulate a clear vision for an organization, who empower followers to achieve at higher standards, who act in ways that make others want to trust them, and who give meaning to organizational life.

The last four chapters of the book on team leadership theory, psychodynamic approach, women and leadership, and popular approaches to leadership are respectively written by Susan E. Kogler Hill, Ernest L. Stech, Dayle M. Smith, and Mary Ann Bowman. Kogler Hill discusses the role of leadership in designing and coaching teams to achieve effectiveness. A systems model is presented displaying the relationship between inputs, outputs and process measures. The model also demonstrates the role the team leader can play in monitoring and taking the appropriate action relative to these three factors.

Stech considers mom and dad becoming leaders, at least for a few years after we are born, as the basic premise of the psychodynamic approach to leadership. Our parents create, particularly in the early years of childhood, deep-seated feelings about leadership. Important concepts in the psychodynamic approach to leadership include the family of origin, maturation or individuation, dependence and independence, regression, and the shadow self. Each of these plays a unique role in the leadership process. The psychodynamic approach to leadership is unique in that it is not specifically addressed to the question of leadership but rather to the larger issues of human existence and relationships.

Smith explores leadership from the multifaceted dimensions of women's and feminist theory. The author also analyzes the barriers to promotion and advancement opportunities for women, and suggests some avenues for women to develop further their leadership potential. Finally, the popular approaches to leadership presented by Bowman include the servant-leader paradigm, spiritual-ethical orientation and empowerment of followers.

Three case studies are provided in each chapter to illustrate common leadership issues and dilemmas. Thought-provoking questions follow each case study. Another unique and probably the most useful feature of the book is that a leadership instrument is provided in each of the chapters. The instrument in the form of a self-report questionnaire is designed to help the reader apply the approach to his or her own leadership style or setting. The book would be extremely beneficial as a text for undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership. It is also an excellent and handy resource for participants in leadership development programs, and for anyone interested in improving his or her leadership abilities.

Management and Labour Studies
Vol. 23, No. 1, January 1998, pp. 298-300.

BOOK REVIEW
"Human Resources Development: Experiences, Interventions, Strategies"
--T V Rao. New Delhi: Sage Publications, 1996.
pp.394, Price: Rs.525

Reviewed by Venkat R. Krishnan, XLRI Jamshedpur

This comprehensive book is an outcome of the Commonwealth Secretariat's concern to facilitate sustainable development in Commonwealth countries. In the Harare Declaration of 1991, the Commonwealth Heads of Government, recognized that human resource development (HRD) is central to the promotion of sustainable development and reduction of poverty in the commonwealth countries which contain 50 per cent of the world's absolute poor. A working group was set up as a part of an agenda for action. The group commissioned six studies and one book, this one by T. V. Rao. The book is the result of about eight months of study and analysis made by the author while he was stationed at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, England in 1992-93.

The book deals with HRD strategies at the level of nations and large decentralized states. Its focus is on the developing nations, though its inferences are based on the past experiences of both developing and industrialized nations. Rao discusses HRD goals, policies and implementation strategies for the developing countries. The two distinct issues of developing human competencies for economic and technological development, and equitably distributing resources, opportunities and benefits in order to improve the quality life are both given due attention in this book. The methods of investing in the development of people, the strategic choices that need to be made in regard to the categories of people to be targeted, and the processes to be used for effective implementation of HRD policies and programs are also addressed.

The book is divided into three parts. The first part introduces the concept of HRD and its relationship with economic development, and discusses some strategic choices to be made in achieving HRD objectives. Resource constraints in developing all people create problems of choice for governments. Strategic HRD involves development of those sectors that are strategically important to that country at that time. On the other hand, balanced HRD is based on equity considerations, and attempts to ensure that one set of people is not developed at the cost of another. This is the dilemma to be faced in choosing.

The second part takes a close look at four strategic sectors (health, education, science and technology, environment) and three target groups (women, poor, unemployed) for strategic HRD interventions. The health sector is important because life expectancy is a good indicator of the level of HRD in a country. Attention to the education sector is necessary because basic education through the provision of schooling for all is an essential building block for the long-term development of any nation. Technical and vocational education provides the skills required for industries, agriculture and the services that are the main sources of economic well-being of a nation. Investments in the science and technology sector are vital for supporting other sectors like health and education through appropriate technologies in the context of the growing population and the resource crunch. The environment sector cannot be ignored because creating and managing a healthy environment are critical for sustained development. For each of the target groups, women, poor and unemployed, the importance of the group and ways of developing it to achieve the HRD goals of the country are discussed.

The third part of the book deals with the strategic process interventions required for achieving HRD goals. Governments need to take a positive view of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), since there is a lot that NGOs can offer to a willing government. A collaborative partnership approach between the government and NGOs will go a long way in achieving the HRD goals of a nation. Considering that NGOs and several other entities would be involved, decentralization will enhance participation and generate enthusiasm for the whole program. Besides using existing resources more efficiently, efforts need to be made to mobilize additional resources for HRD programs with a view to expanding their coverage.

This is a useful book for anyone who is interested in looking at the development of human resources at the national level. It provides a comprehensive and integrated account of HRD experiences from all over the world, supported by case studies, relevant illustrations and useful extracts of important reports. The book is essential reading for policy makers, representatives of people at all levels of government, and decision makers of NGOs. It will also be of great use to professionals and scholars in the areas of HRD, education and development studies.

Last Revised: 4 Feb 2005

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