What lurks beneath leadership ineffectiveness? A theoretical overview

The impact of effective leadership practices on various aspects of organisational success is a well-researched area in the domain of leadership and management. There is, however, only a small amount of research available that focuses on those aspects that constitute ineffective leadership, which, in turn, contributes to organisational failure. Research suggests that there is a tendency in the literature, academia and industry to focus on the positive aspects of leadership while avoiding the negative side of leadership. The aim of this article is to bridge that. A non-empirical method was utilised for the purpose of this study. A literature approach was used to illustrate the different theoretical perspectives, trends and thinking on what constitutes leadership ineffectiveness. The analysis of the literature illustrate that leaders are more likely to be considered ineffective due to character flaws and the inability to effectively manage their emotions and maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships than any other aspect. The scrutiny of the literature raises another topic in leadership research previously neglected, in that, it explores and illustrate how narcissism, a personality disorder, as described in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV) may in fact resemble some of the aspects associated with ineffective leadership.