Debating Leaderless Management: Can Employees Do Without Managers?

Management research has traditionally assumed that leaders play an essential role in both public and private organizations and are required for a business to run smoothly. However, more recently, a vein of critical research has claimed that leaders can do more harm than good, creating confusion and putting their reputation before production and employee wellbeing. This book asks the question - what would happen if there were no leaders? Would employees be better off without formal (or informal) leaders? And even if such a utopia were desirable, would it be realizable in practice?

Frederik Hertel, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Organization, Communication and Management.

Anders Örtenblad is Professor of Working Life Science at the School of Business and Law, University of Agder, Norway.

Kennet Mølbjerg Jørgensen is Professor of Organization Studies at the Department of Urban Studies, Malmö University, Sweden.