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Leadership in Organizations

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An exploration of what makes an effective leader. Leadership in Organizations provides a balance of theory and practice as it surveys the major theories and research on leadership and managerial effectiveness in formal organizations. The eighth edition includes new examples, citations, and guidelines, and has been enhanced for better clarity and presentation.

528 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 1981

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441 people want to read

About the author

Gary A. Yukl

12 books3 followers

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5 stars
91 (24%)
4 stars
126 (34%)
3 stars
106 (28%)
2 stars
30 (8%)
1 star
15 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
Profile Image for Nguyen Cassie.
1 review2 followers
November 25, 2013
It's rather heavy and dry book, which is suitable as a course book. Good knowledge and guidelines in some cases are interesting!
Profile Image for Melsene G.
1,072 reviews5 followers
June 1, 2020
This is not for laymen. If you're studying for your PhD in leadership, maybe you should spend the time and read the 437 pages. Otherwise, don't waste your time. Read the summaries after each chapter and you'll get enough info. In sum, the studies and research on leadership are inconclusive so you don't really get concrete answers to what's a good leader, what training works, and so on.

If you've read the gurus on leadership, you'll be familiar with the concepts. I'll leave you with the authors definition. Leadership is the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives.

232 reviews1 follower
June 4, 2024
This book outlines the common leadership theories and behavior along with emphasizing the importance of adaptability. Basically every concept is debated and research results have been inconsistent.

Began as a reading assignment for an MBA Leadership Development course, I read the assigned chapters and pdfs first and then filled in the rest. I read the chapters in the following order: 2, 3, 6, 11, 12, and 14| Preface, 1, 4[covered in a course pdf], 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13[covered in a course pdf], and 15. I largely agree with my professors decision to exclude the unassigned chapters, but those covered by a course pdf are important without the substituted course pdfs
Profile Image for Sultan N.
4 reviews1 follower
July 7, 2023
One of the best books in leadership and management.
It’s my reference that i read whenever i find something difficult in my career.
Profile Image for Jen.
9 reviews1 follower
May 2, 2024
A dense text on the taxonomies of leadership research.
Profile Image for T.j..
11 reviews3 followers
November 7, 2009
Although there are some excellent studies on many different leadership behaviors in Yukl's 7th edition of Leadership, the material is rather dry and drawn out. Truthfully, this was a chore to read due to the constant contradictions of previous statements of fact throughout the book: it rambles at times aimlessly among topics to the point that you are not sure exactly what is true, what is false, or what is inconclusive (most of the studies examined, early models and latter models, all seem to end up inconclusive in results, which makes it quite frustrating to stay interested in the material being presented).

I did find the section on group behavior and group leadership interesting and useful in my own profession, and will put it to work this next year when we have our annual weekend pow-wow.
8 reviews4 followers
August 15, 2011
There could not be a more thorough book on leadership theory. It is great that the book is updated often to reflect the changing field of leadership.

The language used in the text does assume knowledge of the field. It is appropriate for graduate level courses, and it could be used in undergraduate courses with the right supplemental readings. It includes access to a helpful online companion website with study tools.

The book does focus on organizational leadership, and so it may not appeal to everyone. there are a lot of business examples, and the book is generally oriented towards the domain.
Profile Image for Yeva.
Author 14 books45 followers
March 25, 2012
I read this book for a leadership course I'm taking, and I'm glad I read it. I would recommend, though, that if you're interested in this book the Global Edition is hard to read--the print is small in the paperback. So, spend the money and buy the hardcover edition. I'm a cheapskate, and if you're tapped for funds, the paperback is there. The case studies at the back of the book are great to ponder, and you might surprise yourself with your answers to the questions about them.
Profile Image for Michelle.
42 reviews2 followers
February 3, 2008
A little heavy on just reporting about studies made on managers and leaders - but still very interesting because instead of trying to just define leadership it acknowledges that leadership is a spectrum and underlines all the different parts of that spectrum. I'm not done yet - but I doubt my review will change much.
Profile Image for Betsy.
103 reviews
November 23, 2009
This was way to academic. If I was getting a PhD in this stuff I might need to know about the in depth take on various research but when trying to learn this stuff I much prefer just to read about results. The writing and look of the book is totally dry and uninspiring. Some good information but not a fun way to learn.
Profile Image for Becky.
39 reviews3 followers
December 17, 2015
This is not a book for simple folk. Even with my love for vocabulary I was looking up words to complete my required reading. It seems far too wordy for the information gathered from the text. While scholarly, I could have used about 1/3 of the text from each chapter to get the gist of what I needed for my class.
Profile Image for Stephen.
Author 4 books57 followers
July 24, 2011
Read FEB 2008

Reads very much like a text book, but a Good overview of leadership theories.
Profile Image for Kathy K..
109 reviews
April 20, 2012
Certainly not something I would ever read for pleasure, but provided a good overview of general concepts and techniques for the class I am taking.
Profile Image for Matt.
4 reviews4 followers
October 18, 2012
This is the leader's bible. Yukl discusses key strategies to all aspects of leadership, synthesizing research into practical tools anyone leader can apply.
15 reviews
May 18, 2023
I think I'd rather try to discern intelligent writing in the feces my toddler smeared on the bathroom wall then read this again. It's boring, dry, and inconclusive at every step.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews

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