Leadership: Theory and Practice Ninth Edition

by Peter G. Northouse

The market-leading Theory and Practice presents an academically robust account of the major theories and models of leadership with a focus on how theory can inform practice. Author Peter G. Northouse uses a consistent structure for each chapter that allows readers to easily compare and contrast different theories. Case studies and questionnaires provide students with practical examples and opportunities to deepen their understanding of their own leadership style. The fully updated Ninth Edition features a new chapter on inclusive leadership, 17 new real-world cases that profile leaders from across the globe, a new discussion on leadership and morality, and examples of timely issues such as leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction, Grad School

1229 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 28, 2022

About the author

Peter G. Northouse is a professor emeritus of communication in the School of Communication at Western Michigan University. For more than 25 years he taught leadership and interpersonal and organizational communication at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition to publications in professional journals he is the author of Leadership: Theory and Practice (9th ed.) and Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice (6th ed.) and co-author of Health Communication: Strategies for Health Professionals (3rd ed.). His scholarly and curricular interests include models of leadership, leadership assessment, ethical leadership, and leadership and group dynamics. He has worked as a consultant in a variety of areas, including leadership development, leadership education, conflict management, and health communication. He holds a doctorate in speech communication from the University of Denver and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in communication education from Michigan State University.

Reviews

[Lauren Gillihan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m going to say grad school books count toward my yearly reading goal lol

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Textbook for grad class.

If you're interested in leadership, this could be a good read for you. However, I am not and can not look at the word leader in any form for the next 6 months.

[Micah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of great information in it; however, it is a little dry to read.

[Lumia · Rating 4 out of 5]

16 different leadership theories discussed in an effective and easy to understand manner. There were also helpful graphs and case studies to enhance the learning. Would recommend for those interested about the topic, even though the book was a bit dry to read sometimes.

[Julie]

grad school may as well count toward my reading goals

[Bleu-hedgehog The Sonic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. I had to read it during my Masters and it has become sort of my bible in matters of leadership. Very well structured, consice, and with up to date info and studies. Everything you would need a book of this nature to do, it does, and does well ! Because of the many (relevant) chapters and sub-chapters, one can read it like a sandwich: one bite at a time. It incorporates many of the major leadership theories such as the trait approach or skills approach, etc...but it also has relatively more modern ones such as: Servant, Adaptive, and Inclusive Leadership.
My favourite parts of the book are the "Leadership Instrument" part, which are basically questionnaires that encourage you to reflect on your own leadership style and behaviours.

I will for sure keep one in my personal library.

[Ben Schink · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have over 12 years of experience in leadership in practice and 3 years of instructing it at a university. A student brought this book to my attention after it was required for a general education course they took from a different instructor and it is absolutely terrible.

The book starts off poorly by starting with a definition of leadership, that actually defines management, not leadership. A later chapter on diversity actually promotes enabling racism in a workplace as a way to promote inclusion. Finally, the book discusses followership as one of the last chapters, when followership is in fact, the foundation of leadership and should be one of the first chapters.

Educators...please please please...don't use this book!

[Jacob Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this for a class. I liked how everything was laid how, the sequence of the chapters, and how every chapter had a summary, application, strengths, and criticisms. It made understanding the topics simple. What I took a ster off for was grammar. the grammar was horrible. There were random periods in the middle of sentences, conjoined words with no spacing, sometimes they would use bullet points when they were numbering lists, and the list goes on. It seems like they didn't edit for grammar.

[Thomas H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read!

I was assigned this book in my undergraduate class. I thoroughly enjoyed it as it provided me meaningful insight into the realm of leadership, and who I may want to be as a leader, or act accordingly in my own small ways. I saw this book not only as a book about leadership and leading people, but about how one may develop themselves into a good leader. This book is not just about leadership, but frankly, self-development too.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book that shares an overview of the different types of leadership theory. It helps you understand yourself as leader, and has lots of references for you to dig deeper into all the different theories. I didn't read all the different types, but gleaned the information needed for my particular context.

[Heidi Goehmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

While designed as a textbook and reading like a textbook, the collection of knowledge here is stellar, engaging, and practical. I have sent multiple texts out to colleagues and friends with tidbits of “must have” knowledge for their field. I’m glad I read it and I’ll likely leave it on my bookshelf for navigating leadership situations in the future.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great overview of leadership theories and styles, but it is a bit under serving if you do not look to apply it more specifically to business or corporate. The more recent 10th edition has some expanded elements which I hope address some areas of concerns.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read, formally introducing many leadership approaches and principles. Its approach is very palatable in easy to understand formats (paragraph and diagrams, through out). I used it for a college course and my son is using it for a resource for his prep course. I would highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in business or any aspect of leadership.

[Emma Sonck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Textbook for grad school.

[Madison Stotts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent textbook with so many interesting theories and real world situations. This book is only about 500 pages, not sure why it says over 1000.

[Emma Sonck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Textbook used for my Doctoral Program at OU.

[Bill VanBlaricom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Required reading for graduate school. This book goes over different leadership styles, approaches, and theories. Each chapter is set up in the same way for easy note taking. Overall, a good read.

[Shantel Jacobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and all the explanations of different leadership styles. It also included chapters that focused on followers which is unique!

[Kim Bock · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book needs an editor. 12-15 errors per chapter.

[Lacinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve decided that grad books now count towards my reading goal

[Jessica Dixon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Textbook - informative, interesting but needs to be paired with other resources for a full picture

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breaks down theories of leadership with plenty of examples. I read this for a graduate course because I had to not because I wanted to.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most typos I've ever seen in a textbook

[Kate Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful as a textbook! Summarizes key points and researchers for each of the leadership styles. A major takeaway for me was that we often say these phrases without really knowing what they're pointing to, and often they mean something *very* different than what we want the phrase to evoke, especially as Christians (transformational leadership and servant leadership are at the top of the list). A useful reference; wouldn't recommend reading it straight through.