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... > social science subjects > psychology > social psychology > group dynamics > group influence > great person theory of leadership
... > social science subjects > psychology > social psychology > group dynamics > group performance and problem solving > great person theory of leadership
... > social science subjects > psychology > social psychology > group dynamics > organizations > great person theory of leadership
... > social science subjects > psychology > social psychology > group dynamics > theory (group processes) > great person theory of leadership

Preferred term

great person theory of leadership  

Definition

  • Dating back at least 2,000 years, the great person theory of leadership (GPTL) is one of the cornerstones of traditional academic and lay understandings of leadership. This is because it provides a straightforward answer to the question, “Are leaders born or made?” Answering that great leaders are “born,” the GPTL suggests that these leaders are superior to other people by virtue of their possession of innate intellectual and social characteristics. [Source: Encyclopedia of Group Processes & Intergroup Relations; Great Person Theory of Leadership]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/great_person_theory_of_leadership

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